- Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, set up a whistleblower hotline earlier this year
- This line, which is open to all staff and students, allows people to report violations of University policies or regulations, as well as financial or academic misconduct
- Mark Mercer, a professor of philosophy at the university, said he was concerned about the costs and consequences of people “betraying” each other instead of talking.
A Canadian university professor has expressed his dismay that his cash-strapped university set up a “whistleblowing hotline” and paid a major accounting firm to run it.
Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia launched the anonymous phone line earlier this year and encouraged all staff and students with concerns about policy violations, research issues or behavioral issues to report them.
But Mark Mercer, a professor of philosophy at the university, says he is concerned about the idea that issues can be escalated rather than discussed face-to-face.
He also criticized the university for going “all out” with the initiative, telling staff they will have to make cuts due to financial problems.
He told the website True north he worried about the impact “on the culture of the institution” and warned that people can define “unacceptable behavior” as anything they don't like.
“I think the effect of the university promoting this is to make it seem like we are not a collegial place,” he told the website.
Professor Mark Mercer, who teaches philosophy at Saint Mary's University in Nova Scotia, said he was concerned about the impact of the hotline
The hotline is managed by accounting firm Grant Thornton
'We are not a place where people, if they disagree, have critical discussions with each other or ignore each other.
“Now we're going to an authority to resolve these cases.”
Mercer said the hotline was part of the broader effort to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
“One of the goals is something like comfort on campus for people from historically marginalized groups,” he said.
“And the means are to involve the authorities and impose sanctions, to scare people into saying or doing things that are perceived by the powers that be as being as productive as they are uncomfortable.”
Saint Mary's University defended the introduction of the whistleblower hotline
The university defended the introduction of the hotline, but did not discuss the costs.
The university told True North that the hotline “provides a mechanism for university members to confidentially and/or anonymously raise concerns.”
The hotline will be available to everyone, they said.
'The Safe Disclosure Policy applies to all Saint Mary's employees, students, volunteers, contractors and suppliers, and works in conjunction with our other codes and policies, such as the Research Policy, the Student Code of Conduct, the Sexual Assault and Harassment Policy and others .'