Dalhousie dentistry student from controversial Facebook group comes forward

WATCH: One of the 13 Dalhousie dentistry students involved in the Facebook controversy has spoken out against his fellow classmates. Ross Lord has the story.

HALIFAX – One of the Dalhousie University dentistry students who was a member of a controversial Facebook group has come forward.

In a video interview posted Sunday on the website of the Chronicle Herald newspaper in Halifax, Ryan Millet explained why he blew the whistle on his fellow classmates.

He said there were “foolish, boyish” posts, but nothing as offensive as the violent and misogynistic posts from the “DDS Gentlemen’s Club” Facebook group publicized in December that led to the university to suspend Millet and 12 other fourth-year dentistry students from clinical activities.

READ MORE: Dalhousie students in Facebook scandal won’t attend classes with classmates

“The extreme inappropriateness and disturbing nature of the specific ‘hate post’ that eventually came out — there was nothing of that insane level that caught my eye,” he said in the video, which was recorded as he sat next to his lawyer, Bruce MacIntosh.

Millet, 29, said he was added to the group, which was created in 2011, and had previously reported posts directly to Facebook to have them removed.

Some have pushed for an external investigation into the scandal, while an academic and professional standards committee will review the clinical suspensions handed out to the students.

Following a senate meeting Monday afternoon that was not open to the public, Dalhousie president Richard Florizone said the university is now considering having an external presence on the committee for each of the hearings for the dentistry students.

Dalhousie Student Union vice-president Jacqueline Skiptunis said the closed-door nature of the senate meeting was unprofessional and showed the university was lacking transparency.

The students have been permitted to attend classes remotely, but cannot graduate without sufficient clinical hours.

MacIntosh told Global News in an email that his client would not be speaking to the media until after a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night, where Millet will share his side of the story with the university. He said Millet had made a decision to focus on his studies and preparation for the hearing.

In a separate three-page public letter, MacIntosh said Millet wants to clear his name and move on with his career. He said Millet and his classmates have been “publicly pilloried and secretly convicted, without due process or the right to be heard.”

Read the full letter sent to Global News from Ryan Millet’s lawyer:

He said Millet left the Facebook group after a “repugnant hate ballot” was posted and gave a female friend access to his account in order to collect evidence for a complaint.

In a public letter of apology Millet wrote dated Dec. 18, 2014, he explains how “eternally sorry” he is to the alleged victims, who “deserve far more respect.” To the members of the “DDS Gentlemen’s Club” Facebook group, Millet wrote he apologizes “for not stepping in sooner and stopping this.”

Read Ryan Millet’s apology letter:

READ MORE: Restorative justice: Will it work in the Dalhousie Facebook scandal?

The newspaper story stated Millet was the only one of the 13 accused students to opt out of the university’s restorative justice process. Some female students had previously come forward and said they felt the university had forced them into the process, which was discouraging them from pursuing a formal complaint.

A formal complaint filed by four professors was rejected by the university on the grounds that a restorative justice process was being pursued.

Halifax Regional Police said last week they had received material from Dalhousie pertaining to the Facebook group and found no reason to launch a criminal investigation into the matter.

With files from Marieke Walsh, Global News