Alumni at the University of Calgary are seeking a more hardened stance from the school in the case of an outspoken professor.
On a Nov. 29 interview on CBC, professor Tom Flanagan, a former adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, called for the assassination of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
“It struck a really raw nerve with me,” said Kris Kotarski, a U of C graduate who recently drafted a letter to the school’s president. Kotarski said he is disappointed by the lack of response from his alma mater. He added he doesn’t think Flanagan should be fired but would like to see him reprimanded.
“I understand that the university would be happy for the controversy to go away but I don’t think that they can do that.”
Fellow alumni Chris Beauchamp agreed.
“I think that his comments reflected poorly on him individually and the University of Calgary,” he said. “The main thing I would like to see is just that acknowledgment.”
University spokesperson Grady Semmens said they have received a lot of “feedback on the issue.”
“The University of Calgary’s stance is that Dr. Flanagan’s comments … last week were made as an individual and don’t represent the views of the university,” he said.
