Been thinking about Cromwell report.

Much has been made of the finding that Donor did not influence *outcome* of hiring decision.

I think this focus distracts from very troubling facts re *process* that speak for themselves. 1/
president.utoronto.ca/presidents-res… In his analysis, Cromwell asks whether evidence was sufficient to draw inference that the Dean was “untruthful”. That he misrepresented his true motives. (p47)

In my view, the question of influence is not so black-and-white & the truth is likely blurrier. 2/

On the surface this is good news. Clearly an investigation is needed.

But, as someone who cares deeply about the law school & IHRP, I’m afraid @UofT’s proposed “impartial review” falls short.

A thread. 1/ thestar.com/opinion/star-c… To begin, I echo the many concerns cited in @ShreeParadkar’s column:

David Robinson of @CAUT_ACPPU & @SamerMuscati formerly of IHRP both question the reviewer’s mandate. It’s not clear that key issues in the controversy will even be addressed. 2/

This essential #elxn43 piece by @DrCherylT got me thinking about the connection between politeness and racism in Canada.

I’ve tried to distill some recent learning & reflections, informed by Robin DiAngelo’s ‘White Fragility’. 1/12
nytimes.com/2019/10/23/opi… The idea that a person who is polite is not racist, or that racism is somehow connected to politeness, is deeply entrenched.

We are hardwired to think that because we are ‘good people’, we are not racist. 2/12

Stop SOP has caused untold harm to our profession. But it has also been a rallying cry for EDI supporters.

I know we’re in dark times — but I hope the real legacy of @Stop_SOP will be to unwittingly promote *exactly* the kind of self-reflection that the SOP intended. 1/7 SOP was supposed to remind lawyers that systemic racism exists. @Stop_SOP did that in spades. 2/7

Tomorrow I’ll be speaking about “business-based” private refugee sponsorship at a meeting of the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative in NYC. Very exciting to see Canadian refugee sponsorship spread globally. Can’t wait to share @GPLLP’s experience. 1/7 refugeesponsorship.org It’s fascinating to think back to Summer 2015. @LifelineSyria had been launched, with the goal of resettling 1,000 Syrian refugees to Toronto. A goal that seems modest in retrospect, felt like a pipe dream at the time. The political climate / immigration rhetoric was tense. 2/7