A man who ran a café in a space owned by graduate students in Waterloo, Ont., has been suddenly forced out after posting a job ad on Facebook that jokingly stated he needs āa new slave (full time staff member) to boss (mentor).ā
Sandor Dosman, who ran the Veritas Café on behalf of the Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate Studentsā Association (WLUGSA) for more than four years, says he was āblindsidedā when they terminated his contract and had security escort him off campus.
Dosman says no one told him exactly what the problem was, but anonymous Twitter users had complained about his job ad.
Some students on campus immediately picked out the word āslaveā as the problem. Although some called it an āinappropriateā word to use, others thought it was fine. None said they believed it was so egregious that the business should be closed.
Dosman says that he didnāt intend to offend, adding that he is āsorry.ā
Approximately 10 employees have been at least temporarily put out of work by the caféās closure.
WLUGSA President Samantha Deeming agreed to an interview with CTV Kitchener to explain why they terminated Dosmanās contract, but she then backed out.
The WLGSA issued a short statement Friday afternoon that did not explain its actions, but said they are planning to re-open in January.
. issued this statement about a few minutes ago.
ā Abigail Bimman (@AbigailCTV)
Earlier, Deeming told The Cord student newspaper that āthe WLUGSA remains committed to providing services that align with Laurier community values and we will continue to work to do so in a proactive manner.ā
The university administration was aware of a situation before it made headlines. Its official Twitter account responded to an anonymous Tweeter named @_coffeewitch stating: āthe matter has been addressed and Veritas Café is closed until further notice.ā
Byron Williston, an associate professor in WLUās philosophy department, wrote a letter to the GSA calling them āspoiled children.ā
āI suppose itās a sign of the times, especially on university campuses whose student bodies ā undergraduate and graduate ā seem to have been taken over by the terminally thin-skinned and self-righteous,ā he wrote.
āPerhaps you should direct your moral outrage at some of the many real problems in the world rather than behaving like petty bullies,ā he went on.
Williston, who teaches ethics, added: āIām sure it makes all of you feel better, but you should not assume that your feelings of moral superiority are evidence that you have done the right thing.ā
Williston told CTV Kitchener that he sees the contract termination as āoverblown, morally unjustified and something I think the GSA needs to revisit.ā
More than 500 people have to have Dosmanās contract re-instated.
With files from CTV Kitchener
