The highest-ranking office of the University of Ottawa’s Sports Services division has been left vacant after Director Marc Schryburt stepped down due to an undisclosed reason.
Marc Schryburt was heralded as the leader to steer the Gee-Gees as an organization out of the choppy waters that closed Luc Gélineau’s time at the helm.
Julie Tam, the Assistant Director, Communications, Marketing and IT will step in to serve as Acting Director until the vacancy is filled.
“The reasoning behind the resignation can’t be discussed because it is a personnel issue,” said Tam on Jan. 13. “(Schryburt) had been on leave for the past few weeks and this morning I found out that he had resigned and I would step into my role as Acting Director.”
Tam clarified that Schryburt’s absence was not vacation, but rather an official leave.
Schryburt’s resignation comes at a precarious time for Sports Services. The university recently hired a private investigator to examine claims made by the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) that there was an alleged sexual assault committed by varsity athletes within a SFUO athletic club.
The U of O has not released any information on the status of the investigation. There is also not a present link between the investigation and Schryburt’s resignation.
“We still have a responsibility to provide programs to our students and student athletes on campus and in the community,” she said. “We still want to move forward and deliver the quality of services that people expect of us.”
Tam says she is “extremely passionate and driven about the Gee-Gees” and that the student experience is paramount to her and her team.
The timeline and decision towards the hire of a new director is in the hands of university administration.
The Fulcrum reached out to Schryburt for a comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
