Editorial
United on our Government
“Last year, in a very weird way, has been a success.”
This interpretation may not exactly be the way many have described the full-fledged governance crisis and public relations nightmare that recently rocked the upper administration at Concordia—and inspired sweeping changes in the future of our university’s Bylaws and Charter—but it’s certainly something to think about.
Delivered at the Open Forum meeting to discuss the recommendations of the report from the External Governance Review Committee on June 28, this sentiment specifically spoke to the spectacular show of solidarity between faculty and students that became apparent as our upper administration unraveled.
Today, certainly, there are big changes ahead of all of us in terms of our leadership. If we can take anything away from Concordia’s communications cataclysm over the last year, it should be that when students and faculty speak up together, we can change the way things are going.
United, we really do have a powerful voice on campus.
Criticisms about how the university is going to run its business—especially from undergraduate students, who will see their representation on the Board struck down significantly—are vital at this point in the process, and are actually being welcomed.As the Board begins to phase itself out—with members retiring as early as Sept. 28—they are also inviting nominations for representatives from the community to take their place. Staff, faculty and students are encouraged to send written comments about the recommendations and nominations to danielle.tessier@concordia.ca, or fill out surveymonkey.com/s/H7GZVJN.
Please do.
Now that the smoke is beginning to clear from the administrative wreckage of 2011 and the Board seems willing to fast-track changes and overhaul rules, we must stay vigilant and unrelenting in our involvement to create the governance we want from the ashes.
Interim President Frederick Lowy even said so himself at the forum. “The more input that we have, the more likely the final actions will reflect people’s views,” he said.
So—while the people upstairs claim to be listening, and while public pressure maintains focus on this controversial affair—now is the time to make our demands. Our role is hugely important in the search for a new Board and a new President.
And as was also so emphatically stated at the forum, we don’t need a President like Lowy, handpicked by the people at the target of our contempt, to be “a therapist to cure our problems”—what we need is an administrative government that is accessible to whom it serves. We need a strong President as the face of our university moving forward—and one who isn’t bullied by the Board that appointed them. We need a senate that is run by academics, not administrators. And, most importantly, we need to know about the ENTIRE process as it unfolds over the next 12 months.
It’s extremely troublesome that the report made a recommendation not to disclose a short-list of candidates—and basically preserves the status quo in the Board’s favour—concerning the nomination process of the President. This cannot stand.
Accountability is at the very heart of this issue, and the Board must respect our united call for transparency throughout this procedure. In solidarity, students and faculty must demand to know as much as possible about the nomination process and appointment of our future Board Members and President, as well as the impending changes to our Bylaws and Charter.
In order for last year’s upheaval to truly be remembered as being “a success,” students and faculty must continue to work together—loudly—as
our new government is created.
We also must demand an equally attentive and accountable follow through from the Board—who, quite frankly, still has some questions to answer about the decisions that were made last year.
The External Governance Review Committee, who took 60 days to lay the groundwork that will overhaul our administrative makeup at the end of the month, cost Concordia $78,000.
If we are to ensure that this is the last public payout in this sad chapter of Concordia’s governance crisis, students and faculty must stay informed, focused, vocal and united, as a community.
