McMaster Students Union joins nationwide call to action for addressing on-campus sexual assault
The McMaster Students Union (MSU) has signed onto a nationwide call to action that demands both institutions and government work to address sexual violence on post-secondary campuses immediately.
Our Campus, Our Safety," authored by students from 20 post-secondary institutions and national organizations, recommends schools implement policies such as mandatory training in sexual violence prevention for all students, a re-examination of complaint procedures and academic accommodations for survivors.
The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) - which includes students from McMaster University - has endorsed the call to action. The plan comes nearly a year after allegations of sexual assault rocked Western University during their annual Frosh Week.
In an email to The Spectator, MSU vice-president of education Elizabeth Wong said the issue of sexual and gender-based violence on the university's campus is not new," noting that college sexual assaults most often occur in the fall term.
The MSU and OUSA have made addressing gender-based violence a policy priority for many years, and this was another opportunity to support, alongside other student leaders, this important cause," wrote Wong. This is the time to bring awareness to this issue and urge the government to take immediate action."
The calls to action also come more than a year and a half after the Ontario government said it would ban post-secondary institutions from asking students about their sexual pasts - a protection known as a rape shield" - and punishing survivors for violating their school's drug and alcohol policy.
That news came in the midst of a Spectator investigation, Whisper Network," which delved into McMaster University's handling of sexual violence on campus.
The action plan, released Monday, sets out four recommendations aimed at post-secondary institutions, four at provincial and territorial governments, and two at Ottawa.
Wong noted that sexual violence is not just a campus issue, pointing to the need for policy support by all levels of government to effectively address the problem."
Speaking to The Spectator, Lenore Lukasik-Foss, director of the sexual violence prevention and response office at Mac, said the call to action comes at a fitting time for the university, which will begin the process of reviewing its sexual violence policy this fall.
Lukasik-Foss could not say whether the student-authored plan will directly impact any changes to their guidelines, however, she did note that every single member" of the campus community will have a chance to provide comment.
We're going to be able to have that live feedback and hear what things are working, what's not working and what could be clearer," she said.
Lukasik-Foss said, when it comes to the post-secondary recommendations, several policies and programs already exist at the university. Those include campus-wide education, trauma-informed practices, as well as accessible accommodations and considerations for survivors, even if they don't file a complaint.
But, there is always work to be done," admitted Lukasik-Foss, pointing to the broader efforts to end sexual violence. And we are a part of that movement."
Welcome week plans
Lukasik-Foss said, as part of preparing for the university's welcome week, her office provided nearly 2,000 student leaders - including mentors and volunteers in residence - with training focused on areas such as bystander intervention, responding to disclosures and consent.
Outside of training, the office has had information tables set up at events, has installed around 100 lawn signs with messages about consent around campus, and opened up their drop-in hours to allow students to come by and ask questions.
Our goal is for students to really learn that we exist," she said. We want people to know that they can get support and ask questions."
Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com