Truemors
The Simon Fraser University Board of Governors has been asked to meet its obligation to disclose to prospective donors, SFU’s unresolved history of allegedly “operating a sexual harassment ring” in the Center for the Contemporary Arts. The DTES Enquirer has obtained a copy of the request to the Board dated February 12, 2008.
The alleged sexual harassment ring consisted of professors in the 1970's, 1980's, and possibly 1990's targeting multiple female students, resulting in at least one female student dropping out.
The sexual harassment is alleged to have occurred in the Center for the Contemporary Arts at SFU's Burnaby campus, as well as their Visual Arts teaching studio on Hastings St. in Vancouver (the center building in the photo attached), across the street from the former Woodwards department store where a new SFU Center for the Contemporary Arts is now under construction.
The request for full disclosure to prospective donors comes almost two months after Premier Gordon Campbell was criticized on internet news sites for giving the SFU Center for the Contemporary Arts almost $50 million, despite it's unresolved history of operating sexual harassment sites. President Stevenson has launched a campaign to raise an additional $30 million privately.
Michael Audain, President of Polygon Homes, who boasts having participated in the Black civil rights movement in the U.S., responded to the campaign for private funds by donating $2 million to the new Center for the Contemporary Arts. Audain was asked via an e-mail -- SFU published his e-mail address bbinns@polyhomes.com -- if he was aware of SFU's unresolved history of operating a sexual harassment ring when he made his donation and agreed to have the gallery in the new Center bear his name. He did not respond.
Past communication addressed to SFU President Michael Stevenson about the sexual harassment ring has been ignored.
The Feb. 12th request for full disclosure to donors was addressed to Nancy McKinstry, Chair of the Board of Governors, along with other Board members. SFU promotes Nancy McKinstry on their website as a current mentor and "founding member and past-chair of the Minerva Foundation for BC Women, an organization dedicated to supporting women throughout British Columbia to attain their educational and leadership goals."
This is a condensed version of an article which originally appeared on downtowneastsideenquirer.blogspot.com
Comments (0)