After careful consideration involving many candidates the Student Appeal Centre (SFUO) awards its first yearly Iron Fist Award to Marie Josée Berger, Dean of the Faculty of Education since July 1, 2002.The Iron Fist is awarded to the University of Ottawa Administrator having caught Student Appeal Officers’ attention for being most ruthless and/or unjust while showing little or no respect for students. The Award considers both long-term career contributions and particularly notable specific events.
In this case, Marie Josée Berger is well deserving of the Award, having been the object of several informal complaints at the Student Appeal Centre over many years.
For the 2010-2011 school year highlights include Marie Josée Berger’s refusal to respond and investigate at least three very serious complaints filed with her office, calling a student to her office only to belittle her after the case was already resolved in favour of the student, and threatening to impede her own graduate student’s progress in the program when the student expressed her desire to change supervisors.
For being the Dean of the Faculty that continually ranks first as the most frustrating and inefficient to deal with and for being all-round nasty and uncollegial, Marie Josée Berger is the winner of the 2010-2011 academic year’s Iron Fist Award.
