Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy is a product of the provincial government passing Bill 132 in 2016. The Bill outlines that all Ontario universities who receive public funding are required to develop a sexual violence policy that outlines resources available to survivors, the reporting process, and requires input from the students as well as revision at least once every three years. Although Carleton University presented many drafts of the policy and consulted with both students and staff over the policy, it was evident that it was a rush for Carleton to establish a cohesive and competent sexual assault policy by the January 2017 deadline. On Dec. 1, 2016, however, the policy was presented to and passed by the Board of Governors.
In light of a Carleton student recently disclosing her assault with CBC Ottawa, the discussion is being reinvigorated and students are questioning the process in which the policy was designed.
The initial points of contention are that the policy was not survivor-centric enough and that the process for implementing accommodations was unclear. These points are coming back in full force with even more following.
In collaboration with Our Turn co-chair Kelsey Gilchrist and through research conducted by Jade Cooligan Pang and Caitlin Salvino, a consensus has been reached regarding the amendments students want to see in their policy. Students want a quantitative and definite timeline for completion of sexual assault investigations. The policy guarantees that the school will complete the investigation in a “timely manner,” but this vague language makes it difficult to hold the school accountable and denies the survivor closure.
It is also important for students that, should it be proven that sexual violence occurred, the survivor has the right to know the sanctions against the perpetrator. Currently, a survivor has the right to know the result of the investigation, but not the specific disciplinary action for the perpetrator according to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The exclusion of the survivor from this information often exacerbates commonly associated effects of sexual assault like anxiety and panic attacks.
In addition, students want to have the right to post on personal accounts or speak to media about the assault without facing repercussions or being denied a formal investigation by the university.
It is also imperative that the policy guarantees that the complainant and the accused will never have to see each other in any stage of the investigation or consultation. In an additional effort to make the policy survivor-centric, swift procedure in which the survivor will be provided with the academic accommodations they request and have a consistent mediator between student and professor regarding accommodations is crucial. Final measures include a guarantee that survivors who disclose being sexually assaulted while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs will not be held legally responsible, especially if they are under the age of 19 and the right to pursue concurrent investigations with both the police and the university.
Through recent events and public outcry, it is evident that Carleton’s sexual assault policy is failing to meet the needs of the students it is intended to protect. Our Turn, Carleton’s student coalition to combat sexual violence, was actually created in response to the controversy regarding the first draft of the policy. The fact that Carleton students require a student-led coalition to advocate for amendments is representative that the university is incapable of taking feedback and turning it into policy.
Despite only being enacted 10 months ago, I strongly believe that Carleton should revise and amend the policy now. Bill 132 explicitly states that each policy must be revised at least once every three years and I think Carleton should be proactive in implementing these amendments now. By enacting changes now, we eliminate the risk of repeating the rushed manner of the 2016 consultations and have the potential to protect more Carleton students with a more cooperative policy.
It is time for Carleton’s administration to prove that they are not protecting the institution and create a policy that is reflective of the students’ demands now.
