It’s been said that being a university president is a bit like being a high wire artist with a Spandex problem. And so it would seem for Peter MacKinnon.

I write not to add to his woes but to seek reasoned clarification for some of the issues currently being raised at the university. For example, on the surface, MacKinnon’s fulsome Rob Norris endorsement seems to compromise both the president and the autonomy of the university.

I wonder what was really going on in his mind when he gave permission for its use after the election writ had been dropped?

It may well be that he is acutely aware of his imminent departure from the presidency. As both the Wall and Harper governments are undoubtedly going to continue in power for some time, MacKinnon could easily have made a calculated decision in this regard to ensure good fiscal and personal relations for his successor.

That is a justifiable worry when leaving office, and one can have compassion for a leader wanting an institution, of which he has been a stalwart champion of for many years, to continue to do well: A valid legacy.

Unfortunately, it’s a flawed legacy in this instance, and one would hope that this trend will not continue, for the sake of the university and for all the good it is doing – and has yet to do – in this wonderful world of unfolding ideas and ideals.

Jim Pulfer Saskatoon