From Chair to Chair
Mr. Kruyt Needs to Revise the Rules
In the wake of last year’s controversial dismissal of Concordia President Judith Woodsworth, much optimism surrounded the future of Concordia University’s Board of Governors.
As a result of a unified effort put forth by both students and faculty, ideas such as reform, transparency and good governance began to make their way back into an institution that had previously lacked such principles.
But—as became evident at the most recent BoG meeting held Sept. 28—it didn’t take long for the Board to return to its old ways.
Last week’s meeting was organized in a manner that should be of great concern to all members of the Concordia community and the responsibility for this major mishap lies primarily with one person—Board Chair Peter Kruyt.
It is important to remember that being a chairperson is a very difficult position; it requires having sound judgment, a strong knowledge of the rules and an ability to demonstrate quick critical thinking.
While the Board Chair is entrusted with using discretion, the recent actions of Kruyt during BoG Meetings have demonstrated that he does not conduct himself according to these values.
Instead, over the past year, Kruyt has demonstrated alarming amounts of egotism, contempt and questionable objectivity. As such, his continued presence as BoG chair should be seriously reconsidered.
When examining Kruyt’s position in the boardroom, there are a number of disturbing trends that have come to define the meetings he chairs.
First, Kruyt has continually demonstrated his willingness and capacity to ignore both the BoG’s own rules and basic general conduct expected by any chairperson.
For example, during the last BoG meeting, Kruyt ended debate on important motions prematurely multiple times and openly criticized student representatives who criticized his handling of the meeting.
Secondly, the demeanor and attitude with which Kruyt treats some Board members during these meetings can be best described as unchecked arrogance. Board meetings should be an opportunity to express all points of view, but Kruyt has clearly abandoned this principle.
During meetings, it has become increasingly apparent that those do not support his position’s opinions are unwelcome.
As chair, Kruyt should keep his personal opinions from impacting the way the meetings proceed—a fact that he seems to have conveniently forgotten. Kruyt even went so far as to suggest closing BoG meetings to a general audience at the most recent meeting—an outrageous proposition that is the polar opposite of transparency.
As a result of these trends, it’s difficult to believe that Kruyt is truly serious about bringing good governance to our university. He seems more interested in the preservation of his own power than he is about properly reforming Concordia University’s upper administration.
I believe the time is now for all members of the Concordia community to consider how committed our highest decision-making body is towards the values of good governance.
Despite numerous promises, the BoG remains chaired by an individual who has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated a willingness and predilection to seriously deviate from the basic framework of such values.
The next time Kruyt has the audacity to claim that certain students are doing a disservice to this university, he should take a hard look in the mirror and judge his own actions instead.
Nick Cuillerier is currently the Chair of the Concordia Student Union and former Chief Electoral Officer of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations.
