Glenn Barnes, who forwarded alumnus's email to her father, resigns as chair of MUN board of regents

Glenn Barnes, the chair of Memorial University's board of regents who came under fire this summer for forwarding a student's pro-Palestinian email to her father, has resigned, the Newfoundland and Labrador government said in a press release Thursday.

Vice-chair Anik Rahman will serve as the interim leader, as the department works to have a new chair appointed, the Education Department said. 

"This has been a challenging time of change at Memorial," said Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell in a statement.

"I want to thank Mr. Barnes for his work and contribution to Memorial University during his time as chair."

The university said in a statement published in the Gazette that the decision follows a review process undertaken by the board in a special meeting on Aug. 13. The board, which is made up of faculty, community leaders and students, found Barnes's recent use of his university email did not align with the board's code of conduct.

Memorial University spokesperson Michelle Osmond told CBC News on Thursday that the board decided after that meeting to issue Barnes a letter of reprimand.

It also decided to suspend Barnes until he made a public apology for the privacy breach and committed to completing privacy training.

Osmond said the university found out about Barnes's resignation from the Department of Education.

When asked directly, department spokesperson Lynn Robinson refused to say whether Howell had asked Barnes to resign.

Barnes forwarded email to former student's dad

Barnes found himself embroiled in controversy in July after forwarding an email in support of pro-Palestine protesters from a former student to her father.

The former student, Becky Winsor, was 35 years old. She told The Canadian Press she wasn't sure what Barnes was hoping to achieve when he forwarded the email at 3:44 a.m. on June 22 to her father.

The email Winsor sent Barnes demanded Memorial University divest from "weapons manufacturing companies implicated in the genocide in Gaza."

Barnes had received more than 100 similar emails as part of a campaign organized by the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Federation of Students.

Barnes said in an email reply to Winsor's father that he wanted to let parents know that he knows "just what their kids are doing." 

The privacy breach was also reported to the provincial information and privacy commissioner.

In its statement in the Gazette on Thursday, the university says the board of regents is committed to "upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity, respect and inclusivity in its interactions with the Memorial community, other stakeholders and the public."

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