by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
July 14, 2004
Yvan Tessier, a 39-year-old unilingual francophone from Trois-Rivières Quebec applied to take an English language immersion course at the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton campus. The university prides itself on its "Submarine Immersion Program" that has been in place since 1952 and that has attracted students from all over the world. One of the key components of the course is that students are required to sign what is set out on UNB’s website as The Pledge. In the pledge, the students agree that their participation in the program can be terminated if they so much as utter one word of a language other than English.
Tessier refused to sign the pledge. You see Mr. Tessier is blind and is accompanied by his dog that, having been trained in the Province of Quebec, can only respond to commands in the French language. The disabled graduate student was then denied admission to the immersion course.
Much like the school’s clientele, the media coverage was international and the incident was reported on as far away as India and australia. Emails supporting Tessier poured in from all over the world. The school caved under the negative publicity as well as the graduate student’s threat to make a Human Rights complaint and agreed to admit him. Tessier will be allowed to speak the 14 or so French words that he must use to give his dog commands. a statement from the University of New Brunswick’s Public Relations Officer who by the way probably deserves a raise, said that it this compromise was a "win-win situation".
Liberal universities like UNB are known for their political correctness as well as for their, well, liberalness. Universities have been at the forefront in banning language and conduct that "may" be offensive to women and minorities. They readily ban speech to protect sensitive feelings but refused to compromise to help a disabled man.
It is understandable that the success of UNB’s immersion program is due in part to the school’s strict policy of requiring only English to be spoken. But it is also understandable that animals not be allowed in restaurants and stores where food is sold. Yet exceptions for working dogs that accompany the disabled are made for the latter. and owners and employees of food establishments, most of whom no doubt have less education than the powers that be at the University of New Brunswick understand that exceptions are to be made. So what was the real reason for the school’s failure to compromise?
Prior to enrolling, Yvan Tessier had contacted UNB to ask about accommodations that are made for the blind. Even before he showed up in Fredericton, the university attempted to have him transferred to Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia, a transfer that the student refused. He simply wasn’t wanted at UNB.
The real reason is probably found in a statement made by Susan Mesheau, the director of public relations at the University of New Brunswick. Mesheau was quoted by Fox News and other media sources as saying that some students are allergic to dogs and there are students who "have religious affiliations that they cannot associate in the same room with a dog".
Mesheau doesn’t name the religion but she undoubtedly was speaking about Islam. Dogs are considered to be dirty by that religion and Muslims are to have no contact with them. Like many other things in Islam (as well as in other religions) there are different interpretations of this dictum and one is that exceptions can be made for dogs who work.
The school didn’t want to let the blind guy in because the presence of the dog that he depends upon for his mobility and safety might "offend" some other students. This makes more sense than simply trying to prevent Tessier from giving one word commands to his dog in French.
He might be disabled. He might be a francophone. But he’s still one of those creatures that is most despised by the academic left.
Yvan Tessier is a white Christian male.