Historical Perspective

This, it seems to me, is part of the Coutts/Walker legacy in which, I believe, the origins of this incident lie. As you might recall, many people tried to help the board come to terms with what was going on at Pearson College once Stuart Walker, chosen by Jim Coutts, took over. There were plenty of objective signs of trouble: faculty and staff tried to unionize; staff turnover was unusually high; the BC Labour Relations Board found management guilty of unfair labour practices and coercion; twenty-two people offered the board evidence that there appeared to be serious governance and administrative trouble and requested an independent assessment; at least 225 patrons, a trustee, graduates and others petitioned the board for an independent assessment; and two female graduates claimed to have been sexually abused by a teacher then in residence. In addition, recently graduated or departed students, such as Ricardo Finozzi and Daniel Elleker, claimed that they had been bullied while students at Pearson College.

To all of this and despite then trustee Abiodun William’s eloquent recommendation that the board establish an independent assessment, the then trustees lined up solidly behind Jim Coutts and his appointee, Stuart Walker, apparently determined to discredit anyone who dared suggest that there was trouble. The National Post got wind of the petitions for an independent assessment and of the fact that the women who claimed to have been abused had written to other graduates to learn if anyone had been abused at Pearson College. It was at that point, that there appears to have been a command to litigate and to threaten to litigate to silence everyone. The lawsuit was filed against me and threatening letters sent to the alleged victims of sexual abuse, both in the same June week in 2002 just after the National Post published its article.

What became absolutely clear was that Jim Coutts would either actively encourage, or at least accept without reprisal, extraordinary employee actions which were, in my opinion, designed to silence those who called for an investigation. Instead of firing Stuart Walker or the accused, the Board stood behind Stuart Walker’s decision to fire a fine teacher and honourable graduate, Rusekampunzi. As a result, two graduate trustees, Carletta Evans Downs and Abiodun Williams, quit in protest, graduate donations and attendance at reunions fell, and one annual general meeting of the Pearson College Corporation failed for lack of quorum.

It was into this deplorable atmosphere - with Walker in the Director’s seat, the accused in residence, the last graduate teacher driven out, and faculty and staff morale very poor - that the five students entered Pearson College in September 2005 and began to develop their understandings of their roles as students.

Now we hear one expelled student’s story of what transpired at the beginning of her second year, a year that had the great potential to be vastly different from her first.

Amanda admits she used and possessed a substance that is banned under Canadian criminal law. It isn’t hard to imagine why young people, who had endured the leadership of Stuart Walker, might wish to engage in defiance of authority. But perhaps she and the others insufficiently appreciated the very difficult position in which their actions placed the new Director who aims, in my opinion, to run a college that is exemplary. When the impugned acts were committed, David Hawley was probably in the beginning stages of developing the natural authority that comes from respect and admiration. (I cannot speak to the procedural issues that Amanda raises because I know nothing about them.)

As a one-time elected representative of Pearson Graduates, I write principally to stress how sorry I am that this matter might be your first substantive introduction to the College’s new Director, Dr. David Hawley.

I recently had the privilege of meeting David and hope you will, too. I believe that Pearson College is fortunate to be led by him and congratulate and thank the current Board for having hired him. Perhaps you will hear other news of David and you will come to share my hope in the promise of his leadership.

Yours sincerely,
Juliet Guichon

Pearson College 1975-1977
Former Elected Alumni Representative 1988-1991
Former International Board Member 1988-1991
Former Pearson Trustee 1988-1994
Former Pearson Defendant 2002-2003
Patron 1994 - present