Some universities and CEGEPs lagging on sexual violence policies

Several universities and CEGEPs in Montreal — including Dawson College and McGill University — have yet to adopt official policies to prevent and combat sexual violence, despite the Jan. 1 deadline set by the Quebec government. In accordance with Bill 151, passed in December 2017, all post-secondary institutions in the province were supposed to develop such a policy by the new year, and implement it no later than September 2019. Vanier College was an early adopter, announcing its new Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Policy in November. Its policy includes safety measures, mandatory training activities and a process for filing complaints, as well as psychosocial and support services for victims of sexual violence. Concordia University, for its part, adopted a policy on Dec. 12 that applies to all members of the university, “regarding incidents occurring in any setting, on or off campus or online, including where university learning, work, athletics, social or other activities take place.” But more than half of the CEGEPs in Quebec — 26 out of 48 — have still not formally adopted a policy, according to the government, which published a list of complying institutions on its website. Those that have yet to adopt a policy include Dawson College and Marianopolis. And while Concordia and Université de Montréal met the deadline, UQAM and McGill did not. Vincent Allaire, a spokesperson for McGill, said the university already has a policy against sexual violence, which was adopted in December 2016. But that policy needs to be updated, both to comply with Bill 151 and to incorporate comments from students. “We are taking into account the law, but also comments from students and our experience over the last two years,” Allaire said. One of the perceived holes in the 2016 policy is that it does not apply to the Student Society of McGill. In February 2017, David Aird, a former SSMU vice-president, was forced to resign after a group of students alleged sexual misconduct. Then last year, a number of McGill students alleged that five professors had been abusive and sexually violent. Angela Campbell, McGill’s Associate Provost, said Friday in a statement that there have been extensive consultations with the McGill community and revisions would be put to the Senate and the Board of Governors this semester.