These days, it seems you can’t walk through Carleton’s campus without seeing posters, videos, and campaigns about sexual assault awareness and prevention. Looking beyond our campus, there’s a pervasive feeling that this type of awareness has spread to other universities across North America.
But if the events of the past week at Canadian universities are considered, student unions aren’t doing nearly enough to address—and actively combat—this threat to their student population. This isn’t simply a matter of refusing to address the issue one way or another. Not taking a stance against sexual assault is taking a stance for it. Silence is compliance.
But the chants celebrating sexual assault at both Saint Mary’s and UBC, and the alleged sexual assault at York University—only days after they launched their new sexual assault awareness campaign—show that no matter what’s being done right now, it’s not enough.
National governments are entrusted to protect and care for their constituents. Student governments should be held just as responsible. Collectively, across the country and in the U.S., student governments need to take a more active and present role in ensuring that students can come to campus without fear of being harassed, triggered, or simply made to feel unsafe.
For starters, these campaigns need to extend past their frosh barrier—education needs to be constant throughout the year. When there are multiple universities that either ignore or glorify sexual assault, there’s no room to nurture, let alone educate, a future generation.
