PUBLIC MARKS from McDonna with tag Prince

A university is the very last place where one should try to stifle debate with gag laws. Where there is no check on power, those in control can act in arbitrary and capricious ways. This is an old tale. I’ve been teaching a course on African politics at UPEI this semester, and we’ve been dealing with the many sad stories of the so-called “big men” who brought their countries to the brink of ruin. I guess that’s why all this sounds so drearily familiar.

Faculty at the University of Prince Edward Island have expressed concern over the erosion of free speech on campus, following the confiscation last month of the student newspaper that had reprinted the notorious Danish cartoons. The Post ran several letters from professors, criticizing this action. But things may get worse. The university administration is currently in negotiations with the Faculty Association over a new collective agreement, and a strike seems imminent. They are particularly insistent that the new contract include a "Code of Conduct" that would obligate the faculty to "act in a manner that will contribute positively to the overall vision, mission and reputation" of UPEI.