- LETTER TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS (May 7)
- REPLY RECEIVED (July 11, 2012)
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- 1. LETTER TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS (May 7)
May 7, 2012
TO:
Members of the Board of Governors
University of Saskatchewan
(Peter MacKinnon, Vera Pezer, Art Dumont, Nancy Hopkins, Greg Smith, Garry Standing, David Sutherland, Grit McCreath, Susan Milburn, Linda Ferguson, Scott Hitchings, Lea Pennock)
FROM:
Sandra Finley
University Senator (Elected)
656 Saskatchewan Cres East
Saskatoon, SK S7N 0L1
306-373-8078
Dear Members of the Board of Governors,
Speaking on behalf of the citizens of Saskatchewan who are the owners of the University of Saskatchewan, and for whom I am one of the elected representatives (“voices of the community (owners)”):
I am very concerned about the vulnerabilities created by the deteriorating financial situation at the University.
The finances, roughly:
- $95 million debt
- Borrowing capacity maxed out
- A $10 million shortfall in the current operating budget
- $15.5 million deficit for 2012-13
- a potential shortfall of $20 million to $40 million annually by 2016
- $600 million needed for repair and maintenance of the existing buildings
- No money to finish the interior of some of the new buildings
The vulnerability:
- Corporate take-over of the University, as a way to deal with the deficits and debt.
Who is responsible?
In any system of democratic governance, it is the role of elected representatives to hold administrators to account. I see where the University Governors are mostly by appointment. So it seems that I am supposed to ask the hard questions.
QUESTION 1:
Who is responsible for the current financial situation of the University? (It is not “we are all responsible and hence no one is responsible.”) Big salaries are being paid, who is the responsible person? Is that person being held to account, and if so, how?
QUESTION 2:
What are the numbers for cuts to quantity, salaries, benefits and frills of Administrators? (At Senate Meeting on April 21, the Dean of Law defended back-to-back 16% tuition increases for students in law. There was no discussion regarding cuts in Administration costs.)
QUESTION 3:
Lockheed Martin Corporation is courting the University with money. Who is responsible for the decision to accept money from Lockheed Martin? (At Senate Meeting Ernie Barber, Dean of Engineering, defended collaboration with Lockheed Martin. You will find a copy of the “Collaboration Topics” in the posting http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=5103.)
QUESTION 4:
Are you aware that a main focus of the unrest in the world today is corporate behaviour? (witness the “Occupy” movement which started on WALL STREET). Lockheed Martin’s recruiting on campus was during exams so there was little mobilization. I spoke with two different Muslim professors from two different faculties (U of S, Medicine, Engineering). I doubt I need to describe their reaction to you. Lockheed Martin had a large influence in the decision of the Americans to launch a war of aggression on Iraq. They used lies to justify it. Muslim people have been killed in large numbers and driven from their homes. It seems to me that the U of S is making a large mistake in taking any money from Lockheed Martin, not only on moral and legal grounds, but also in terms of setting itself up for targeting.
Thank-you in advance for your responses to these questions.
Sincerely,
Sandra Finley
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FYI
1. SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE
An ill wind is gusting through the halls of science these days: faked research, suppression of unwelcome results, corruption of science advisory panels, university research falling under the influence of corporate sponsors, and many other conflicts of interest. It’s as if science were under siege. . . . (The full article is at 2005-08-05)
2. THINKERS OF THE DAY ON: PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND BUSINESS, please see: http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=5312
3. Earlier correspondence with the Board of Governors is posted at: http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=5309
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2. REPLY RECEIVED (July 11, 2012)
Click on: IMG_0001