Editorial: Concordia Administration Needs to Get its Act Together

Graphic Jennifer Aedy

Stop hiding behind your Code of Rights and Responsibilities, Concordia administration. It’s failing students, and it looks like you don’t care.  

Last week, Mei-Ling, a former executive of the Arts and Science student association at Concordia, revealed during a press conference that since her well-publicized story of sexual and racial harassment went public, no one—we repeat, no one—from the university’s administration has reached out to her.

This revelation came after she retold a story of how a Concordia administrator, whose sole job is to help students, justified her harassment by saying it’s all too common for student association culture.

At the time, this administrator also told her that nothing could be done to help her because the harassment occurred over private Facebook messages. And guess what? Concordia did nothing, and the settlement Mei-Ling came to with the student association happened because of outside assistance.  

The negligence doesn’t end there. Another female student at Concordia, under the pseudonym “Cathy” just found out that her tribunal against her abusive ex-boyfriend has been postponed—again. After receiving a restraining order for a confrontation while inside her apartment last year, this ex-boyfriend threatened Cathy on campus months later. This prompted her to file a formal complaint under Concordia’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

These stories aren’t alleged, by the way. Cathy’s ex-boyfriend already pleaded guilty to the charges in municipal court. After filing the complaint, the chair for her tribunal first postponed the hearing because the restraining order meant Cathy and her ex couldn’t be in the same room. Then exams hit, and the people behind the Code said they typically don’t address complaints during this period. Then the ex-boyfriend skipped town for the summer.

Cathy persevered, and thought the hearing would finally happen in early September, but again they postponed, this time explaining the court case wasn’t resolved.

If this sounds familiar, it should. The Link published an editorial about this specific case and advocated for reform to the Code at the end of August. We wrote about the existence of an emergency protocol—the Protocol on the Coordination of Urgent Cases of Threatening or Violent Conduct—to override any technicalities within the Code and make sure Cathy’s case was prioritized and tended to. Nothing happened.  

We asked that the university conduct an independent investigation. Nothing happened.

We asked that the university conduct an independent investigation. Nothing happened. University president Alan Shepard has been asked whether he can personally intervene to help Cathy find some formal resolution as soon as possible. He did nothing. Instead, he has repeatedly answered, for this case and others involving student-protesters, by saying that he can’t suspend the Code and its bureaucracy for anyone, including himself.

This is blatant excusal and negligence. Cathy didn’t enroll in any classes this semester, fearing for her safety while her ex still roamed the school. With this fresh postponement, it doesn’t look like she can return to school next semester either. This time, the ex-boyfriend is on probation, so they cannot be in the same room for a hearing. The cycle is repeating.

Concordia’s bureaucracy is toying with someone’s life. Cathy fears for her safety while in the vicinity of this man. Concordia, ignore the Code, use some common sense, and accommodate the needs of your students. We get it; reform to the Code may take some time. But have this hearing and find a solution to allow Cathy to comfortably come back to school.   

This type of “our hands are tied” culture is common in universities. At the University of British Columbia, administrators are being criticized for issuing a public apology, but failing to personally contact any survivors of sexual violence who sought help from the school. Credit to UBC for acknowledging their mistakes—something Concordia didn’t explicitly do after their sexual assault policy review came out—but again this reeks of crisis control rather than substantial change or action.

The organization largely responsible for finding Mei-Ling justice, the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations, criticized Concordia’s review from earlier this semester. Among their main concerns: its failure to mention the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

This is important because sometimes, like in Mei-Ling’s case, sexual violence can’t be handled under the criminal code, CRARR organizer Brandy deGaia explained. However, sexual violence in the form of psychological abuse can be tried under a civil lawsuit, she said. This is what led to Mei-Ling finding some form of closure last week.

Even though Cathy’s situation was resolved in court, it’s yet to be resolved in any capacity within Concordia’s jurisdiction. The Link has one demand for high-ranking Concordia administrators: apologize and offer help to the students you failed in the first place. It’s the least you can do right now.