On technology in the classroom at U of O, and on paternalism

Drop the iPad and get back to basics, says University of Ottawa professor Cameron Montgomery
--Ottawa Sun, March 17, 2013

U of O Granting Program Gives $80 000 / year for Clickers, etc.
--Student's-Eye-View, December 20, 2011

On the sacred space of the university classroom
--Activist Teacher, October 3, 2009

"The University of Ottawa is till fine-tuning their new online policy, and expects to release their findings by the end of the year." --Sun article, March 17, 2013

Findings? Some profs want to close in-class student laptops on demand, as in paternalistic control of in-class behaviour of adult students who are suppose to have the academic freedom to optimize their own learning as they see fit...

U of O Watch looks forward to the U of O's "findings" on this delicate question of student adaptation to dreadfully boring classes delivered by PowerPoint slides.

The student union has been waiting for the University's "findings" for a full year:
Student union letter
--SFUO, April 2, 2012

Court rejects Denis Rancourt’s bid to quash libel lawsuit -- Ottawa Citizen

Latest mainstream media report about the St. Lewis v. Rancourt lawsuit:

Court rejects Denis Rancourt’s bid to quash libel lawsuit  -- Ottawa Citizen (LINK)

Allan Rock refuses to pay legal fees to protect academic freedom, while funding a controversial defamation lawsuit against a critic of the university

The arbitrary nature of Allan Rock's decisions regarding using the University's public moneys to fund lawsuits is highlighted by two recent cases:

(1) Search warrants against criminology university professors: LINK

(2) St. Lewis "private" defamation lawsuit against Rancourt: LINK

In addition, Rock is refusing to answer student Hazel Gashoka on whether the University will fund a new defamation lawsuit against her: LINK.

OCLA responds to Chief Justice of Canada about Richard Dearden

First THIS.
Then Richard Dearden with THIS.
And now the REPLY.

"sad and unfortunate"

Richard Dearden trashes OCLA to Chief Justice of Canada

The Ontario Civil Liberties Association (OCLA) has posted the recent letter of lawyer Richard Dearden of the Gowlings law firm to Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin. The letter is here: LINK. Dearden argues that "The OCLA has no evidentiary or legal basis for accusing the Registrar of having an apprehension of bias (sic) regarding the two letters he wrote Mr. Rancourt and no investigation is warranted."

Following Mr. Dearden, the Chief Justice should not investigate the conduct of the Registrar in dealing with self-represented litigants, as requested by the OCLA.

OCLA asks Chief Justice Berverly McLachlin to investigate the conduct of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada

The Executive Director of the Ontario Civil Liberties Association has written a public letter to the Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada, asking her to investigate the conduct of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The concerns expressed by OCLA include the recent actions of the Registrar in "not accepting" both an application and a motion submitted by Denis Rancourt to the Court, as reported on this blog.

The letter, in part, reads:

"We are particularly concerned by the Registrar shielding his own decision from review by not placing a motion pursuant to Rule 78 before a judge of the Court, but rather returning the motion record to the unrepresented party. Even if the Registrar is correct in stating that Rule 78 “is not applicable,” it was inappropriate for him to get involved with a matter seeking to review his own decision, and it creates an apprehension of bias."

L'U d'O prend ses distances (St. Lewis v. Rancourt) -- La Rotonde

L'avocat de Joanne St. Lewis menace une etudiante de poursuite (in French)

News -- La Rotonde

...and reported in English on Student's-Eye-View: LINK

“U of O insisted that it would not fund a potential lawsuit by Ms. St. Lewis against Ms. Gashoka. Recall that U of O has recognized that it is reimbursing Ms. St. Lewis’s legal fees without limit in in her pursuit against Mr. Rancourt in the name of a moral obligation and of the fact that Ms. St. Lewis was attacked for work she did as an employee. It is impossible for us to see how it would be different in Ms. Gashoka’s case, since she has been threatened with a lawsuit for having repeated and somewhat developed the ideas of Mr. Rancourt.”
(free translation) – Hamdi Souissi, La Rotonde, March 4, 2013

L'Apartheid et Allan Rock, une grande histoire d'amour -- La Rotonde (in French)

"Le conflit israelo-palestinien aux portes de l'U d'O"

Editorial -- La Rotonde