Dr. Paul Davenport must take steps to ensure safety and address concerns regarding the university's decision to grant an honorary degree to Dr. Morgentaler at the upcoming convocation. This includes meeting with police to plan for security and protests, communicating with students and alumni to alleviate fears, and holding a speech with university affiliates emphasizing unity and support for graduating students. The goal is for the convocation to celebrate the students without disruption and for subsequent communications to further repair relationships by focusing on the students' accomplishments rather than controversial issues around the honorary degree recipient.

1. Silvia
Kusic
Executive
Summary
By
choosing
to
continue
with
the
honorary
degree,
Dr.
Paul
Davenport
must
take
every
step
to
ensure
the
safety
of
those
attending
the
convocation.
All
communications
must
attempt
to
mend
the
relationship
with
the
alumni
and
to
uphold
the
reputation
of
the
university
as
a
premier
research
institution.
Failure
to
address
the
students,
alumni,
affiliated
colleges
and
the
London
community,
may
result
in
a
decrease
in
student
enrollment
and
a
lack
of
alumni
donations,
thus
negatively
affecting
the
university’s
competitive
positioning
and
the
city
of
London’s
economy.
Begin
by
speaking
with
the
London
Police
so
that
together,
a
plan
is
drafted
for
a
worst-­‐case
scenario.
Since
thousands
of
protesters
are
expected,
enough
security
must
be
in
place.
By
understanding
the
London
Police’s
strategy,
it
will
be
clear
what
information
should
be
shared
through
various
media
outlets
(television
and
newspaper)
to
alleviate
the
general
public’s
fears
and
to
dissuade
radicals
from
coming.
By
explicitly
outlining
the
precautions
that
have
been
made,
many
radicals
may
see
that
logically,
the
authorities
will
stop
them
before
they
are
able
to
execute
their
plans.
Prepare
a
contingency
plan
with
the
police
in
case
radicals
do
come
to
the
event.
This
information
should
remain
confidential
so
that
any
one
who
considers
disrupting
the
ceremony
cannot
plan
around
these
contingency
measures.
Release
a
letter
on
the
University’s
website
a
week
before
the
event,
addressing
the
students
and
the
families
that
will
be
attending
the
convocation.
Send
them
an
apology
if
the
events
leading
up
to
the
convocation
day
have
distressed
them
in
any
way.
Assure
them
that
measures
are
in
place
so
that
the
ceremony
will
proceed
without
disruption.
End
by
congratulating
the
students
on
their
hard
work
throughout
the
years
and
the
parents
for
their
children’s
accomplishments.
Two
days
before
the
convocation,
Dr.
Davenport
and
representatives
from
the
affiliated
colleges
should
hold
a
speech
and
various
media
should
be
present.
There
should
be
no
mention
of
the
ethics
behind
giving
Dr.
Morgentaler
the
degree.
Although
various
members
of
UWO
may
have
opposing
ethical
views,
this
speech
will
highlight
that
they
all
have
the
unified
goal
of
supporting
their
students.
It
is
essential
to
rely
on
the
audiences’
empathy
by
focusing
on
the
students.
The
key
message
is
that
the
convocation
is
primarily
about
the
graduating
students
who
have
worked
hard
to
receive
their
degrees.
This
event
should
be
a
happy
and
joyous
time
for
them,
and
should
not
be
ruined
by
a
select
few.
The
emphasis
of
the
event
will
be
moved
to
the
students
and
out
of
sympathy
for
the
students,
may
dissuade
some
protestors
from
coming.
A
public
display
of
cooperation
between
Dr.
Davenport
and
the
representatives
from
the
affiliates,
exhibits
a
sense
of
unity
and
order.
The
speech
is
essential
in
reestablishing
the
relationship
between
the
university
and
the
religious
institutions.
When
convocation
ends,
communications
about
the
event
will
be
imperative.
Again,
the
focus
should
be
on
the
students,
rather
than
Dr.
Morgentaler.
If
the
event
proceeds
smoothly,
all
press
releases
and
interviews
should
focus
on
the
university’s
pleasure
in
properly
recognizing
their
student’s
success.
If
there
is
a
disruption,
focus
should
be
on
how
this
affected
the
students,
and
how
unfortunate
it
was
that
people
couldn’t
put
aside
their
own
views
during
this
event.
By
concentrating
on
the
accomplishments
of
so
many
graduating
students,
the
reputation
of
the
University
of
teaching
and
fostering
intelligent
individuals
continues.
All
prospective
students,
current
faculty,
and
alumni
will
relate
positively
to
this
message.
The
communications
after
the
ceremony
will
begin
to
mend
the
ties
with
those
who
were
dissatisfied
with
the
recipient
of
the
degree.
The
situation
will
be
forgotten
more
quickly
by
not
mentioning
Dr.
Morgentaler
and
the
ethical
issues
behind
the
degree.