Subject: Matthew Evans

“Hello Dr. Missirlis, 

I am a student at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, and as you can no doubt imagine by the subject line I am writing to you under fairly unhappy circumstances. Evans has put forward a series of cuts which will cripple departments across the Arts & Sciences here beginning next year, but enforced a policy of total silence: no one had mentioned them publicly until a Queen’s Journal article, based mostly on leaks I had forwarded to the journal, was published on Friday. No article at Queen’s, internal or external, has so much as touched on Evans’ history: the fact that he was driven from the UK to Hong Kong, then UAE, then, apparently, to Queen’s, is a poor indicator of the university’s location on the pecking order. I am writing to ask whether you might have any advice as to how best to organize, as students, and whether there is anything you would have approached differently at Queen Mary – I have been reading your blog extensively since Friday, and am honestly at a total loss for words. I do not plan to be at Queen’s next year – four more years of Evans as provost is hard to stomach – but I am hoping to make a difference while still here.

 I also wanted to say I hope your current position is treating you well; the injustice of what happened at Queen Mary is infuriating, and your dedication to exposing it is an inspiration.

Best,”

The first thing I did receiving this message was to share it with a sizable group of colleagues from Queen Mary with whom we continue to be in touch after the lost struggle to save collegial and academic ways of University governance back in 2011/2012.

The responses I received were unanimous in congratulating the student above for what they are trying to do at Queen’s University, Canada.

There was also a unanimous feeling of acceptance that whoever appointed Matthew Evans was looking for policy and actions that will destroy careers (faculty, students, other University-related staff), principles (scientific integrity, remaining truthful to one’s values, acting honorably) to save money (in other words diverting investment from education and research into private or corporate profits).

There were no reflections, however, with respect to the burning questions posed in the message I received.

1. how best to organize, as students?
2. anything you would have approached differently at Queen Mary?

I have not been able yet to react to these questions, but I offer here an open forum for a moderated discussion. If you participate, please be aware that I will be approving or rejecting comments once a day, i.e. there may be a delay for you to read your contribution(s).

Should I make any opening statement?

On the first question, I suggest that perhaps the struggle needs to be aimed at those who have power to appoint or remove a “provost”, as they should probably explain their choice for the post in light of Matthew Evans’ track record in reputable higher education institutions. Moving to the second question, I ask how much liberty, democracy, civility, openness, etc., etc. can be guaranteed within institutions when the same values are lacking in the social surrounding that supports these institutions?