Western University cancelled a scheduled orientation week performance by artist Sean Kingston Aug. 31, after it learned of a sexual assault case Kingston was facing in the U.S.
In a press release, the university along with the University Students’ Council (USC), clarified that neither were taking a stance on whether Kingston actually committed the offence, but rather that the concert would have “undermine[d] the university and the USC’s efforts to educate students that Western has zero tolerance for sexual assault.”
While many incoming students may be disappointed that Kingston will no longer perform, the university and USC were right to take a firm stance against sexual assault, and to do it swiftly.
It would have been hypocritical to let Kingston perform as planned, given the university’s claim that orientation week “is built on values of inclusivity, human rights, and safety, including sexual violence prevention.”
Last April, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) gradually distanced itself from a concert headlined by Rick Ross, who was featured in a song with lines alluding to date rape, before eventually cancelling the concert entirely.
If Western and the USC had taken CUSA’s slow approach, they would have created a cloudy image about the university’s willingness to stand against rape culture, an insult to those who are victims of sexual assault.
