522-525 MARCH 1993: 'PROFESSOR 'O'DRISCOLL' INVESTIGATED' FOR PUBLISHING ANOTHER BOOK

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Every time I publish a book in my new field - and it must be remembered that it was the University who forced me to move from Celtic Studies to International Politics - I am investigated by the University of Toronto. My second book in the series, The New World Order and the Throne of the antiChrist, was published on 19 February 1993. One lone solitary student in the whole of the University of Toronto - and incidentally a student who was some ten weeks behind with his course work - complained that he thought that the book was antisemitic: 'Esteemed Dr. Adamowski', the student begins his letter of complaint which seems to me to be more concerned with making special arrangements for himself than it is with my book. The student writes:

I therefore formally request that my final paper and exam be evaluated by an independent party. This evaluation should take into account, in my opinion, the disruption and distress which this entire incident has caused me in wasted time and energy, which has not been inconsiderable.

To this end, I respectfully request that the paper and the exam be presented to me with the understanding that I do not have the benefit of the last six [my italics] weeks of lectures (approx. six to seven plays). Therefore I trust that the paper will be marked accordingly by someone familiar with the relevant facts and that the exam will be tailor-written to accommodate this unfortunate situation.

'Tailor-written' to 'accommodate' his situation - no student could ask for better.
On the very same day as the student complained - 24 March 1993 (the coincidence of dates was hardly a coincidence) - Provost Foley issued a public Statement regarding the book, saying that the University and its various components were 'in no way associated with, or agree with, the views expressed in the publication', and that she had 'undertaken an investigation into the matter.'

The investigator was the Chairman of the English Department, Professor Thomas Adamowski, who, while making no 'allegation of anti-Semitism' himself, set out to investigate the 'student's complaint'. I told Professor Adamowski from the beginning that there could be no question of 'anti-Semitism' on my part because the students had conducted an independent survey the day after the complaint was made and not one the other seventy-five students had found me guilty of the charge. Still Professor Adamowski persisted on behalf of the student and Provost Foley, and two months later (after much time and energy being expended on the issue) concluded that I had been guilty - not of anti-Semitism - but of a 'serious error in pedagogical judgment'.
If I am deemed guilty of a 'serious error in pedagogical judgment' for showing a student 40 pages of a 440-page book three weeks prior to the publication of the book, a practice that is quite common in all universities, what should a Chairman be called who solicits a complaint from a student, writes to the Professor involved, and then shows the student the professor's response. For this is precisely what Professor Adamowski did:

Perhaps even more unsettling were O'Driscoll's own suspicions about me. In reply to a letter in which Adamowski said showing me the manuscript was 'a serious error in pedagogical judgement,' O'Driscoll said this about me: 'My conclusion, based on six months of professional observation, is that he knows more than you or I will ever know: he comes from a more literary background than either of us: he has a broad range of experience. He cannot be corrupted....'(D. Layton, 'Lies
My Teacher Told Me,' This Magazine, March 1994, p.17).

1984: Year of Transition: Thirteen sessions with William Irvin Thompson "Thompson is the Guru of the New Society. His eight books on culture, science and the future of the human race have galvanized thinkers in Europe and North America."Olivia Ward, The Toronto Star"an intuitive, daring reader of cultural transformation."Paul McGrath, The Globe and Mail

1985
CONFERENCES
The Sleeping King: A St. David's Day FestivalThe Irish Settlement of Canada: A St. Patrick's FestivalCulture and Destiny: An Easter FestivalCulture and Technology: A St. Andrew's Festival"a federation that celebrates their common heritage."Derek Ferguson, The Toronto Star

PRODUCTIONS
The Secret Rose
"Scotti's music and Yeats's poems are a beautiful blend ... evoking a sensuous yearning for an Ireland faded in the mists.... Treasa O'Driscoll was superb. Her voice was as sweet and clear as the flute and harp that accompanied her.... She was also an engaging commentator and storyteller."Sarah Clark, Gloucester Daily Times (Massachusetts)

1987
PRODUCTIONSBeginning to End: Jack MacGowran's Adaptation of Beckett, with David Fielder"utterly convincing ... a masterful performance ... eloquent but remote."Christopher Hume, The Toronto StarPlate 56: Service to the University and the community by Robert O'Driscoll, 1968-87: Press Reception of performances by artists from Canada and abroad.