Terry Burton is a retired veteran of Alberta’s oil and heavy construction industry and a former member of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board.On October 27, June Scudeler, an associate professor at Simon Fraser University (SFU), responded to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement concerning proposed changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices with two words: “F*** off.”Let that sink in for a moment. A university professor, someone entrusted with educating and influencing young Canadians, thought this was an appropriate public response to an elected provincial premier expressing her government’s policy intentions.Really, what academic misfit would think this is OK?Regardless of one’s position on DEI, merit-based hiring, or the Alberta government’s proposed legislation, there is absolutely no requirement to abandon civility, common courtesy, or elementary standards of professional conduct. Disagreement is entirely legitimate. Robust criticism is entirely legitimate. Even fierce opposition is legitimate. But publicly telling the premier of another province to “F*** off” is not an argument, an intellectual contribution, or a demonstration of academic sophistication. It is an exhibition of contempt, poor judgment, and a less-than-adult approach to differing views.And that is precisely the problem.Scudeler is not simply another individual expressing an opinion on social media. She holds an academic appointment, presumably earned through merit, at one of Canada’s major universities. With that appointment comes a position of influence, responsibility, and public trust. Professors are expected to challenge conventional thinking, encourage debate, cultivate critical reasoning, and prepare students to become informed, contributing citizens. Surely, these responsibilities should include demonstrating the very standards of respectful discourse that students are expected to observe..That is what we should expect from a qualified, properly credentialed academic. Of course, one presupposes, most likely erroneously, that such is the foundation from which Scudeler’s F-off came.Instead, Canadians are presented with a crude dismissal masquerading as political engagement. It contributes nothing to public understanding and does nothing to elevate the debate. Indeed, it reinforces the unfortunate perception that some individuals — a growing number, it appears — occupying prestigious academic positions believe their ideological convictions entitle them to dispense with the ordinary expectations of professional behaviour. They appear to be increasingly challenged to contain their emotional outbursts. Why?There is another important consideration here. Universities are publicly supported institutions, and their academic employees benefit from a system sustained, in significant measure, by taxpayers. Those taxpayers include Albertans, British Columbians, and Canadians whose political views may differ substantially from those of individual professors.Public funding does not mean professors must agree with governments, nor should it. Academic independence is fundamental to a free society. But neither does academic freedom mean that faculty members should be beyond criticism or accountability when their public conduct falls below reasonable professional expectations.Academic freedom protects the freedom to investigate, teach, question, and challenge. It should not become a convenient catch-all defence for discourtesy, personal abuse, or contemptuous public discourse.And here is the larger societal problem: We increasingly seem unwilling to distinguish between the right to express an opinion and the responsibility to express it with some measure of maturity, civility, and respect. The former is a fundamental freedom. The latter is a fundamental expectation of responsible citizenship, particularly for those occupying positions of influence.Universities should be leading by example, not contributing to the deterioration of public discourse.SFU should not be expected to dismiss a professor simply because that professor expresses an unpopular political opinion. That would be an entirely different and equally troubling proposition. However, the university should be prepared to explain what standards of professional conduct it expects of its faculty and whether those standards apply consistently, irrespective of political ideology. When a professor breaks those standards or expectations, there should be consequences.Silence is not an adequate institutional response to legitimate questions about professional responsibility..Nor should the phrase “academic freedom” automatically end the conversation. Freedom and accountability are not mutually exclusive. A professor can vigorously oppose a premier’s policies without resorting to vulgarity. Indeed, the ability to articulate disagreement intelligently and respectfully should be among the most basic expectations of an educated professional.I am not suggesting that professors must become political bystanders or retreat into academic ivory towers. Quite the contrary. They should be encouraged to participate in public debate, challenge governments, and offer competing perspectives. But they should do so with the intellectual discipline and professional maturity their positions demand, thereby uplifting and enhancing the reputation of the academic institution they represent.Scudeler’s response raises an uncomfortable question about the standards we have come to tolerate from Canada’s academic establishment. If this is the level of public discourse considered acceptable from someone holding a university appointment, what example are we setting for the students sitting in our classrooms?Canadians should expect better. Students deserve better. Universities should demand better.Academic titles are earned — one would hope — but public respect must also be earned and sustained through conduct. A PhD is not a licence for arrogance and ignorance, and an academic appointment is certainly not a licence to substitute profanity for intelligent argument.If universities expect their students to demonstrate respect, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship, their faculty must be prepared and required to demonstrate those same qualities.The public should expect and deserve nothing less — they are the paying customers who make the “academy” possible!Terry Burton is a retired veteran of Alberta’s oil and heavy construction industry and a former member of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board.
