York University administration says it will be working with Toronto police to improve safety conditions on campus following a string of assaults.
“I am writing to you to express my deep concern that despite the significant investments and security enhancements that have been made to create a safe campus, incidents continue to occur,” Mamdouh Shoukri, president and vice-chancellor of York, said in an email sent to students Nov. 26.
“Solutions to safety issues are a longterm proposition. While I believe our efforts to date have been beneficial, it is clear that we need to collectively work together as a community and with the Toronto Police Service to create and maintain a safe environment for all,” Shoukri wrote.
A follow-up email informs students of a town hall meeting featuring Toronto police scheduled for Nov. 29 from 12-2 pm.
Students at York University have been calling for major action from the administration following four assaults at the university over the past week, as well as a history of assaults on and near campus.
On Nov. 23, a 20-year-old student at York was sexually assaulted by a man at Vari Hall, located at York’s Keele campus, according to Toronto police.
A couple hours later in a separate incident, two students were approached by two male suspects, demanding drugs for sale.
When the students informed the suspects they had none, one was struck on the head with a metal pipe.
The victim was transported by EMS to hospital, according to the security bulletins posted on York’s website.
An event posted on Facebook with over 1,000 supporters invites students to a protest on Nov. 28 at Vari Hall, the building where the female student was assaulted.
Navid Khan, a second-year biochemistry student at York who is helping organize the protest, said he doesn’t think the university has been doing enough to increase safety.
“We’re trying to aim for possible neighbourhood watches, increase [in] goSAFE where students walk with other students, increase in security, more police officers, and key card access possibly being used within a year and a half,” Khan said.
Another cause for concern is the opening of a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) station on York’s campus that is slated to start in the fall of 2016, Khan said.
“What the TTC station [does] is give random people access to our university campus. We need to enforce rules and regulations around that system,” Khan said.
Since the increase in assaults, York Security Services has increased its safety measures.
“In 2011-12, York committed approximately $10.2 million in safety and security-related expenses, an increase of $1,200,000 over the previous year,” according to a fact sheet of safety initiatives York released in November 2012.
The school increased lighting and emergency phones, hired 10 additional security personnel to augment its force of 24, and retrained all personnel, the fact sheet said.
The university also expanded the Campus Shuttle service to the Village at York Town, the community of privately owned houses immediately to the south of the Keele campus.
Despite these significant changes, some students said they still wonder whether these measures are enough.
EmilyAnne Fullerton is a fourth-year theatre student at York who takes the shuttle home to the Village. She said she has appreciated the increase in shuttle service.
However, she said she feels the university needs to provide more services to women to diminish rape culture and make the campus a more woman-friendly space.
“Why the hell am I so afraid to walk home alone at night? In the Village . . . I never see the police, they’re not patrolling,” she said.
“I see in the Village there’s a neighbourhood watch. [The school] says all these things but where’s the proof? Why do I feel unsafe, why do these things keep happening?” Fullerton said.
However, Fullerton said the university’s decision to work with Toronto police is a “great idea.”
“It’s about time. This is a strong, thoughtful and needed gesture. For once, I actually feel like York is taking matters into its own hands,” Fullerton said.
“It shows that York actually cares about the safety of the community, especially due to the fact that they are creating an open discussion with those who are directly affected by these issues.” she said.
“I just hope it can have strong results.”
