Carleton’s faculty members are not sufficiently trained to support students suffering from trauma, such as mental health issues, sexual assault, or bereavement, according to Root Gorelick, the president of the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA).
Brittany Galler, a second-year law and legal studies student, said in an interview with The Charlatan that she was sexually assaulted in her residence room during the summer. She said one professor refused to accommodate her request to complete a summer course online, despite providing medical documentation.
Gorelick said professors do not receive adequate training to support students in crises.
“There is a mandatory online training [course] that faculty members are supposed to do following Bill 168 and that’s pretty much all they were required to do,” Gorelick said.
Launched in June 2010, Bill 168 is Ontario’s legislation on workplace violence and harassment which aims to protect workers from experiencing violence or harassment at work.
According to Carleton’s Environmental Health and Safety website, all Carleton employees are also obligated to complete training courses in health and safety awareness, customer service standards, information and communications and employment standards. Additional courses are available in areas such as emergency first aid, CPR, and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).
“University department heads are responsible for health and safety training programs specifically related to the work within their area of responsibility,” the website states.
Gorelick, who is also a biology professor at Carleton, said professors try to support students but don’t have professional training.
“We do it the best we can, [but we are] not mental health professionals,” he said.
Victims of assault or trauma are referred to Carleton’s Department of Equity Services in order to seek support and accommodation. According to their website, the department promotes equity, diversity and provides proactive education, training, and accommodations to students and employees who have experienced sexual assault and other forms of trauma.
According to Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer, Equity Services provides sufficient support for students who need it.
“The Equity Services staff member makes every effort to assist the person and discusses options to address or resolve the matter in a timely and supportive way,” he said in an email.
According to Reid, when a student reports an incident of sexual violence to the Department of University Safety, Equity follows up with the student to discuss the person’s needs and expectations as well as how it can help. He said accommodation methods include exam or assignment deferral, class or schedule changes, housing changes, and no-contact orders.
“There are often discussions about interim academic or employment accommodation or other measures to stabilize a situation and to protect the person from retaliation or the threat of retaliation and ensure their safety,” Reid said.
The Carleton Womyn’s Centre functions as a “peer support space–not counselling in a professional sense,” according to Harar Hall, the centre’s administrative co-ordinator.
“There’s always more that an institution can do . . . but it’s also important to recognize what’s currently being done,” she said. “Carleton faculty members and TAs can always do more training on how they can support people and there is always room for improvement.”
Photo by Aaron Hemens
