Upholding Gryphon values
On Monday, Jan. 15, hundreds of students abandoned a lecture hall after a substitute professor in a first year anthropology class was extremely disrespectful to a student with anxiety.
According to posts on social media, the professor referred to the student’s educational assistant as his “handler,” and stated that the student needed to be controlled. This behaviour, and a general consensus from the class that this behaviour was inappropriate, empowered Courtney Orser to address her substitute professor, Edward Hedican.
After Orser spoke up, hundreds of students walked out in solidarity. Students in the class, and the greater U of G community, continued to show support to Orser and the affected student through thousands of retweets, likes, and shares on social media. The overwhelming concern of the student body seized the University’s attention and resulted in a paid leave for the professor, confirmed Charlotte Yates, Provost and Vice President (Academic). However, in an email to The Ontarion, Yates stated that, “as there is an ongoing and confidential investigation, I cannot confirm the identity of the student or the faculty member concerned.”
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In an official statement issued by Yates, she described the incident as “isolated,” however, on multiple posts in the Overheard at Guelph Facebook group, dozens of Hedican’s past students contradicted this statement, claiming to have experienced similar behaviour.
The Ontarion reached out to many students from the class, but received no comment. Members of the department, teaching assistants, and the involved parties were also contacted, but all have chosen to remain silent.
The initial outrage has settled, however, there have been reports of hateful messages being sent to Professor Hedican and his family. After this incident, Gryphons expressed anger and disappointment at the lack of Gryphon values demonstrated by one of our very own faculty members.
In order to foster a stronger campus community, all Gryphons must remain accountable for their actions and partake in courageous conversations while reflecting on whether they practice gryphon values in their own lives.
Ask yourself: Do you speak up when you see or hear injustice? Do your inactions/actions impact others? Do they align with your beliefs? Do you create inclusive and accepting spaces for your fellow gryphons and community members? Be the gryphon your fellow gryphons would be proud of.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion