The University of Ottawa has withdrawn a draft code of conduct after staunch criticism from the student community. Many students denounced new code as allowing the university to stiffen freedom of speech and assembly on campus. “What the code did was well and far beyond a safe and respectful campus and turned it into one that was quite oppressive and dismissive of students’ rights,” Seamus Wolfe, VP of the student federation.
The proposed code included statements regarding how academic penalties, including expulsion, could be used by the university in dealing with matters that “threatens the damage or destruction of … the reputation of the university.” In response, U of O’s dean of common law, Bruce Feldthusen, said the code was simply a draft and that the university saw it as a means of initiating a constructive dialogue on the formation a code.
The university has now convened an informal committee, consisting of students and senior officials, to draft a code.
