On June 21st, Becky Winsor, an alumnus, sent an email to members of the Board of Regents as part of a student-led campaign for MUN to divest from companies involved in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. The next day, she received a call from her father. He informed her that Board Chair Glenn Barnes had forwarded him the email and followed up with the message:
“I and other regents have received over 100 of these. They are intrusive and insulting. I am telling parents that I know just what their kids are doing. Theres (sic) is not the only viewpoint but this group think (sic) they are correct and that MUN ought to be in lock step with them. They need to grow up. Glenn.”
According to Windsor, her father replied to Barnes to say that he should direct his comments to her and that it was not appropriate for him to send the email to outside parties.
“My first response was, I’m 35. I have two children of my own. I’m not a kid. And, certainly, neither are any university students.”
“I’m an alumni, so I’m not a current student, but for any person, community, student, alumni, whomever, it’s very concerning that someone in that position … would be tattling to parents of adult children.”
Winsor, a former MUNSU executive, says she is fortunate to have parents who have always been supportive of her advocacy but that “there are definitely parents out there who would not be supportive and would probably be really upset if they knew that their children were involved.”
She says this kind of action discourages young people from “wanting to speak up or wanting to be involved in any sort of activism or protest … because they don’t necessarily want their parents to find out, or they don’t want their employer to find out.”
“I didn’t even really say anything about this for a while after it happened because I was a bit intimidated.”
Winsor says she has filed a privacy complaint with the NL Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Office but has yet to receive a response.
MUN has confirmed that the issue is under investigation by their Information Access and Privacy Office. In a statement provided by Communications Manager Chad Pelley, MUN says that
“In the event of a privacy breach, the university has a process to investigate such matters. The matter to which you refer is being investigated. The university will not comment further while this matter is under investigation.”
Barnes ‘experiencing technical issues with email’
MUN Students for Palestine submitted an access to public information request for emails sent from Barnes related to the email campaign.
The decision letter from MUN’s University Privacy Officer says they
“reviewed this request and Memorial University has no records responsive to your request. Please note that the individual asked to conduct a search for records had been experiencing technical issues with email.”
When asked for clarification, MUN’s Information Access and Privacy Office confirmed that Barnes has informed them that he does not have access to the requested emails due to technical difficulties.
MUN Students for Palestine has filed an access complaint with the NL Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, seeking the records.
Barnes has not responded to our requests for comment. However, MUN Communications Manager Chad Pelley provided us with a statement from Barnes:
“Potential privacy breach matters are investigated pursuant to a university process. I am committed to participating in the investigative process and will not be speaking publicly on this matter.”