An Open Letter To UBC: Steven Galloway’s Right To Due Process

On November 18th, 2015, the Dean of Arts of the University of British Columbia released a public memorandum announcing the suspension of Professor Steven Galloway from his position as Chair of the Creative Writing Program, pending the investigation of “serious allegations”. The memo went on to encourage students who had concerns about their “safety and well-being” to seek support through UBC’s counselling services.

This memo was followed up by numerous print, radio and television interviews by the Dean of Arts and representatives of the University, although the “allegations” were unsubstantiated and unexamined and Professor Galloway himself was not provided with any details as to the allegations or the complainants. These actions cast a cloud of suspicion over Professor Galloway and created the impression that he was in some way a danger to the university community.

This impression has been amplified in the public sphere, severely damaging Professor Galloway’s reputation and affecting his health. The University has not, however, made any allegations public, citing privacy concerns. No criminal charges were laid against Professor Galloway at the time. None has been laid since.

In December 2015, the University commissioned former BC Supreme Court Judge Mary Ellen Boyd to undertake an independent investigation of the allegations against Professor Galloway. In June of 2016, subsequent to the investigation, the University terminated Professor Galloway’s employment without severance and without reference to the original allegations.

The University has refused to make the findings of Justice Boyd’s report public, and appears to have misrepresented the findings of the report in its public statement issued June 22, 2016. Both a statement from the UBC Faculty Association and the report of an independent journalist who had access to the Boyd report have since revealed that all but one of the allegations investigated, including the most serious one, were unsubstantiated.

The University then claimed that other allegations unrelated to the subject of Justice Boyd’s investigation were involved in its decision to terminate Professor Galloway’s employment. It has not, however, made a clear public statement to this effect, nor has it apologized for the harm its previous actions have done to Professor Galloway’s reputation.

Professor Galloway himself has been denied the right to speak publicly while his case is being grieved. The University’s willingness to allow the suspicions it has created to continue to circulate is surprising and appears to be contrary to the principles of fairness and justice that should guide any distinguished academic institution.

The University’s conduct in this matter is of great concern. We, the undersigned, respect the principle of protection for individuals who wish to bring complaints. We also respect the right of an accused to fair treatment. There is growing evidence that the University acted irresponsibly in Professor Galloway’s case. Because the case has received a great deal of public attention, the situation requires public clarification.

We therefore request that the University of British Columbia establish an independent investigation into how this matter has been handled by the Creative Writing Program, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and the senior administration at UBC.

We are not requesting that privacy be violated and understand that there are grievance proceedings in process. Justice, however, requires due process and fair treatment for all, which the University appears to have denied Professor Galloway.

Sincerely,

 

Note: The text of the UBC Accountable letter has not changed since publication. Signatories have however been added and removed. This is an archived snapshot of the letter as of March 22, 2018. To view past snapshots visit Wayback Machine.