8 Opinion

Opinion: “Straw Dog” Issues

Grant Bachand
Team Member

he university has been through a world of hurt and

much of it comes from last March’s faculty strike. The
strike may be over and the arbitrator has given his verdict,
but tensions are still high. This is apparent with all the
negative reactions to James Moore being appointed as
Chancellor of UNBC. The rift between the administration
and the faculty is as wide as it was during the strike, with
students falling right in the middle of these two spheres.

This is UNBC’s own Cold War, and it may be heating up
once again. Why though? Why do students find themselves
in this strange position? I have spoken to many students
about this issue, and in my opinion students do not

care as much as people are claiming. Yes, sure, some are
extremely passionate, and in many ways the person who
hands you your degree should be a strong and important
person who you can be proud of. Can we though really say
the majority of students are part of that crowd? I doubt

it. James Moore’s appointment is a “straw dog” issue,
something that is being held up as a major issue that in
reality is a symptom of a larger issue: that the faculty

and administration of UNBC do not like each other.

This is where the politics step in; the main issue, from the
faculty perspective, is that administration is not willing

to work with the union members, and possibly the vice
versa can be said as well (though as students we will

never really know the truth). This is because the union
can talk smack all they want about the administration
and will not result in any fall out. The inverse is not true,
administrators cannot properly defend themselves because
they are beholden to save face for the public, and not air
their dirty laundry about their employees. I am not saying
that the administration is some huge victim, but they are
not on equal footing in the public relations department.
We love our teachers, we see them everyday, yet I bet
some of the students have not even met the president, let
alone a board member. We have emotional connections

to our teachers, and nothing to the administration.

In the end, James Moore will be the chancellor of UNBC,
and rightly so, not because I may not agree with his politics,
but because it is likely he will give UNBC a big boost. His
connections in Ottawa will be valuable for fundraising,
relationship building, as well as the university’s overall

appeal. The old Conservative government did have a
crappy track record on relationships with scientists,
but just because your party has an official stance on an
issue does not mean every member feels the same way.

We need to not be so quick to agree with the faculty

on everything just because they are our professors

and we like them. I like my professors too, some have
even changed my life in many ways, but that does not
mean I have to agree with them. The reasons that some
members of the Senate are mad about James Moore are
legitimate, but saying that most students care about this
issue is a silly notion. Students care about classes, fellow
students, getting money, and what the hell they are
going to be doing after school. Who the UNBC chancellor
is probably ranks fairly low on most students’ lists.

The staff, students, and faculty of UNBC have the right to get
to know who James Moore is as a person. That is why it is the
job of media organizations, like Over the Edge, to interview
and publish stories about Mr. Moore. Last issue, OTE
published an interview with him, if students are interested
you can find more information at our website. If you have
questions you can always approach UNBC administration,
your student board members, or tweet James Moore himself.

mM
pando.com
Edited by OTE

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