Councillors at the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) meeting Jan. 26 voted to oppose a purely administration-run sexual assault centre.
The motion to oppose the administration’s centre was tabled by Sarah McCue from the Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre.
Carleton president Roseann Runte announced the creation of a new administration-run sexual assault support centre Jan. 4, but groups including the Carleton University Academic Staff Association, Graduate Students’ Association and the Coalition have publicly expressed concerns that the university ignored students’ calls for an independent, student-run facility.
Speaking to council Jan. 26, McCue asked CUSA for their official support in asking for at least a partially student-run centre.
Although McCue emphasized the Coalition will be moving forward “in good faith” with Equity Services on the plan for the administration-run centre, she said she has doubts about the amount of student involvement and the potential lack of funding for staff members for the centre.
University administration and Equity Services have maintained that the centre will offer student-centred services. Final decisions will rest with Equity Services, but an advisory group composed of students, staff and faculty will determine how the centre will be created and run.
In an ideal world, McCue said the university would fund a student-run centre; but knowing this isn’t likely, she said the Coalition’s vision is for at least a 50/50 split of decision-making power.
The centre would also include outreach, workshops and take an “active stance against rape culture on our campus as well as support survivors,” McCue said.
Debate amongst the councillors before passing the motion focused on whether their support would mean an outright reject of the administration centre, which it ultimately decided would not be the case.
Instead, McCue suggested the support letter “include something about how peer support is a better model and sort of positive things like that as opposed to negative language.”
The motion was passed with little opposition, with only special students councillor Ashley Scorpio voting against.
