I would like to add my congratulations to Western News for the stance adopted in reporting the recent controversy – it was well balanced (“Reporting has lived up to ‘delicate challenge,’” Western News, May 7).
Since the tradition of publishing letters somewhat critical of administrative practices at Western seems to be in good health, I would like to raise an issue concerning our interpretation of Ontario’s Privacy Act.
As a course coordinator, I receive web-based requests to acknowledge students’ academic accommodations for class attendance, exams, etc. These have already been granted by academic counselors and my task is merely to indicate I understand this. The categories which I am permitted to know are the student has been granted accommodation for “religious, medical or other” reasons.
When so informed, my task is to click a button indicating that “OK, I understand” or “I have concerns.” One is then left with the Kafkaesque decision to “understand” that a student is suffering from “other.”
Recently, I received this exact communication and decided to not “understand” and I pursued a telephone enquiry expressing my concern since the logic is entirely opaque. I was handed up the telephone hierarchy until someone, finally, agreed to inform me the matter was one of compassion and I was, of course, immediately satisfied with the rationale for the accommodation.
How much better then if the three choices might be “religious, medical or compassionate” and leave “other” by the wayside where it belongs.
In the spirit of complete privacy, and having suffered from “other” for many years, I ask that this be published over my nom-de-plume.
Michael Cook
Professor emeritus
Physiology and Pharmacology