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The university said Hall’s pay has been reinstated because of how long the Alberta Human Rights Commission might take.

A commission spokeswoman said it could take years for a complaint to be heard by a tribunal.

I was ripped from the classroom mid-term in October and my students were deprived of the course they chose.

Susan Coombes said details of complaints are kept confidential unless they proceed to a tribunal. There are a number of ways complaints can be resolved up to that point, she added.

Hall — a tenured professor who has taught Native American studies, liberal education and globalization over his 26 years at the university — said he last week received a letter dated Dec. 19 from university president Michael Mahon informing him of the complaint.

In the letter, which Hall provided to The Canadian Press, Mahon said that aside from pay, all other terms of the suspension remain unchanged. Hall is banned from teaching or supervising students, nor can he conduct research in the name of the university, use his affiliation with the university or set foot on campus.

Hall said the complaint is a way for the administration to manoeuvre around its collective agreement with faculty.

“It represents an enormous effort to change the landscape of higher education in Canada,” he said.

“I was ripped from the classroom mid-term in October and my students were deprived of the course they chose and the professor they chose.”

Both the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association and the Canadian Association of University Teachers criticized Hall’s suspension before any official finding of wrongdoing.