Posted November 10, 2021
While my time of being connected with Redeemer and actively supportive of its endeavours is coming to a close, I will continue to provide public accountability for items connected to the contents of this website until I have seen evidence that the issues have been properly resolved. Redeemer’s publication, Resound, in its most recent edition made note of staff who are joining the team and those who have departed. Beautiful photography and imagery that shows people at their best is found throughout the publication. In this particular piece, professional pictures were published for all staff with the exception of two: Raymond Louter and Sharon Klassen.
Raymond’s picture is a blurred photo that looks like it was taken during a zoom call without his knowledge or permission while the wifi was acting up. Sharon’s photo looks like the Resound team scrolled through a terrorist watchlist and grabbed a photo of someone who bore a striking resemblance. These photos do zero justice to them as people or their dignity as academic professionals. Who is responsible for this continued disrespect and failure to acknowledge these staff properly? Resound‘s Editorial and Creative Team is made up of the following people:
Editor-in-Chief: Josh Sieders
Managing Editor: Shannon McBride
Art Director: Jonathan Carmichael
Writer: Amelia Bowes
Writer: Nicole Benbow
Copy Editor: Richard Van Holst
Action is needed to determine who is responsible for this and discuss what their motivations were and if no ill-will was intended then to review their poor work performance. Resound is a critical communication tool with alumni and this latest edition continues to drip gasoline on the fire burning alumni relationships to the ground. Does Redeemer understand that?
Posted October 31, 2021
- There is no poorer example of leadership than when people in positions of authority to enact change refuse to engage with those saying something is wrong and that a conversation is needed. It is with great sadness, having received zero response or acknowledgement from Redeemer’s leadership regarding my concerns for student and staff safety, that I am now reaching out to the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to request their accountability systems be enacted. I am also now suggesting the formal dismissal of David Zietsma from the role of Interim President would be wise and recommend that members of Redeemer’s corporation body consider voting in new leadership. As the next few years play out and Redeemer encounters the long-term outcomes of the decisions that were made at this time, it should be remembered what choices were made and by who, to learn from those mistakes and make better ones to move forward constructively. I genuinely hope Redeemer keeps its doors open. Whether they do or not will be entirely up to them.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: (Posted November 10, 2021): I have learned from Redeemer’s publication Resound that at the annual general meeting on October 1, 2021, 12 new board members were elected (for anyone not familiar with board turnovers, this is an incredibly high number). New board leadership is now in place and while David Zietsma is not being formally dismissed, a president search committee has now been appointed which will see a new person placed in this position.
UPDATE/CORRECTION: (Posted November 10, 2021): Upon reflection, I will note that I am not sure if David Zietsma will be considered as a presidential candidate or not as part of a broader due process considering multiple candidates.
Posted September 20, 2021
- Redeemer’s Club Showcase did not include the LGBTQ+ group.
Posted September 19, 2021 – Also added to the Letter to the Board, Senate, and Student Senate
PLEASE NOTE:
I had the privilege of receiving feedback and insight that some members of Redeemer’s current LGBTQ+ community feel that David Zietsma is well equipped to continue on as the Interim President. They feel that he was present, listening, and taking constructive action that is making a real and notable difference. These individuals do not want to see David Zietsma removed from this position. This is valuable thought for consideration as you decide what you would like the school to hear from you.
Posted September 16, 2021
- Redeemer’s Club Showcase is coming up soon!!! This is the club fair where student groups approved by Redeemer’s leadership are able to tell the broader student body about their presence and what they do. Hoping to hear good news that the LGBTQ2A+ mental health support group was included with Redeemer’s blessing and that the students’ Provincial and Federal Human Rights in the form of equal access to services were upheld! Stay tuned!
Posted September 15, 2021
- For those who have highlighted David Zietsma’s good work during his time in office as Interim President, thank you for highlighting that. I do not believe he is a bad person at all and where I know of his strengths I have tried to highlight them as well. I don’t believe he is an appropriate fit for the Interim President position due to some areas for growth in his skill set that are critical to the role, but absolutely would like to see him remain as part of the Redeemer team. The main goal of this website is to ask people to THINK and to share THEIR THOUGHTS with Redeemer rather than regurgitate anything I’ve said. If you believe he should be re-positioned you can say so and if you believe he should be considered for full instatement as President you can say so. But I strongly encourage you to share YOUR requests for consideration regarding any subject raised on this site that resonates with you. It is the job of the Board of Governors, Senate, and Student Senate to take the mix of requests they receive and to choose how to move forward as best they can as leaders and representatives.
- The question has been raised, why now when other staff and programs have been dropped in the past? I was not aware that other tenure-track staff and programs had been dropped previously. When I saw announcements of staff moving on I assumed they had completed their contracts, were moving on by choice, or had participated in a program phase-out. There was an era in the 2010’s where I would have understood the school suddenly amputating programs and staff to prevent bleeding out because they were openly in financial trouble at the time. Some of the releases mentioned to me I had no idea happened at all. The fact that program and staff drops vs phase-outs has been a problem extending across multiple eras of leadership is a really good catch, so thank you community for engaging in the conversation. Good people create complex systems that create unintended negative outcomes. Some of Redeemer’s toxic workplace culture and struggles experienced by students would absolutely be connected to the lack of a respectful program phase-out policy exisiting. That is a policy gap that is relatively easy to address, Redeemer absolutely has the gifted internal resources to create such a policy in partnership with the staff and students to demonstrate leadership and excellence in this area, possible creating a template or example for other institutions to follow. It’s a problem that once addressed will have any number of constructive ripples effects!
- For any Redeemer staff who experienced a previous program drop or job drop and it resulted in you navigating a dark time, I want to validate that your reaction was normal and healthy. Program and job drops are shocking, particularly if you had good reason to believe you would remain in that position until retirement. I’m very sorry that happened to you.
- For any Redeemer students who experienced a previous program drop and it result in you navigating a dark time, I want to validate that your reaction was normal and healthy. There is often a lot of pressure around ‘deciding your future’ and having to plan far in advance with added pressure in the form of competition and deadlines. To have that change suddenly would have had much bigger implications for you than simply needing to choose new courses. I’m very sorry that happened to you.
Is anyone able to assist with a more comprehensive list of programs and staff who have been dropped rather than phased out which would also lend some insight into how many times students have been impacted by these events? You can email contact@firmaccountabilityforredeemeruniversity.ca.