Memorial University President Vianne Timmons presented her Report to the Community this morning at MUN’s Signal Hill campus, but it was met with a silent protest from students opposed to funding cuts and increased tuition.

Members of Memorial University’s Student’s Union stood silently in front of the podium with a huge “pink slip” for Timmons with the words “You’re Fired!”

They were permitted to remain there for most of the event but Timmons did eventually engage with them.

She says she thanked them for coming but asked if they would move to the side for the question and answer portion of the event, which they declined to do. Instead, Timmons says the Q and A had to occur individually at each of MUN’s five other campuses, including Harlow, England, that were linked via teleconference.

The students cite as reasons for “termination” what they call a failure to secure sufficient public funding for the university, “exploiting” international students with differential fees, saddling students with “insurmountable student debt” and “failure to develop a university budget that does not double tuition fees.”

MUN students interrupt release of university’s Report to the Community with silent protest against funding cuts, and calling for resignation of MUN president Vianne Timmons. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/MngZDH3N7E

— Brian Callahan (@briancallahan67) December 2, 2022

The Report to the Community replaces the former president’s report, providing a broad snapshot of MUN accomplishments for the past year.