A UBC Okanagan arts professor believes the concept of free speech is not being shared by his faculty brethren.

Peter Wylie is candidate for an executive committee of the UBC Faculty Association, which is comprised of faculty at both the Kelowna and Point Grey UBC campuses. He issued a critical analysis of the association香蕉视频直播檚 actions.

That analysis elicited a rebuke from the present UBCFA executive, calling Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 analysis as false and unfounded, saying it constitutes 香蕉视频直播渂ullying and harassment against our staff.香蕉视频直播�

As a result, Wylie has been blocked access to the email contact list for the faculty members, which some of Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 faculty co-members feels undermines the legitimacy of the executive election process.

香蕉视频直播淚 find this advisory from your committee to be extremely disappointing and disreputable,香蕉视频直播� said Wylie.

READ ALSO: HAS UBC OKANAGAN FAILED STUDENTS?

Wayne Ross and Paul Quirk, Vancouver campus professors, publicly reprimanded the UBCFA executive committee for directly undermining Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 candidacy.

香蕉视频直播淲hether or not the allegations of Dr. Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 report are accurate, this response seems to confirm that the UBCFA is actively working against him,香蕉视频直播� Ross said.

香蕉视频直播淚nstead of addressing his criticisms substantively, the association hides behind a bogus charge that he is harassing the staff. In fact, Wylie describes conduct of a few staff members香蕉视频直播攚ithout mentioning their names香蕉视频直播攖o substantiate his claim that the association has failed to support the Okanagan faculty.

香蕉视频直播淭he charge of harassment is an attack on Dr. Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 freedom of expression.香蕉视频直播�

Repeated efforts by the Kelowna Capital News, including emailing questions related to Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 candidacy issues to the UBCFA office in Vancouver failed to generate a response.

UBCFA vice-president Vinayak Vatsal said he would attempt to get the submitted questions answered, but noted no one on the executive may want to make a comment, and he didn香蕉视频直播檛 have authority himself to respond.

Wylie香蕉视频直播檚 accusations stem from what he claims was 香蕉视频直播渁cademic mobbing香蕉视频直播� of him by the UBCFA and UBCO senior administration and of a sweetheart unionism deal going on that both the faculty association and university don香蕉视频直播檛 want disrupted, which Wylie claims is to the detriment of UBCO faculty members.

Wylie stated in his analysis香蕉视频直播攁 31-page document that presents a case-by-case accounting of his interactions with the UBCFA as a professor and member of the association香蕉视频直播檚 faculty committee and member services grievance committee香蕉视频直播攖his detriment has played out through consolidating power to staff, drawing out legitimate grievances until they香蕉视频直播檙e dropped, and acting in UBC administration香蕉视频直播檚 interests over the faculty they香蕉视频直播檙e supposed to represent.

Because UBCO香蕉视频直播檚 faculty make up small proportion of the UBCFA membership, Wylie says their grievances and workplace complaints get left in 香蕉视频直播渁 quagmire and quicksand of collusion and complicity.香蕉视频直播�

It香蕉视频直播檚 a large part why Wylie is part of a group of 20 UBCO faculty who organized for eight candidates to run in the UBCFA executive election.

Wylie says the core of the lack of representation argument began when UBC Okanagan was created by the provincial government.

Some faculty from Okanagan University College and new faculty professors were adopted into the existing UBCFA rather than forming their own association, the result being their collective influence has been drowned out by their Point Grey campus counterparts.

The current furor, Wylie says, has been caused by the UBCFA hiding behind the ideal of the university being a respectful environment where bullying and harassment is not considered appropriate behaviour.

香蕉视频直播淪o they are saying to me that offering criticism is considered being disrespectful. That is clearly dampening on our freedom of expression. Criticism is not bullying or harassment. It is freedom of speech,香蕉视频直播� Wylie said.

To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.

barry.gerding@blackpress.ca
Like us on and follow us on .