He laughed a bit when I suggested it.
When I first interviewed Chirag Shah in January 2014, we spoke of his journey from Western Science student to Alumni Association volunteer to Board of Governors member to, eventually, chair of that governing body. At the time, one of his goals was for a broader understanding of how the Board works.
“It is a much more complex piece than people give it credit for,” Shah said. “I am amazed at the quality of the volunteers we have sitting on the Board, the effort expended by some outstanding individuals, the rigour that goes into the critical decisions on behalf of the university. That would be eye-opening for some people.”
Despite those facts, he admitted the Board is a bit of a mystery to the university community.
At that point, I suggested the mystery, perhaps, was tied to the bulk of Board discussion taking place behind closed doors, unlike, say, the university Senate. Then I suggested a broader approach to open session discussions would clear the Board’s role in many minds.
That’s when he laughed a bit.
To be fair, that’s the point where most people laugh, because they see how naive I was.
Our Board tradition does not call for that kind of transparency. I get that now, in a way. And yes, I understand the sensitive, proprietary nature of many discussions necessitates closed doors. But there is room for more transparency – and it would help Board-campus community relations tremendously.
Take the presidential compensation debate. The university Senate held its non-confidence discussion in open session; the Board took its debate behind closed doors after Shah stressed – more than once – during the open session there would be time for robust discussion of the topic in closed session. Of course, no Board member then spoke publicly on the issue.
Every board, council and commission I have ever covered feels safer behind closed doors. Actions can be shrouded in ‘we’ instead of ‘me.’ But there is a price to pay. And that price is a misunderstanding – even mistrust – of the process in the minds of the larger community shielded from the proceedings.
And yes, Western also takes its privacy a step or two too far. For instance, in Board meetings, you cannot take photos or record the proceedings as an observer or member of the media. There is no sound reason for that.
Despite some arcane rules like those, no nefarious plots are being hatched behind closed doors, as one local daily newspaper would have you believe. However, the Board seems to do everything it can to make it look that way.
The Goudge Review may eye more openness for the Board. Even before we see those findings, Board members have promised to seek more openness on their own. Either way, that would be a great first step toward Shah’s original goal – there’s nothing wrong here a little additional sunshine won’t fix.
“I have heard the clear message from across campus that they are looking for some opportunities for better interactivity and change in how the Board operates,” he said last week. “And we’re willing to listen to that.”
But there is another conversation that could broaden the understanding of university governance: It’s time for more people to get involved.
People don’t get involved with the Board to be vindictive. Just like Senate or the Alumni Association, or any number of volunteer boards and committees across the campus, Board members are involved because they care about – dare I say, love – this institution. And many of these groups are begging for participants.
And at these points, constructive change occurs.
Change doesn’t come from snarky tweets, catcalls from the cheap seats or turning your back on the problem – or the president. God knows we’ve had plenty of that in recent weeks. Change comes from within the system. Despite what worker revolution fantasies some might harbour, this is the system we use. So, to new faces on all sides, show up to meetings, not just the sexy ones, engage in debate and, maybe, throw your name in the running for open seats.
The Board knows it has a lot of work to do to broaden our understanding of how it works. But some of that burden is on us as well. Real change only comes from an engaged, participating community.
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GET INVOLVED. Visit the University Secretariat’s website to discover the elections process and timetable for both the Board of Governors, uwo.ca/univsec/board/elections.html, and university Senate, uwo.ca/univsec/senate/elections.html.