Two images depict protest signs that were held up by students on Memorial University’s St. John’s Campus, but the university’s response could not have been more different.
December 2, 2021: Memorial University student Matt Barter held up a small sign that read, “Stop Vianne: No to tuition hikes and out of control spending.” The university prosecuted him under the Student Code of Conduct and stated it was a violation because it was “personally targeted at Dr. Timmons rather than the university’s processes or administration as a whole.” He was banned from campus for three months and slapped with a one-year non-academic probation sentence.
June 17, 2024: A student held up a sign that read “NEIL BOSE YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.” The university did not prosecute this student under the Code of Conduct.
Canadian law, specifically Section 12 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, prohibits disproportionate punishment, asserting that “Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.”
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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