‘Institutional failure’: MUNL student, faculty unions respond to Delores Mullings’ departure

The fallout continues at Memorial University, where the institution’s first vice provost of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism (EDI-AR) has left the role before the end of the five-year term.

Memorial University Students’ Union (MUNSU) Director of Campaigns Rana Abuidris says the departure of Delores Mullings and the broad claims Mullings laid out in an interview with The Independent last month represent an “institutional failure that directly affects students’ mental health, belonging and trust in Memorial University.”

In December Mullings said there wasn’t a shared understanding of what striving for equity, diversity and inclusion in the university community means. “I actually thought more people had an equity lens and an understanding of what an equity lens is. And that was not the case at all,” Mullings said. “A lot of people actually didn’t understand and still don’t understand what equity is, even after four years.”

Citing a non-disclosure agreement as the reason for not sharing details of the problems Mullings faced, the former vice provost said when it was appropriate to “push back” on the scope of Mullings’ role in reviewing a document, for example, “quite often people just felt that I was being unreasonable, that I was just not a good team player.”

Mullings also said, “because of my very bold personality and character traits, it wasn’t long before people stereotyped me as the angry Black woman. It came very quickly, and it continued to morph. I got pushback, saying it was my attitude or my tone.

“While I’m the one in the role, it doesn’t mean that I’m the only one that needs to be talking about equity issues,” Mullings added. “Everybody is responsible for equity issues, especially those at the highest level of the institutions. So it was daunting to be the only person.”

On Thursday the Canadian Federation of Students’ Newfoundland and Labrador chapter called for an investigation of Memorial University’s senior administration, “with regards to all forms of racism within the institution, specifically as it relates to anti-black racism.”

Abuidris says MUNSU, a local of the CFS, seconds that call, and that an independent third-party investigator should assess the details and experiences associated with Mullings’ time in the role before a new head of EDI-AR is hired. MUNL has said it will replace Mullings but is also evaluating the structure of the EDI-AR office.

“It does seem like it’s just like a symbolic commitment to equity by just filling in the position and not actually giving these people the power,” Abuidris says. “Even if restructuring happens to the office, MUNSU should have been contacted about this and considering these decisions beforehand.”

Abuidris says she wasn’t overly suprised by Mullings’ statements to The Independent because it’s a familiar refrain for many Black students on campus.

“As a Black student leader myself and Memorial University, reading Dr. Mullings’s account was deeply unsettling — but it was not shocking because it did feel familiar,” she says. “The isolation and exclusion from decision making, the stereotyping, being [stereotyped as] an angry black woman, mirrors what a lot of Black students and racialized students quietly already experience on campus.”

On Thursday the university said it remains committed to “advancing the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism (EDI-AR) across all campuses and fostering a respectful and supportive environment for all.” MUNL said consultations “are underway to inform the hiring process for a new senior leader to succeed Dr. Mullings,” and that it’s also considering “the optimal organizational structure, reporting and mandate to ensure that EDI-AR and human rights are resourced for long-term success.”

President Janet Morrison said she will provide an update on that work in March.

Faculty union responds

But the university’s efforts are off to a shoddy start, says Abuidris, who says the university had not reached out to the student union about consultations. “The university [has] a commitment to make sure that all students feel that there’s equity and inclusion within this university, and not contacting MUNSU about [the consultations] makes it seem like they’re doing their own thing.”

Memorial University Faculty Association (MUNFA) also says it hasn’t been contacted by the university about the consultations, and that it is concerned over some of Mullings’ allegations published by The Independent.

“While we are not aware of the circumstances surrounding Dr. Mullings’ decision to resign from the role, MUNFA is concerned to hear that disagreement regarding the scope and substance of the Vice Provost EDI-AR role limited her opportunity to guide and contribute to key policies and decision-making,” MUNFA President Lisa Moores said in an emailed statement Friday.

“We also take note of a broader issue evident in Dr. Mullings’ description of her experience that goes to the core of academic leadership and decision-making: how we respond to critique, especially when what we hear is uncomfortable,” Moores continues. “There is an important distinction that is often blurred in our institutions, especially during trying times […] between decorum and respect, between politeness and collegiality. These concepts are frequently treated as interchangeable. They are not. And when we conflate them, we do real harm – not only to individuals, but to the integrity of our academic communities.

“We can be direct, impassioned, even forceful – and still be respectful. At the same time, it’s possible to be impeccably polite while dismissing lived experience or maintaining inequitable structures,” Moores continues. “In the context of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism particularly we have a special responsibility to recognize this distinction. Respect is culturally derived and deeply shaped by power and position. What feels respectful to those with authority may feel silencing or ineffective to those who must live with the outcomes of leadership decisions. When we respond to criticism by focusing primarily on how something was said, rather than engaging seriously with what was said, we risk deflecting from substance and being perceived as shielding ourselves from accountability.”

Moores also points out that scholars, “particularly those from marginalized communities, have learned that speaking carefully, softly, or deferentially rarely begets change. History teaches us this lesson repeatedly. Progress in social justice, equality, and human rights has almost always been labelled inappropriate, disruptive, or disrespectful at the time it was sought.

“Academia is not immune to this pattern,” she says. “Our emphasis on rationality, neutrality, and professionalism can sometimes lead us to confuse emotional restraint with intellectual rigour, and discomfort with disrespect. Yet academic freedom, shared governance and true progress depend on our willingness to let critique inform us – even when it is urgent, emotional, or inconvenient.”

Read the full statement from Memorial University Faculty Association:

Investigation could fill gap left by Mullings’ inability to speak freely

 Responding to CFS-NL’s call for an investigation, Memorial University spokesperson Chad Pelley said Thursday that MUNL had “not received any calls from within our community for an investigation,” adding “there are mechanisms for students to submit official concerns and seek investigation through protected disclosure (for anyone to report any wrongdoing) or the respectful workplace policy.”

Asked if the university would let Mullings speak freely about the experiences Mullings said can’t be shared due to the non-disclosure agreement, Pelley said: “Confidentiality provisions in any agreement are for the protection of personal information related to matters contained in that agreement. The breach of confidentiality provisions by either Dr. Mullings or the university would be a breach of that agreement, which both parties should avoid.”

Abuidris says in light of Mullings’ inability to speak freely, an external investigation would be “the first step to acknowledging what Dr. Mullings has been going through.” Once the investigation is done, she says the student unions, senior administrators and others “should be contacted” about the results.

“It’s mostly us holding each other accountable with these investigation findings, and then for the next person filling in the position to be aware about all the [things] that happened before,” she says. That way, “they could hold the administration accountable if the same thing happens again.”

Moores says MUNFA wants “transparency and meaningful communication regarding the plans for the EDI-AR office and its leadership going forward,” and for Memorial University to “recognize advocates not as adversaries, but as essential partners in that work.

“If we want institutions that are equitable, inclusive, and worthy of trust, we must be willing to hear hard truths expressed in voices that may not sound like our own.”