Dalhousie dentistry Facebook scandal hurts donations

At least one Dalhousie University alumnus has stopped giving money to the Halifax institution as a result of the scandal over a misogynistic Facebook group run by dentistry students.

Doug Cooke graduated from Dalhousie with a bachelor of science degree in 1967. Like other graduates, Cooke recently received a letter from the university president seeking donations.

"I was about to send my annual gift to Dalhousie when I thought, ‘This dental school business really stinks and I think I’m just going to send a message,'" he said.

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He said losing his “modest” contribution won’t hurt Dalhousie financially, but he hopes they will hear his message about the men who posted on the page. 

"These guys are absolutely vile. The stuff they have put on the internet is disgusting," he said.

Other Dalhousie graduates have also cancelled donations this year. 

Some fourth-year dental students created a Facebook group discussing drugging and raping other students. CBC News broke the story in December.

"If you have a rotten tooth, you pull it out, and these guys are obviously rotten. They should be expelled and that should have been the first reaction. Just get rid of them," he said.

He said the university’s "timid" response of starting a restorative justice process was not enough.

"It’s reduced my respect for the institution," he said.

Classes resume on Monday

Four Dalhousie professors have filed a complaint against the students behind the Facebook page "DDS Gentlemen's Club" under the university's student code of conduct.

The university has not commented on that complaint, or answered questions about what happens when the dentistry students return to classes on Monday.

Their exams were postponed before Christmas, and they won’t be written next week. The university sent a questionnaire out last month as part of the restorative justice process, but won’t say how many people answered it.