Editorial

More of the Same

OpinionsThe Link — Published September 18, 2012

Somehow, the university managed to pull together $2 million from “reserves” and pay a bad governance fine left over from the recently departed Liberal government, a fact that only came to light when a new Senate member inquired about it at Friday’s senate meeting.

This announcement came without fanfare or any notice from the university. If the senator hadn’t asked, it probably wouldn’t have come up at all.

It’s not surprising that Concordia wouldn’t publicize this. Sweeping our dirt under the rug has become something of a pastime here. It’s not ironic so much as expected that we would respond to a $2 million fine for being opaque and unaccountable by being opaque and unaccountable.

It’s just a bit frustrating when this is what kicks off what was supposed to be a fresh start.

The university’s new president has been repeatedly lauded for his communication skills. From the student unions, to the faculty, to the Board of Governors, we’re hearing that this is a man who likes to talk.

Where was the conversation about this?

Where was the public announcement, the inquiry?

Instead, at his first Senate meeting, President Alan Shepard seemed more interested in punctually arriving to a meet and greet right afterward. While those gatherings are essential for members of our community to get to know each other, they are not the place for fundamental discussion.

Real conversation at our school happens in rooms where minutes are taken and difficult questions are posed. Good communication means more than a smile and a firm handshake. It often means sitting in a stuffy Senate room for an extra hour until every senator feels reasonably comfortable with the decisions rendered.

This wasn’t a small fee. $2 million is 40 per cent of the amount Concordia would have gotten from tuition increases this year. Two million dollars is more than double what exiled president Judith Woodsworth received in severance.

Two million dollars is a lot of money, and the community should have been involved in that decision.

For a school that spent a year adamantly claiming it desperately needed the tuition increase, Concordia scrounged up a cool couple of million awfully quick.

Even if we could afford it, it wasn’t a fine we should have to pay.

However many administrative SNAFUs Concordia has faced over the past few years, the fine was unjust. It came from an education minister struggling to stay strong against a tide of red squares—the same minister who would resign two months later.

Taking money away from Concordia to punish it for wasteful spending was a case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.

By paying the fine, it looks like ConU is admitting guilt. It tells the rest of Canada that we are as mismanaged as they think we are, and gives Macleans’ a reason to continue giving us a big fat ‘F’ for reputation. Once again, Concordia did not consider the implications its actions would have on students.

Shephard has a chance to address this openly now, and do something that previous presidents would not have done.

He could call a town hall meeting and explain to students, faculty and staff what happened behind closed doors. He could fight for our reputation and fight for us. Or, he could be a president we’ve already seen: one that does not speak out of turn or speak up at all.

Oh well, more of the same.