Earlier today, I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet with the Students’ Union, the Graduate Students’ Association, and the NASA and AASUA union representatives. This follows meetings with deans, college deans and General Faculties Council executive members earlier this week.
I have listened as members of the U of A community expressed their concerns about the May 11 decision to request the assistance of the Edmonton Police Services in removing the encampment on the Quad. In these critical and necessary conversations, there were numerous questions about what led to the decision to remove the encampment and the details of that day.
In all of my discussions, I reiterated the university’s primary responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone on our campuses and the security of our university spaces. I heard people share concerns about harm stemming from these events and about how those present were personally affected. There is hurt and turmoil in our community. With the ongoing acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the loss of so many innocent lives in this brutal conflict, there is deep concern and anguish.
The issues in question — freedom of expression, debate, dialogue, safety — are deeply felt because they are at the core of who we are. I am committed to creating a space for respectful discussion about the past week's events. More details will be made available shortly.
I also reaffirmed to each of these groups the university’s foundational commitment to freedom of expression. We demonstrated this commitment as recently as yesterday when the U of A welcomed peaceful protests on our campus. Freedom of expression is at the core of who we are as a university. The university is committed to rigorous inquiry and the robust expression and discussion of ideas, including topics of deep controversy and dissension.
Earlier this week, I outlined the safety concerns that led to our decision to ask EPS to disperse the encampment members on May 11. The university has a clear legal and moral duty to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of the university community. Any death or injury resulting from our inaction would be the university's responsibility.
Over the coming days and weeks, members of my administration and I will continue discussions with students, faculty, and staff. We are also meeting with faculty chairs, the Alumni Council, and other key community partners. I will continue to provide regular updates to keep our community informed, and, as always, we will continue to facilitate the discussion and exchange that is crucial to the university’s mission of teaching and learning.
Bill Flanagan
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Alberta community members do not have to navigate difficult situations by themselves. Resources are available to support your safety, health and well-being.