Tuesday, January 13, 2009

More letters of support for Denis Rancourt – More letters of protest to Allan Rock


Over 50 letters from students and community members who have direct experience with Professor Denis Rancourt’s pedagogical initiatives have been sent to President Allan Rock in protest of the University’s plan to dismiss Rancourt.
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The first 30 letters are posted in two blocks as follows.
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The first 16 letters are posted HERE (click “PDF” in the left column).
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These are from:
*E. Nicholas Aplin, P. Eng. (retired teacher)
*Aileen Duncan, high school student and co-host of CHUO 89.1 FM radio show
*James Douglas, community member
*Eve Wilensky, student, UBC
*Jesse Baltutis, MSc, London School of Economics
*Michel Pilloud, community member
*Stephanie Thomas, student, UofO
*Carolyn Wall, student, UofO
*Sylvain Rigaud, exchange student (PhD)
*G Dyke, student, UofO
*Joe Girard, community member
*Emily Coffey, UofO alumnus, MSc candidate, Amsterdam
*Isabelle Soucy, student, UofO
*Robert Courcy, community member
*Graeme O’Farrell, community member
*Sylvia Smith, community member, teacher
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The next letters (17 to 30) are posted HERE (click “PDF” in the left column).
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These are from:
*David Mandelzys, OISE candidate, UofT
*Wayne Sawtell, student, UofO
*Amy Hammet, student, UofO
*Eric Nathaniel Fisk, community member
*Martha Ruben, MD, PhD
*Gavin D, community member
*I. Golub, PhD
*Julie Comber, PhD candidate, UofO, Faculty of Education
*Jane Gibson, UofO alumnus (MA, Criminology)
*James Douglas, community member (response to Rock answer)
*Elizabeth Holloway, student, UofO
*Anne Davison, UofO alumnus
*Marjorie Robertson, community member
*Campbell D. Robertson, community member
*Danny Cawley, UofO alumnus
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Denis Rancourt’s letter to the Board of Governors is posted HERE (click “PDF” in the left column).
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Background and links are available HERE.
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[Photo credit: Pawel Dwulit 2006]

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Letters to President Allan Rock protest University’s plan to fire physics professor Denis Rancourt


On December 10, 2008, physics professor Denis Rancourt was told that his dean had recommended to the Board of Governors, University of Ottawa, that he be fired. Rancourt was immediately suspended from all his duties and responsibilities and barred from campus.
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The pretext given was assigning high grades in a physics course last winter.
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Psychology professor Claude Lamontagne, Chairperson of the CDE support committee, called for letters of support on January 4th. In less than 24 hours, these first (16) letters (LINK, click on PDF in the left column) were sent to President Allan Rock to denounce the University’s plan to fire physics professor and well known dissident Denis Rancourt.
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At the time of this posting, over 50 such letters had been received and will also be posted as time as soon as possible.
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Professor Rancourt’s letter of disagreement with the university plan to dismiss him is posted HERE (click PDF in the left column).
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Background is available on the Denis Rancourt Wikipedia article and in a November 2009 one-hour TV interview posted HERE.
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Examples of Professor Rancourt’s criticisms of the University of Ottawa are given HERE.