April 2007
December 11, 2006
Mr. Shawn Menard
President, Carleton University Students Association (CUSA)
Members of Carleton University Student Council
401 Unicentre Bldg.
1125 Colonel By Drive
Carleton University
Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6
Dear Mr. Menard and Members of the Student Council:
I
am writing to you as president of the Society for Academic Freedom and
Scholarship. We are a national organization of university faculty members and
interested others who are dedicated to the defense of academic freedom and
reasoned debate.For further information, please visit our website at
www.safs.ca.
According to an article in the National Post (December 7, 2006), the Carleton
University Student Council recently passed a motion denying funding and space to
any student groups “… that seek to limit or remove a woman’s options in the
event of pregnancy…” We are not familiar with the status of CUSA within
Carleton University or with the constitution of your organization, so we will
not comment on the procedural or legal legitimacy of your council’s decision.
However, as an organization that believes in academic freedom for both faculty
and students, we are opposed to your motion, because it contributes to a climate
of intolerance to contrary ideas that is incompatible with the integrity and
success of the Academy. The Academy is the one institution in society that is
dedicated to the discovery and transmission of truth. Experience teaches us
that the truth can not be found without unfettered debate over conflicting
ideas. In order to accomplish this goal, advocates of opposing positions must
be encouraged to challenge each other in vigorous and reasoned debate that will
sharpen the issues and allow free individuals to choose among competing views.
What your motion has accomplished is not the promotion of debate
critical to a healthy university but instead the shortchanging of Carleton’s
students by restricting their exposure to an opposing point of view. That some
may challenge and disagree with the opinion of the majority of Carleton students
is not any reason to deny the other side a platform to voice their views.
Today, you may feel you struck a blow for women’s rights, but you have also laid
the bases for some future council to deny support to other groups, including
groups whose aims you personally agree with. Much better that all have their
say and the winners of the argument be the ones with the best evidence, logic,
and ideas rather than the ones with the biggest sticks.
We call on you to rescind the present motion, and show that you have confidence
in the student body at Carleton University to sort these things out for
themselves, without the heavy hand of the Student Council interfering with their
ability to make an informed decision.
Sincerely,
Clive Seligman, President
Help us maintain freedom in teaching, research and scholarship by joining SAFS or making a donation.
