Dear Ms. Patterson,
We write to you in regard to your proposal to close Traill and PR campuses of Trent University.
We are both graduates of Traill College, and as such were alarmed and concerned when first we heard of your proposal. We were not however surprised to hear of your proposal for previous administrations have considered such ideas before. What has alarmed and concerned us is the apparent lack of regard you have shown for corporate governance, and subsequently what we perceive to be your lack of respect for the decision of the Senate, and therefore of the staff, faculty and students of Trent.
The sale of the downtown campuses has been considered at some level by previous administrations, and is not inherently a bad idea but rather worthy of consideration. This is not to say that this is a decision that is to be made lightly or hurriedly, but rather thoughtfully and with sensitivity to the opinions of the Trent Community. Your decision to advance your proposal to the Board of Governors without the support of the Senate is contrary to the very being of Trent.
We remember Trent as a place that embodied respect for others, and which in turn created a strong and moral educational environment. This statement is evidenced by the numbers of Trent graduates who have gone on to successful careers with civic responsibilities. Trent teaches students to flip the coin when making an argument, and in doing so to walk the mile in someone else's Birckinstocks. We are sorry to say that by your actions to undermine the democratic process it is clear that you did not attend Trent University.
Traill is more than a group of buildings, lovely though they are, and Traill is more than the college on the hill. You can not relocate it to a drumlin, and expect the character to follow. Traill is the college closest to the downtown core, and as such provides a significant link between both off-resident students, whatever their college affiliation, and the university, and also between the University and the Peterborough Community. In our experience in college governance (President of Traill in 93-94, Academic Rep in 93-94, Community Rep in 91-92, and an Amiga for two years) we can attest to the strength of the ties that exist between the communities. The relocation of Traill to Symons Campus would almost certainly remove this tie, and subsequently weaken the relationship between Trent and the city of Peterborough.
As President of Trent University it is your responsibility to consider the consequences of your actions. Your legacy to Trent University should not be one of divisiveness and the destruction of the very fabric that makes Trent Canada's outstanding small university. We would expect you to lead by example, that is to follow corporate governance and respect the decision of the Senate regardless of whether their opinion differed from yours.
We call upon you to reconsider your position to undermine the role of the Senate, and to respect the wishes of the wider Trent Community.
Yours Faithfully,
Stephanie Akers-Barnes ('90)
Robert Barnes ('91).