U of O Watch mission, in the words of Foucault...

"One knows … that the university and in a general way, all teaching systems, which appear simply to disseminate knowledge, are made to maintain a certain social class in power; and to exclude the instruments of power of another social class. … It seems to me that the real political task in a society such as ours is to criticise the workings of institutions, which appear to be both neutral and independent; to criticise and attack them in such a manner that the political violence which has always exercised itself obscurely through them will be unmasked, so that one can fight against them." -- Foucault, debating Chomsky, 1971.

U of O Watch mission, in the words of Socrates...

"An education obtained with money is worse than no education at all." -- Socrates

video of president allan rock at work

Monday, April 12, 2010

U of O’s Rock administration used excessive force against students today

THIS MEDIA REPORT of April 11, 2010, cannot have pleased U of O president Allan Rock:

On the student satisfaction front, the only direction to go is up. A 2008 national survey of students asked "if you could start over, would you go to the institution you are now attending?" Senior University of Ottawa students gave answers that placed their school 52nd of 53 Canadian universities ranked. The report says "the data are stark and call for immediate action."...

One might conclude that the University of Ottawa has blundered into a quagmire. In polite terms, the report says the university leadership doesn't properly understand the financial impact of its decisions on student enrolment, research focus and productivity. ...

Continuing his recent policy of not saying anything about anything, Rock declined to comment on the report, although it is said to reflect his desires to do more for students. ...
But now is this how he takes it out on others?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - U of O’s Rock administration used excessive force against students today

OTTAWA, April 12, 2010 – University of Ottawa campus police assaulted and held student Marc Kelly today at the bus stop at the corner of Laurier and Nicholas to prevent him from presenting his case at university Senate; in front of more than twenty shocked student supporters and several video cameras, as Ottawa Police arrived on the scene.

Kelly is being held at the Elgin Street jail and has not yet been allowed to contact his lawyer at this time.

This only four days after Kelly was allowed into the same university building to host controversial freedom of expression speaker Doug Christie. The latter event caused the TV and print Ottawa media to report Kelly’s unjustified political expulsion by the Rock administration.

Fellow student and Senate member elect Joseph Hickey was also assaulted and thrown to the ground while being choked during the campus police action. Hickey’s complaint with Ottawa Police is being investigated against campus police member Michel Leroux.

Campus police presence was reminiscent of a terrorist lock down rather than an action intended to prevent a student’s university Senate enquiry. At the same time in the Senate chamber, university president Allan Rock expressed the university’s commitment to free speech in relation to its recent Coulter fiasco.

“Excessive force was used” expressed student witness Liam Kennedy, “Marc was not a threat and there was no need for an arrest.”

“This is off the charts in terms of political discrimination” said Student Appeal Centre director Mireille Gervais.

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For more information please contact:

Mireille Gervais LL.L
Director, Student Appeal Centre (SFUO)

Joseph Hickey

Liam Kennedy-Slaney

For all and more recent posts about student Marc Kelly CLICK HERE.

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