The University of Lethbridge continues to beclown itself. The latest is an email from Jessica Copley, an Assistant Professor of Contemporary Literatures. In this email, Copley provides her colleagues with a letter to the President, and asks them to sign it. She also provides people with an option to sign anonymously, which will help them avoid accountability for their actions.
The letter attached to Copley’s email, copied to the Provost Michelle Helstein and Vice-Provost Leroy Little Bear, makes a case for excluding Widdowson and her “ilk” from campus. This sentiment seems to have been encouraged by Vice-Provost Little Bear on the basis that he claims, without evidence, that Widdowson is “motivated” by “anti-indigenous racism”.
At the smudging ceremony on February 13, Vice-Provost Leroy Little Bear stated that “The students did a fantastic job of neutralizing her [Frances Widdowson]”. “Neutralizing” included assault, property damage and theft.
A Chronology of the Deranged EDI Takeover of the University of Lethbridge
As Michelle Stirling has pointed out, what Vice-Provost Little Bear was doing was promoting intimidation and unlawful assembly.
The “event” where it was argued that Widdowson should have been “neutralized” was a Spectrum Street Epistemology session on the question “Residential School Genocide?” This entailed talking to a student who disagreed with Widdowson on the question.
The current attempts at exclusion are the result of Widdowson’s invitation to students, faculty and the public to have coffee with her to discuss the question of “what remains” have been confirmed at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The reason why Widdowson sent this out is because she wanted to create the most low key situation possible – the everyday act of having coffee with someone – and see what the reaction would be. This is to determine the extent to which freedom of expression and freedom of association exist at the University of Lethbridge.
The kinds of suppression of speech being advocated by Vice-Provost Little Bear and Professor Copley are a direct violation of the Government of Alberta’s free speech directive, modelled on the Chicago Principles.
The University of Lethbridge developed a policy as a result of the free speech directive. This directive asserts that “debates or deliberations on campus may not be suppressed” because they are “offensive, unwise, immoral, or mis-guided”.
When Widdowson was cancelled in 2023, the Alberta government at least reacted to the situation.
Today there has been no response, when what is required is for the University of Lethbridge to be censured, with consequences spelled out for what will happen if they do not implement measures to ensure that ideas can be discussed openly and honestly at their institution. One way to do this would be to invite Widdowson and Professor Emeritus Tony Hall to present their views on the question that was shut down. Other professors and administrators – Vice-Provost Little Bear and Professor Jessica Copley, for example – could provide a critique and commentary.
If the Board of Governors does not address this problem, funding should be withdrawn until the University of Lethbridge reorients itself to operate according to academic principles.
