Open Letter to Senate

An Open Letter to Senate and the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee:

The Women and Equity Committee of the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association (WE Committee) is writing this letter in regard to recent concerns over the conferring of honorary degrees.  Of particular concern to the committee are the lack of clarity in selection criteria/process and the omission of student input.

Recently, at the October 17, 2010, Autumn Convocation, an honorary degree was bestowed upon the Honourable Vic Toews. This incident serves to highlight the two concerns presented in the preceding paragraph. As noted in the minutes of the November 17, 2010, Senate Committee meeting, students held a “peaceful protest” outside of the Duckworth Centre. The valedictorian, selected to represent her fellow students, made her opposition to this recipient clear to those in attendance at the Autumn Convocation as well as to the media. The disappointment of the Women and Equity Committee arises from the Senate’s failure to address these concerns. Though the protest was noted in the Senate meeting minutes, no resolution was offered.

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UWFA Women and Equity Committee

By Roewan Crowe, Chair - Women and Equity Committee

The UWFA Women and Equity Committee (WE) is a Standing Committee of UWFA. Formerly the Status of Women Committee, it was renamed in 2009. WE works to represent the interests of women, designated equity groups, and other marginalized people (henceforth “women and equity”) on the University of Winnipeg campus and to liaise with the UWFA Executive and other committees regarding their interests.

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