The Queen's Journal, Volume 143, Issue 14

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the journal

Queen’s University

Vol. 143, Issue 14

F r i day , N ov e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

since

1873

AMS ASSEMBLY

Castle disrupted by staff cuts Fall

referendum nullified, AMS says V ictoria G ibson A nisa R awhani Journal Staff

SUPPLIED BY RACHEL SMITH

The BISC is housed in Herstmonceux Castle in Herstmonceux, England.

New curriculum at Bader International Study Centre results in resignations V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor For almost two years, a series of dismissals, resignations and curriculum changes have rocked the Queen’s Bader International Study Centre (BISC) with scant attention from main campus. After the centre’s executive director, Dr. Bruce Stanley was suddenly removed in 2014, Queen’s introduced a new amalgamated course curriculum at the castle. That new curriculum resulted in the removal of several professors and the courses they taught. Stanley — who has yet to be replaced — was originally appointed Executive Director of the castle program in February 2011. Stanley had been set to help Queen’s forge new international partnerships. He had previously worked as a country director for Amideast, a U.S. based non-for-profit in Jerusalem and Gaza. During a visit by Provost Alan Harrison in February 2014, however, the director was

abruptly removed from the BISC campus. According to an official release by Harrison, Stanley left due to “a result of differences with respect to the priorities of the [BISC]”. His departure was followed by the beginnings of a wave of resignations and “redundancies” — where professors are notified that they’re no longer needed at

Johanna Strong, ArtSci ’17, who was at the castle the day that Stanley left, said she remembers it “vividly”. Strong said stunned students were invited to a lunchtime meeting with Harrison, where the provost promised to explain the decision. “Many of us attended the session with a variety of questions, none of which, I recall, were answered directly.” While Strong said she understands that decisions are often made without notifying students, she said she was alarmed by the lack of transparency when Stanley was dismissed. “When events like this happen, Queen’s staff members fly into England — Johanna Strong, to give us the news, and ArtSci ’17 then fly out again and do the castle. not have to deal with the consequences,” The BISC wasn’t always the subject she said. of scandal and curriculum debates. In “When Bruce was dismissed, the Executive its 22-year history, the castle has steadily Director who understood life at the Castle, grown in the size of its student body and who engaged with students, and who was program offerings. working for our best interests was replaced But, since Stanley’s departure, students with an administration in Kingston who have raised questions about the direction didn’t understand.” and organization of the international centre. See Dismissals on page 3

“Queen’s staff members fly into England to give us the news, and then fly out again and do not have to deal with the consequences.”

and

AMS President Kanivanan Chinniah has confirmed that the fall referendum has been nullified after doubts arose surrounding the status of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). He made the announcement at AMS assembly on Nov. 19, 13 days after the referendum period ended on Friday, Nov. 6. Nine days before the announcement, the AMS assembly voted to nullify the referendum in closed session on Nov. 10, according to student clubs contacted by the AMS about the decision. The fees on the ballot for the fall referendum will instead be moved to the winter referendum, according to Chinniah’s statement. “On Monday, November 9, 2015, the Executive was notified by a participant in the Fall Referendum of concerns with regards to the status of the Chief Electoral Officer,” Chinniah stated in an AMS press release. The AMS’s (CEO) oversees elections and is the final authority on the interpretation of AMS elections policy and procedure. As part of the role, the CEO makes calls on whether something is or isn’t appropriate during campaign periods. “Upon consultation with the University Registrar, the AMS determined that the Chief Electoral Officer was ineligible to hold their position during the Fall Referendum Period,” Chinniah stated. Sarah Letersky, the current vice president (university affairs), dismissed the CEO, as she was the interim Commissioner of Internal Affairs at the time. According to the AMS press release, Letersky dismissed the CEO based on policies set out in Section 2.02 of the AMS Hiring & Appointments Policy & Procedures Manual. Chinniah didn’t state whatmade the CEO ineligible, although Leah Kelley, co-chair of Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC), said the AMS informed her that the officer had not paid their student fees. This would make the CEO technically not a member of the AMS. A Special Assembly was called on Nov. 10 under emergency provisions to notify assembly of the issue in closed session. “The decision to enter closed session was made given the discussion involved AMS personnel, which is a best practice to protect the individual,” Chinniah said during assembly. See AMS on page 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS

EDITORIALS

OPINIONS

SPORTS

LIFESTYLE

Queen’s students arrested for ecstacy trafficking charges

The Journal Roundtable discusses the attacks on Paris

Two perspectives on being an ally to Aboriginal peoples

Gaels win fourth consecutive OUA men’s rugby title

How to keep your nude photos off the web

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