Fighting sexual violence at Mcgill
Content warning: sexual assault
April 2012
Three R* dmen players are formally charged with sexual assault and forced confinement. They are not detained, remain enrolled at Mcgill, and continue to play football for the university.
March 16, 2017
A new SSMU executive team is elected, composed of six women and one man (as opposed to the previous team, which contained only one woman). Many of the candidates ran on platforms of increased transparency and accountability within the executive, and promised to fight gendered and sexual violence.
March 9, 2017
SSMU President Ben Ger resigns amid allegations of gendered violence. Criticism regarding endemic rape culture within SSMU intensifies.
February 22, 2017
SSMU VP External David Aird resigns amid allegations of sexual violence. A public outcry follows, during which SSMU is widely criticized.
November 23, 2016
After collecting public feedback throughout the fall, Mcgill’s Draft Policy on Sexual Violence is brought to Senate for approval. It passes unanimously.
November 2013
The case of the R*dmen players come to light at Mcgill, and a substantial outcry follows. The administration initially claims ignorance of the charges, then admits prior knowledge. A student working group begins working to draft a Sexual Assault Policy for Mcgill since the university does not yet have one.
September 12, 2016
Mcgill releases its Draft Policy on Sexual Violence, put together over the summer by members of the administration in discussion with student and staff representatives, including input from external groups specializing in this field. Responses are mixed, with many criticising the draft policy for failing to provide full protection and support for students.
February 6, 2014
Representatives of several student groups, including SSMU, propose a roadmap to addressing campus rape culture. Their recommendations include a “comprehensive, accessible, pro- survivor Sexual Assault
August 2014
Training for frosh and OAP staff updated to include bystander training with an emphasis on the role alcohol can play in incidents of sexual violence.
August 26, 2016
A chapter of Silence is Violence opens at Mcgill. In contrast to other groups and organizations, SIV are a survivor-led collective who aim to tackle campus rape culture, and the institutional obstacles that further harm those who have experienced sexual violence.
September 24, 2014
Luis-andres Guimont- Mota, another R*dmen football player, is suspended from the team because he is facing charges of domestic assault against his wife. It subsequently emerges that he had a prior record of such violence, but was allowed to play for Mcgill anyway. Facing a renewed outcry, Mcgill commits to revising the criteria for participation in varsity sports.
October 20, 2014
The first annual #Consentmcgill campaign is launched through the Dean of Students’ office.
February 17, 2016
After more than two years of careful research and consultation, the student working group releases the final draft of its proposed Sexual Assault Policy. It is praised by many campus groups for being thorough, intersectional, and supportive of survivors. The draft policy is submitted to Mcgill for review.
March 22, 2016
Mcgill informs the working group that their draft policy will not be submitted to Senate for approval, despite previous assurances of institutional support. April 2016 The working group decries what they see as an abrupt aboutface from Mcgill, publishing an open letter which garners 1500 signatures. Following this, students stage demonstrations on campus to express their disappointment in the administration’s inaction, and their support for the studentdrafted policy.