Reflection ...
I was faculty at MacEwan, active in institutional affairs and an advocated for quality educational programming. I was targeted by MacEwan Administration for unknown reasons. I experienced significant psychological trauma from these attacks and from the lack of support of those that were suppose to support me.
FOIP'd documents reveal a web of collusion amongst MacEwan Administrators and an Administration singularly determined to get rid of me, that acted with blatant disregard for due and fair process, and that ignored their own legal legal opinion(s). An Administration that fabricated allegations, fabricated evidence, falsified statements, and subverted investigations. An Administration that still refuses to admit any wrongdoing and continues to protect its own.
This website is a way for me to heal, get protection for those still at MacEwan, and to facilitate change. This website is not my first attempt to accomplish these. Prior to this website,
- In May 2011, I informed incoming President Atkinson of my developing situation. He refused to get involved because he was not yet at MacEwan.
- In Fall 2011, I asked to meet with President Atkinson, but he refused to meet with me.
- In March 2012, I provided President Atkinson with a 40 page document summarizing my contributions to MacEwan, the violations of policy and process by MacEwan Administrators, academic mobbing, and how it has effected me. Nothing happened.
- In April 2014, I provided President Atkinson with a summary of the information I discovered in the FOIP documents. Nothing happened.
- In September 2014, I reminded President Atkinson of my mistreatment by MacEwan Administration and asked to meet so that we could work together "to effect long-term positive change at MacEwan to benefit MacEwan faculty, staff, and students." He did not respond.
- In September 014, I provided the Faculty Association executive with a summary of the information I discovered in the FOIP documents. I met with them to discuss the revelations therein. Nothing happened.
- I informed AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges in Canada). They refused to get investigate because it "is not the type of matter AUCC gets involved with."
- I informed APIC (Alberta Public Interest Commissioner). They refused to investigate because it is not in their mandate.
- I informed CAFA (Canadian Association of Faculty Associations). They refused to get involved because the request must come from the Faculty Association.
- I informed CAUT (Canadian Association of University Teachers). They refused to get involved because the request must come from the Faculty Association.
- I informed ACIFA (Alberta Colleges and Technical Institutes Faculty Associations). They refused to get involved because it is not in their mandate and directed me to the MacEwan Faculty Association (MFA). The MFA [in]actions are detailed here.
- At the same time the Canada Truth and Reconciliation report was released, I asked President Atkinson if he would consider reconciliation on the matters involving me. He did not respond.
- I informed the Alberta Premier (Jim Prentice). He directed to to the Alberta Minister of Advanced Education.
- I informed the Alberta Minister of Advanced Education. He directed me to the MacEwan Board of Governors.
- I informed the MacEwan Board of Governors. They directed MacEwan to investigate itself.
- Marcie Chisholm (AVP Human Resources) and Carrie Hunting (Director of Faculty Relations) investigated and completely dismissed my concerns regarding the actions of other MacEwan Administrators. Chisholm and Hunting have effectively condoned the actions of MacEwan Administration against me. They had an external lawyer send an error-filled letter threatening me with legal action if I went public with my experiences at MacEwan. Clearly, nothing has changed within MacEwan Administration.
- Three days after receiving the threatening letter from Administration's Lawyer, I received a similar letter from the Faculty Association's lawyer. The accompanying email indicated that MacEwan Administration and the MacEwan Faculty Association Executive were jointly interested in suppressing the information herein. Clearly, the relationship between these the Faculty Association and Administration is as strong as every, which is detrimental to MacEwan students, staff, faculty, MacEwan, and society.
Simply, no one wants to get involved. And those that are involved want to suppress this information. This is devastating for the victims (I am not the only one) and for society, especially given societies heightened awareness of the immediate and long-term harm bullying, harassment, and abuse have on the victim, environment, and productivity. I add my name to a growing list of persons harmed by harassment and bullying:
- Kenneth Westhues lists dozens of instances of academic mobbing
- Nancy Olivieri: targeted by her colleagues and the UToronto Administration for raising concerns about a drug's safety
- Rhetah Parsons: committed suicide after being bullied; the school system did nothing to protect her
- RCMP: many officers claim systemic harassment by colleagues and supervisors, complaints ignored by Administration
- <many, many others>
I state above that I do not know why I was targeted. The following may have be contributing factors.
- MacEwan Administration was retaliating for my discovery and disclosure of the changes they made to the administrator responsibilities policies. Policies they submitted to the Board as 'changes to the signing authority'.
- Pearson Education and Robert Hilts conspiring to remove my textbook (1) as competition from other Pearson Education products, and (2) so Hilts could claim his workbook as the most prestigious pedagogical project in the department.
- MacEwan Administration expecting faculty to begin traditional research, and I expressing reluctance to discontinue my pedagogical scholarship. (MacEwan recognizes all four of Boyers types of scholarship, traditional research and pedagogical scholarship being two of the four types. MacEwan does not provide sufficient space and resources for all science faculty to engage in traditional research: 1 room, 40+ faculty.)
- MacEwan Administration, wanting to solidify their control over faculty, selected one outspoken faculty member to make an example of.
The actions of MacEwan Administration, inaction of the MacEwan Faculty Association, and collaboration between these and other groups to target one faculty member has resulted in the largest and most egregious abuse of power ever documented in academia.
I am the victim of academic mobbing.
I experienced absolute isolation and abandonment.
I have seen my friends targeted for their association with me.
This is not how a university operates.