At a Memorial University Convocation ceremony on May 30, 2024, Student Conduct Officer Jennifer Browne watched a student hold up a large protest sign close to President Neil Bose during his speech and then shouted in the President’s face, “Free Palestine!”
During another protest on December 2, 2021, a student (me) stood off to the side, held up a sign, and did not make a sound while former President Vianne Timmons spoke during a media briefing.
Browne decided to impose interim measures on the student for the December 2 protest in the form of a campus ban, which lasted for three months. She then persecuted the student under the Code after receiving a complaint from Chief Risk Officer Gregory McDougall, who was not in attendance during the event and then sanctioned the student to one-year non-academic probation.
As previously stated, to have a working justice system in any jurisdiction, equal application of the law is critical. Throughout Memorial’s investigation of me, they have stated that the administration can undertake the Student Code of Conduct process through its Chief Risk Officer Gregory McDougall.
Given that Memorial has the power to file complaints using its chief risk officer, they could have easily initiated one for the student protest on May 30, 2024. While I am not suggesting that they should have done so, it would have signalled a willingness to apply the Student Code of Conduct equally.
Browne’s inaction to this recent incident reinforces my view that Memorial selectively used the Student Code of Conduct to suppress the investigative journalism of one of its most vocal critics.
Matt Barter is a graduate of the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, holding a degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, taking walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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