A committee ap­pointed by CAUT in March 2014 to investi­gate alleged inappropriate conduct in the faculty of archi­tecture at the University of Manitoba has uncovered violations of acade­­mic freedom and interfer­ence in the work of acade­mic staff.

The committee’s report found “major (and) … routine” interfer­ence in the duties and responsibi­lities of staff, restrictions on acade­mic freedom and the undermining of collegial governance.

“(A)lmost everyone we met also had a story of their research being interfered with, from minor but dispiriting incidents involving distinguished visiting lecturers being uninvited after faculty had worked hard to stitch together the neces­sary funding, to the direct interfer­ence with industry partners and research initiatives,” the report said.

The committee is recommending that the current dean of the faculty of architecture be replaced.

Members of the investigatory committee were Charles Reeve, associate professor of liberal arts and sciences at the Ontario College of Art and Design, University of Winnipeg psychology professor Pauline Pearson, and Grant Wanzel, professor emeritus and former dean of architecture at Dalhousie University.