MUN's $22K legal bill on Matt Barter case reveals a lot about its priorities, says MUNSU
Memorial University student Matt Barter wanted to know what the school's administration was paying to fight him in court, so he filed an access-to-information request on the heels of his latest hearing.
The number — $17,934.50 — was published on his blog on Tuesday, and is stoking the embers of a confluence of simmering situations on campus. The university confirmed there was one additional payment of $4,300 since Barter's request was made, bringing the total to $22,234.50.
When asked if the university felt it was a reasonable use of money, a spokesperson said: "The case before the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador was started by Mr. Barter and this was the cost to defend it."
The student union has a different answer on whether or not it was reasonable.
"It really shows where the university's priorities are right now," said Isabel Ojeda, the director of campaigns for MUNSU.
"I think it just shows the wider misspending that's going on within the university administration that they're focusing all their energy on lawsuits rather than ... providing for students in the way we need them to."
Barter was reprimanded by the university after silently holding a sign that said "Stop Vianne" while standing next to the now-former university president, Vianne Timmons, at a function on Dec. 2, 2021. He was protesting what he viewed as overspending by the administration.
The administration restricted Barter's access to campus during an investigation.
The school ruled that Barter's protest had crossed the line from a silent protest — which is protected under the student code of conduct — into a form of bullying, harassment and/or intimidation.
His access to campus was restored, but he was placed him on non-academic probation and ordered to attend an anti-bullying seminar.
Barter appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. The university hired outside counsel from law firm Stewart McKelvey. The documents obtained by Barter show they paid 10 instalments from June 2022 to January 2023, ranging from $97 to $6,254.
Those payments pre-date a hearing on March 22 during which lawyer Ruth Trask argued the school's case. The cost of that appearance is not yet known. CBC News has requested comment from the university on whether it considers the legal expenses reasonable, and if more costs are expected.
Money could be better spent, says MUNSU
Ojeda said she can't get into specifics on Barter's case, but felt there were plenty of worthwhile causes on campus that could have used $18,000.
She pointed to the food bank, which closed temporarily due to overwhelming demand last October. She also raised concerns about maintenance issues, which is a $430-million problem at Memorial University.
While Ojeda said the legal bill is a drop in the bucket — an apt metaphor considering the amount of leaking infrastructure on campus — she believes its indicative of the administration's attitudes on spending.
"Students have been paying additional fees like the campus renewal fee, et cetera, expecting these renovations and fixes to come and they really haven't," Ojeda said. "And in the meantime we're seeing, you know, the administration spending that money in ways that really aren't providing for their general student community or making the university a better place."
Timmons was removed as president by the school's board of regents on April 6, amid public scrutiny following a CBC News investigation into her statements on her Indigenous ancestry and past membership in an unrecognized Mi'kmaw First Nation group.
MUNSU has problems with how the situation was handled, saying they preferred a thorough investigation involving input from Indigenous groups.
Between that situation, the doubling of tuition and the handling of Barter's case, Ojeda said it's been a tough time to be a MUN student.
"I think there needs to be a complete restructuring of how we govern our university because right now it's being run like a private business," she said. "It's being run as if it's a corporation. It's not being run as if it's a public institution with people paying tax dollars to run it."
