Doofus Of The Day #309

Today's award goes to the entire department dealing with student accommodation at the University of Victoria in Canada.

Alkis Gerd'son moved into residence in 1991, completing a bachelor of arts degree in 1993 and a bachelor of education degree in 1997, said a judgment made public this week.

But he never moved out.

He hasn't enrolled in credit courses since 1997, although he's registered in a business-management program.

The university has been trying to evict Gerd'son since the summer 2008, prompting the court case.

The court decision noted Gerd'son has a disability, but no details were given. Gerd'son has argued the university is in fact trying to evict him because of his disability.

From 2004 to 2007, Gerd'son had a month-to-month rental arrangement with the university.

In August 2007, Gerd'son was given a one-year agreement that increased his rent to $655 a month from $605.

The university served Gerd'son a one-month eviction notice on Aug. 29, 2008, citing "default in rent" and persistent violation of the requirement to maintain enrolment status.

A housing supervisor told Gerd'son that residences are intended to be "for students who are well enough to go to school."

Gerd'son's rent was paid by the provincial government, but the money was applied by the university to "overholding charges" and not to rent, said the court decision.

A tenant is deemed to be "overholding" if he stays in a rental unit without the landlord's approval. In this case, the charges totalled more than $41,400 in November.

The B.C. Supreme Court judge said in his decision that the university should have been more open with Gerd'son.

"I would expect that the university would have advised the defendant of these charges long before they became so large," said Truscott.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Truscott ruled in his decision that after the term agreement expired, the month-to-month tenancy remained in effect, dismissing the university's bid to evict Gerd'son under the rules of the term agreement and ordering the university to pay his legal costs.

The university will now terminate Gerd'son's tenancy under the month-by-month agreement, said Kim Hart Wensley, the university's associate vice-president of faculty relations and academic administration.

. . .

Gerd'son has filed a complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Commission. A settlement conference is set for Feb. 10.

There's more at the link.

The guy hasn't been enrolled in courses since 1997 - and they let him stay in the residence regardless??? What sort of idiots run the student accommodation department at Victoria U.? They certainly seem to deserve our Doofus award. And what's with a human rights complaint? If Gerd'son gets away with that, perhaps we should all go up to the U. of V. and demand our own rooms as well!

Peter