SOCIETY FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND
SCHOLARSHIP
1673 Richmond Street #344,
London, Ontario, N6G
2N3 email: safs@safs.ca
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
Return
to Issues/Cases Page