Brock sexual violence protocols remain under review

MARYANNE FIRTH

There is no summer vacation for advocates working to improve the way sexual harassment and assault complaints are handled at Brock University.

Development of a new policy dealing with sexual violence awareness, prevention and responses will continue through summer break in preparation for September’s influx of students. As will work to hire a sexual violence response and education co-ordinator, who will assist with any complaints brought forward.

Brock was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year for what many students, faculty and support staff felt was a mishandling of a sexual harassment complaint.

A former student came forward in March alleging she was told by the university to keep quiet about an internal investigation that determined a professor gave her alcohol and made sexual advances toward her late one night in his office.

Demanding change, students held a rally and faculty circulated a petition calling for improvements to Brock’s protocols related to sexual harassment and assault.

In response, the university committed to developing a survivorfocused standalone sexual violence policy, hiring a response co-ordinator and creating a human rights task force to review all relevant policies and procedures.

Strides have since been made, but there is still much work to be done, said Anna Lathrop, who chairs the school’s sexual violence prevention (SVP) committee.

“I think it’s fair to say that we needed to respond to some concerns that were identified earlier around not enough supports on campus,” she said, adding work began immediately and continues today.

The June job posting for the response co-ordinator has closed and the process is underway to shortlist candidates and begin interviews.

When the field is narrowed and only two people remain, they will meet not only with the committee, tasked with creating the sexual violence policy, but also with various stakeholders on campus, Lathrop said.

The hope is to have someone in place by late August, or Sept. 1 at the latest, “so they can get a sense of the community, the culture here … and be able to hit the ground running.”

Students, staff and faculty all provided input to develop the job posting for the new hire to ensure an appropriate candidate was chosen. Each group has representation on the hiring committee.

In all aspects of change being proposed for the university, stakeholder input is critical, said Lathrop, who also heads the human rights task force.

There was “extensive interest” from students, as well as faculty and staff, wishing to participate in the SVP committee, she said, so much so that it grew to include 68 members and was split into four sub-committees focused on education, supports, training and policy.

Several opportunities are being offered to the school community to comment on the recently-completed draft sexual violence policy. The draft is not yet available online.

In addition to being shown to senior administrators, the draft has been the topic of two studentfocused open forums held in the past month.

In August, the document is expected to be in the hands of Brock’s various unions for review before eventually going before the board of directors for approval in December.

“We want to do it right and that means it does take some time,” Lathrop said.

Universities are complex like “mini cities,” she said, and there are many diverse groups that each need to be heard.

“The more we take time to consult, the more we have buy-in from all our stakeholders and everyone feels they have ownership of the policy … When it does go before the board we’ll feel confident that everyone’s had a voice.”

The Brock Student Sexual Violence Support Centre has been actively involved in the policy’s development.

“We are happy with the outcomes we’re seeing so far,” the agency’s support services co-ordinator Ellie Donohue-Miller said. “We have noticed positive changes in the reporting process at Brock.”

While she could not comment on specifics due to confidentiality, Donohue-Miller said clients have “found the process more accessible, transparent and safe” more recently.

However, there is still much work ahead.

“Although we have seen many promising steps in the right direction, the important piece moving forward for a safer Brock will be to ensure that policies are implemented appropriately and from a survivor-centred model,” she said.

“The serious issues that came to light in March were not merely a result of poor policy, but also of inexperienced and bureaucratic first responders. We will continue to thoroughly train departments and staff at Brock to help ensure that the revised policies and procedures facilitate the empowerment and support of survivors.”

The SVP committee is also focused on education and prevention on campus, and has been working on various initiatives and training opportunities to introduce in the coming term.

Throughthesupportcentre,members of campus police have received training centred on sexual violence prevention and reporting.

A commitment has also been made by the athletics director to see all coaches and athletes receive training, in addition to senior administration this fall, Lathrop said.

The intention is to also get Brock’s unions involved, she added.

“This is an ongoing cultural commitment. This is not something that is just at the end of the summer, the beginning of fall.”

Carissa Taylor, one of a handful of students who led the demonstration at the university this spring, said several initiatives are being planned for orientation in September to bring issues of sexual violence, and the process to report incidents, to the forefront.

“What we need to focus on most is what consent looks like, because often people don’t understand what consent is and how to respect if people are saying no,” the SVP committee member said. “A lot of sexual assault occurs during the first few weeks of school during orientation, so it’s really important in the immediacy that we have those conversations and make sure we’re encouraging people to be respectful and safe in what they’re doing.”

Education strategies are being discussed to reach out to various groups of students, including young athletes, those in residence and those who shy away from large social events and may be harder to connect with.

“The more we have these types of conversations to talk about what consent looks like, the different supports available if you have experienced sexual violence, the better we’ll be able to respond as a community,” Taylor said, adding those talks need to continue throughout the year.

“We also need to get better training for administrators. I think the way they dealt with things was really problematic and we need to make sure they understand going forward what sexual assault is, what sexual violence is, what rape culture is and why campuses are often places where this happens so much more frequently than other places.”

While the culture on campus is far from perfected, Taylor said she’s glad discussions have been started and that a dedicated group of advocates have come together on campus to ensure change occurs.

“I’m encouraged to see that steps are being taken, but am I satisfied? No,” Taylor said. “I think there’s a lot more to be done.”

She’s hopeful further action will be taken when incoming president Wendy Cukier takes the reins in September.

“We’re hoping that she’ll bring a different understanding to the issue and a different kind of empathy for people who’ve experienced this.”

Jack Lightstone wrapped his decade-long reign as Brock’s president at the end of June. Cukier will begin her tenure Sept. 1.

Lathrop stressed the work of the SVP committee will not end with the new policy’s completion.

“There will be ongoing work that will continue moving forward as we build a culture of prevention around sexual violence,” she said. “That has to be an ongoing commitment and it will be.”

The human rights task force, established to improve and advance human rights at Brock through changes to policies, processes, services and supports, had its first meeting July 7.

The groups will submit recommendations for change to Cukier by December.

“We have an aggressive agenda,” Lathrop said. “It’s an indication that we’re not letting this slide over the summer months. I feel very strongly about that.”