Prof charged with bribing students taught at Ryerson

By Renata D’Aliesio

A college instructor who was charged after Centennial College students complained of being asked for bribes in exchange for good grades was teaching mathematics courses at Ryerson last year. 

The continuing education division confirmed the professor taught two evening courses during the 1997 spring and summer terms — mathematics1 and probability and statistics 1.

Toronto Police say at Centennial, the teacher allegedly asked students in his summer math course for money and plane tickets in exchange for an A-plus grade.

The teacher chose students who were getting poor grades and pestered them with repeated telephone calls at home, said Detective Constable Paul Chantler of 42 Division’s fraud squad.

Chantler said police began investigating the complaint in July and notified the two other academic institutions the prof had taught at, Ryerson and Seneca College, to find out if similar incidents had occurred.

“They informed us that they didn’t receive any complaints,” Chantler said.

“I figure with the press surrounding the story now, the talk will go around the schools and there’s a possibility some more students may come forward.”

Diana McLaren, executive director of the continuing education students’ association of Ryerson, said she has “no knowledge that [the instructor] did anything like this here.”

The dean of continuing education, Marilynn Booth, was not available for comment.

Omer Kefeli, 36, of Kingston Road, has been charge with three counts of soliciting a secret commission.

He is expected to appear in a Scarborough court on Oct. 13.