19
Volume2 Issue2
|
N
ews and
E
vents
Bynow, everydentist inCanadamust beawareof theFacebookgroupbehaviour atDalhousie
University that has featuredprominently inmediaacross thecountry for thepastmonth. There
hasbeena lot of veryheateddiscourseaboutwhat shouldbedone in thewakeof this series
of events, and I know thatmanydentists feel particularlyhurt byhowour professionhasbeen
portrayed in someof themorebitingcommentaries.
Onapersonal basis, I havewrestledwithhow toanalyze thebehaviour andplace it inproper
context. I havealsowrestledwithwhatweas aprofessioncan learnandhowwecanmove
forwardbothwiser and stronger. The temptation to label this student behaviour asbeing
solelyagender-related issue, and localized toone institutionor oneprofessiondoesn’t rest
comfortablywithme.
I havebeen searching for theproper language framework todescribe theactionsof the
DalhousieFacebookgroup, andmy reaction to them, and I didn’t feel I had it until I came
across thephrase “cultureof respect” ona sectionof theDalhousieUniversitywebsite
).When I saw that term in that context, I felt I couldbegin toconceive
whatwe in theprofessionmight do to foster anaugmentedcultureof respect amongour
members, fromdayone indental school until retirement frompractice.
InDecember 2014, details emergedabout
inappropriateonlineactivities by some
4th year dental students atDalhousie
University—aFacebookgroup called the
“Class ofDDS2015Gentlemen.”
On January19, 2015,Dr. JohnO’Keefe, directorofCDAKnowledgeNetworks, posted the followingpieceon
OasisDiscussionsabout the issue
.
If I show respect,
I am likely tobe respected
Dr. JohnO'Keefe
1-800-267-6354
ext. 5000
