The University of Ottawa’s president and vice-chancellor Jacques Frémont responded early this morning to the recent incident of a professor uttering the ‘N-word’ in an online lecture. The professor had been suspended since early October, and a group of professors had written a letter denouncing her treatment at the hands of the U of O administration.
“How do we make progress from here at the University of Ottawa! If by terming it as a good crisis, Jacques Frémont is going to make transformational changes in the U of O landscape, I am all behind him, but if it is going to be talk, PR, and no action, then his legacy will be harshly judged by all generations,” writes Rony Fosting an international student at the University of Ottawa.
“My concerns stem from this mental health crisis which has been exacerbated by the uncertainty of a pandemic; I worry about the mentalities professors have adopted in wake of all classes being shifted online,” says third-year U of O political science and history student Nelson Mahmoudi
Wherever you are this school year, check out the influential faces at U of O driving the discourse at the University.
University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont responded today to a joint letter from 18 U of O recognized student governments calling to lower or waive tuition fees for the 2020 spring/summer term. The response states ‘‘the University will not be lowering or waiving tuition fees for the spring/summer 2020 semester.’’
In a year riddled with crises, the attention of university administrations is understandably divided. But as the global COVID-19 pandemic has wracked the student population with isolation and grief, it’s now more important than ever that the university’s efforts to address the mental health crisis are not lost.
