A member of the suspended University of Ottawa (U of O) men’s hockey team said the university has “smeared” his reputation.
The Gee-Gees men’s hockey team was banned March 3 following allegations of sexual assault while the team was on a road trip in Thunder Bay. Police are currently investigating the complaint.
But in an open letter to U of O president Allan Rock on April 1, Pat Burns said he felt “frustrated” and “betrayed” by the university, where he has been an active member of the sports community for the past five years.
The fifth-year psychology student and suspended Gee-Gees defenceman stated that for the past month, he has been presumed guilty by his classmates and the general public because of the team-wide ban. He said his reputation has been “tarnished” despite being unconnected to the allegations of misconduct, and co-operating with police throughout the investigation.
“As this semester ends, I leave the University not having been recognized for my accomplishments, but having had the door slammed behind me,” Burns stated. “And I am not the only one.”
Burns wrote that he was no longer invited to attend a March 26 reception held by U of O’s Sports Services department, which honoured graduating Gee-Gees’ athletes. He said his requests for the university to reconsider his attendance were ignored, and he was “un-invited” to the school’s annual athletic banquet April 4.
Burns said instead of exonerating innocent students on the team, the university is more concerned about its public image, treating its players as “collateral damage.”
He said the school’s main objective is to “keep as low a profile as possible regarding the alleged incident, with the hope that media attention would go away.”
U of O spokesperson Caroline Milliard said the suspension of the entire men’s hockey program would remain in effect until the university completes an internal review into allegations of misconduct and university policies related to standards of behaviour.
“We understand the impact that the suspension has on all members of the hockey program, but we feel that it is in the best interests of all concerned to permit, at the very least, the completion of the University’s review before revisiting the decision,” Milliard said via email.
U of O Graduate Students’ Association external commissioner Seamus Wolfe said Burns’ letter makes light of the bigger picture.
“I think that it shows a real lack of judgment for who the victim is in this situation for having this individual try to claim victimhood for himself here,” Wolfe said. “It shows a lack of tact.”
Wolfe also criticized the university for caring too much about its perception.
“The university, in what they’re doing, is more interested in their public image than addressing the issues around rape culture and gender-based violence,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe said although U of O launched a Task Force on Respect and Equality in March, the university administration is avoiding the real issues.
“[The university’s] committee is on ‘respect and equality,’ which is largely meaningless in this situation,” Wolfe said. “If you’re not even going to say the words ‘rape culture’ and ‘gender-based violence’ then we’re never going to address the issues.”
U of O chancellor Michaëlle Jean said at a March 6 press conference the school would address “rape culture” on campus. She said this culture has become prevalent at many universities in Canada, caused by “demeaning and sexist, misogynist and racist comments.”
