Hate Crimes on Campus Prompt a Public Forum

In response to the recent crimes on campus targeting women, a public forum on hate and misogyny was held in the Student Life Centre on Friday, February 18th from 12-2 pm. This forum brought together many campus leaders and community members to discuss the crimes, the administration’s response to them, and steps forward in preventing these actions from recurring.

The forum consisted of an hour of discussion from a panel of university representatives and community members. This included Bud Walker, Associate Provost of Student Services, Police Services Director Dan Anderson, two representatives from the Women’s Centre, a faculty representative, and two representatives from the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault Support Centre. Shannon Dea, faculty representative and member of the Status of Women and Gender Equality Committee urged students to take the incident seriously rather than dismiss it as a trivial prank, a sentiment that was shared by the rest of the panel.

Campus police are currently investigating the incident concerning discriminating posters being placed over top of those advertising the campaigns of women running for positions in the FEDS election. These actions are considered a breach of Policy 33, which ensures an environment of tolerance and respect for all students on campus, and as a mischief under the criminal code. The police are urging anyone with information regarding these crimes to come forward. The posters have been collected for forensic evidence and surveillance videos are currently being reviewed.

The university’s Campus Diversity Committee has been working for the past six months on addressing diversity issues including gender equality. This committee is working towards an “umbrella approach” of dealing with all diversity issues, rather than singling them out individually, says Associate Provost Bud Walker. Walker also warned students to be aware that not everyone may be sympathetic to this issue, and that services like the Women’s Centre are there to help students stay away from putting themselves in compromising positions. The university provides services, such as Counselling Services, to liaise between parties on issues such as gender equality.

It was made clear during the question period following the forum that many female students do not feel safe on campus and are looking to the administration and campus police to address these issues. The current climate of fear on campus caused both the Women’s Centre and GLOW to close their doors last week due to safety concerns. Volunteers at both centres are still very active, however, and urge those in need to make contact via email for assistance or guidance. They feel it is important for the student body to know that volunteers are still available even when the centre is closed.

Ashling Ligate, representative from the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, recommends that students who have been angered by this incident deal with these emotions by becoming involved with the centre as a volunteer by visiting www.sascwr.org. The centre offers support to victims of sexual and domestic violence, as well as running educational activities and the annual Take Back the Night march. The organization Male Allies Against Sexual Violence, which is associated with the Sexual Assault Support Centre, also offers volunteer opportunities.

As of Wednesday morning, another picture depicting Marie Curie and a man with an insert of an exploding atomic bomb and the slogan “This is Eve leading Adam to the forbidden apple of our age. Can you now see how women leading men is a patently bad idea? Without sexism we will lose the entire planet!” was sent to the facebook accounts of many people on the University of Waterloo network. Police Services has been informed, and the investigation is ongoing.