Carleton profs want say on sexual violence policy
More than 20 Carleton University professors signed a letter to the university’s president this spring, expressing concern that its sexual violence prevention policy could “embarrass” the university unless the process was improved.
In the May 6 email to Roseann O’Reilly Runte, 23 faculty members in the department of sociology and anthropology said they had been kept in the dark about the process and were not offered an opportunity to contribute, even though many academics have relevant expertise.
“We have received no information through Carleton University channels about the process itself, or about who is involved in the policy development,” said the email, acquired though a freedom-ofinformation request. “Nor have we been informed about how or when the views of the wider Carleton community will be solicited, or received information about how those broader community views will influence the development of the policy. In sum, the process has not been transparent, accountable or genuinely collaborative.”
The email added: “It is shocking to us that in our own university there should be a policy process in operation that is so poorly conceived, exclusionary, and does not attempt to properly mobilize the considerable expertise and experience on campus.”
Zoe Todd, an assistant professor who is one of the signatories of the email, said in an interview that professors work with students who are dealing with the trauma of sexual violence.
“I am really interested in knowing that my students have supports in place,” Todd said. “I wanted to show solidarity with students involved in the process. I wanted my students to see that I took the issues seriously.”
Dawn Moore, an associate professor in the department of law and legal studies, said that department also sent a letter to Runte. Members of the department agreed unanimously to make their concerns known, she said.
Under provincial law, all universities must produce a policy by next January. Many universities, including the University of Ottawa, have already finalized their policies.
But at Carleton, the process has been tumultuous, and whether or not the term “rape culture” should be used in the preamble of the policy has divided the campus.
The term, used by feminists since the 1970s, refers to a society in which sexual violence is pervasive and normalized. The term does not appear in the University of Ottawa document.
Carleton intended to produce its draft policy in the fall of 2015. In June 2015, consultant Joan Riggs, a founding partner of Catalyst Research and Communications, was hired to facilitate the process.
At a meeting on March 23, 2016, tension grew as survivors of sexual assault, outreach workers and their supporters urged the university to acknowledge that rape culture exists on campus and to include the term in the policy, as Ryerson University did last year. Some school officials disagreed.
The tension increased after some administrators did not attend an April 11 meeting, citing obligations on and off campus. Later meetings were cancelled, with the administration citing the end of semester, approaching exams and information about new requirements issued by the provincial government. Riggs resigned on May 16. In an email to the university community sent Tuesday, O’Reilly Runte said there has been “initial progress,” but with the new requirements and summer holidays, “it was appropriate to pause, reflect on the current state of our policy, and look at what was being done at other institutions.”
Suzanne Blanchard, the university’s vice-president, students and enrolment, will now oversee the process, and there will be a number of focus groups in the coming weeks, O’Reilly Runte said.
Moore, who will be returning to her role as equity chair of the 850-member Carleton University Academic Staff Association in September, said she has concerns after seeing a new draft of the policy.
The language in the draft is decidedly softer and does not include the term rape culture, Moore said. There is also vague language around punishment of unfounded complaints.
It was appropriate to pause, reflect on the current state of our policy, and look at what was being done at other institutions.
Rape culture needs to be in the document as a signal that the university is intent on systemic change, she said.
“Rape is an act of interpersonal violence. And it’s an expression of misogyny. If we treat rape as an individual problem, we get nowhere in terms of systemic change,” she said.
“We need to recognize that it is a systemic feature of our culture. It doesn’t mean that all men are rapists.”
Ryerson University had no problem incorporating the term, Moore said. But she noted that other universities are mired in the same debate as Carleton.
“I’m lobbying for my institution to raise the bar, not scramble to meet it.”
In a statement, Carleton said it is “committed to working with all faculty, staff and students and is currently doing so. Meetings are ongoing and will continue in the coming weeks. After taking a brief break to review the government regulations and to allow for summer holidays, we are actively working with everyone on campus.”
Lauren Montgomery, chair of the women’s caucus of CUPE 4600, said the union, which represents teaching assistants and contract instructors, has asked when it would meet with university officials, but it hasn’t heard back yet.
The policy will need to be passed by the board of governors. The last opportunity for that will be in November, she said.
“They need to pass something by November. If they don’t consult with us now, it might not happen in a meaningful way. We just want to be consulted.”
Todd says she is cautiously optimistic that the university can produce an effective policy.
“It’s really important that Carleton does this right,” she said. “The risk is that if we get hung up on particularities, we lose the bigger struggle.”