Auditor General’s Report Statement

SHAME ON MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

The long-awaited Auditor General's Report has been released and provides an in-depth confirmation of what students have been saying for years - the leadership at Memorial University has a long and shameful record of misuse of student funds. We have repeatedly been shown that Memorial is both misspending funds and directly placing this burden on the backs of students.

For years we have heard countless members of the Memorial University Administration telling us that there simply is not enough funding for students. We have been told that there was no other option but to skyrocket tuition and price students out of postsecondary education.

This week the official auditor's report details how the same administration orders customized chocolates and private limousines. We see countless lavish purchases, events and trips that continuously leave students in the cold.

This report details the complete lack of oversight or responsibility within the institution that has allowed unfathomable misspending, defunct decision-making bodies and a clear inability to account for fiscal and operational decisions.

Students and Faculty have been vocal in calling for transparency and collegial governance at the institution. Again and again, we've witnessed leadership unwilling to come out from behind closed doors.

The report details the broken system of search firm hiring processes that cut the university community out of decision-making spaces. $1.1 million was spent on recruiting only 15 management positions - one-third of whom are no longer employed by the university.

Administrative bloat is undeniably out of control at Memorial University of

Newfoundland. Executive and management positions are accepting grossly bloated compensation while asking students to utilize food banks. Students are unable to afford stable housing or keep food on the shelves.

Shame on Memorial University of Newfoundland. Shame on decision-makers for doubling tuition and placing their debt on the backs of students.

Shame on the administration at MUNL who advise students to take on third and fourth jobs while taking nearly 40% of their working days off in paid vacation.

Memorial University has the highest administrative salaries per student (at $2,369), $893 per student higher than average.

The administrative bloat, lack of oversight, frivolous spending, closed-door decisions and blatant misinformation need to stop. Current Memorial Leadership is now claiming commitment to addressing the issues in this report and that can only happen with a tangible change in operations that actually values and listens to the voices of students and faculty.

It is time for Memorial University and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to stop playing with the futures of this province of its young people.

We are calling for a Memorial leadership to fully commit to rebuilding the university as an institution that puts students first.

We are calling for the Government of NL to fully reinstate funding to Memorial University and commit to funding the future.