Wilfrid U’s ‘better speech’

Re: Can we converse? Rex Murphy, Aug. 4

I paid to attend Jordan Peterson’s exercise in free speech at Kitchener’s Centre In The Square. A substantial part of my admission cost went to cover the security detail that kept the “better speech” hordes from marching down from Wilfrid Laurier University. Prof. Peterson asked how many in the audience were from WLU. Many hands went up. We all settled in to hear a good mind wrestle with big ideas, starting with real world evidence — something different from what was on offer at Wilfrid U. J. Sandy Matheson, Kitchener, Ont. My thanks to Rex Murphy for his hilarious column. It brings to a fitting conclusion the Laurier, Jordan Peterson and Free Speech interaction, the more so as it concludes with the note that Peterson spoke in Kitchener — “the scene of the thought crime” — on July 22 and “humanity” was unimpaired. Kendall Carey, Toronto Thanks for another of Rex Murphy’s insightful articles. As an addendum, I would note the irony in Wilfrid Laurier University’s motto: “Veritas Omnia Vincit: Truth Conquers All.” How do we arrive at truth if, for free speech, we substitute all manner of phoney-baloney terms like “conversation” and “better speech?” Wayne Joseph Kelly, Courtenay, B.C. In the many discussions of how and why graduate student Lindsay Shepherd was mistreated at Wilfrid Laurier University, tenure has not (to my knowledge) been posited as one of the factors. Tenure can give some faculty an illusion of supreme power and invincibility, which the professors who mistreated Shepherd demonstrated in spades. Miscreant tenured faculty can’t be fired from their permanent, well-paid jobs.

In a review to award tenure, some universities use collegiality as one criterion, ambiguous and subjective, certainly, but useful nevertheless. In future tenure reviews at Laurier, and universities generally, collegiality should be stressed more, and not just how respectfully faculty interact with each other but also how well they support students who have controversial opinions. Disagreement should be welcomed, as it contributes to learning, provided we always remain civil. Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ont.

Amarjeet Sohi