Dalhousie dentistry Facebook scandal subject of closed senate meeting

As Dalhousie University's senate prepares to meet privately later today to continue its discussion of the Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen Facebook group, one professor is speaking out about the closed-door meeting.

The dentistry faculty at Dalhousie came under fire after CBC News received screenshots of the posts on the Facebook group, which has since been closed.

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In one of the posts, male students in the group voted on which woman they'd like to have "hate" sex with and joked about using chloroform on women. In another post, a woman was shown in a bikini with the caption "Bang until stress is relieved or unconscious."

Julia Wright, a professor in the Department of English, is critical of the senate's decision to hold the meetings behind closed doors. 

"Senate is a key public forum for debating issues relevant to the university community — it is not handling a student case, it is not dealing with student records in this kind of way, it is a completely different category," Wright told CBC's Maritime Noon.

"It's the one place where we do have a chance to have a public discussion about issues of importance to all of us."

Wright said the senate is the "most transparent process we have, in many respects."

"The concern here is that there needs to be some serious assurance that we are going to have a transparent and fair process for the students involved in relation to the faculty of dentistry, in relation to the university as a whole — and senate is the place where precisely that is going to be discussed today," she said.

"The fact that we don't get to hear the discussion, only compounds that concern."

What's at stake for Dalhousie's reputation?

Wright said this scandal is a concern for the credibility of the university's professional medical programs.

"This speaks, very seriously, to issues of professional ethics in relation to health sector professional programs," she said.

Ryan Millet, one of the men involved in the Facebook group, broke his silence this weekend and told the Chronicle Herald newspaper that he asked to have his academic standards class committee hearing open to the public.

A spokesman for the university said the academic standards class committee hearings are not public due to privacy concerns.

Wright argued the university has the option of announcing its decision on discipline, as it did with a recent hazing investigation.

The faculty of dentistry's academic standards class committee, which is comprised of fourth-year dentistry course directors, is currently considering the fate of the men involved in the controversial Facebook group. The review could clear people, order remedial training or recommend dismissal.

There's no requirement to make its decisions public.   

The senate's role is to establish policies on student discipline and grant degrees.