Much of this blog inadvertently consists of footnotes to the following excerpt: 

MM: Universities in Canada have become much more hierarchical and managerial. The ascendency of human resources departments, with their proliferation of new and worryingly vague rules, has led to greater oversight and control of professors, departments, programs and students. Administrative discipline is frequently used as the means of control. Sadly, faculty unions don’t seem to mind.

At the same time, there has been tremendous growth in seeing people as representatives of types rather than as individuals in their own right. Hiring and promoting by race, ethnicity, cultural affiliation, sex, gender expression and other academically irrelevant characteristics is now pervasive on campus. Beyond its effect on freedom of expression, the pursuit of non-academic goals such as social justice has also meant a decline in sincerity, honesty and easy personal relations. And this has had a devastating effect on teaching as well as public discourse.