University of Saskatchewan administrators and faculty clashed in a Saskatoon courtroom Wednesday.
The two sides were in Court of Queen’s Bench debating whether or not the president should have veto power over professors’ tenure recommendations.
The school’s administration argued that tenure is covered under sections of the University Act and can be interpreted to give the president a veto over tenure. The faculty association said the president does have a role to play in the tenure process, but should not be able to overturn tenure recommendations.
“If the president of the university has the final say on where your career goes, the people recruited to the university will practice self-censorship and sucking up,” said Len Findlay, an English professor at the university and chair of the academic freedom and tenure committee of the Canadian Association of University Teachers.
“What if the university wins this case? What would it mean for the university?”
The case was moved to court from campus after the university appealed an arbitrator’s decision in March. The arbitrator ruled the president does not have the authority to overturn tenure recommendations.
The ruling was in response to a 2008-09 move by then-president Peter MacKinnon. MacKinnon overturned recommendation for a sociology professor.
University administrators said Wednesday the arbitrator was wrong for giving more weight to the collective bargaining agreement than the University Act.
The faculty association cited stipulations in the collective agreement, which they say support the arbitrator’s decisions.
The court’s justice said, after hearing about an hour-and-a-half worth of debate, he would reserve his decision for a few weeks.
No one from the university’s administration was available for comment.
--- with files from the Canadian Press
