St. Thomas University (STU) has released new policies on sexual violence following a report of sexual assault during the first two weeks of the new school semester.
Developed in partnership with the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, the new policy on sexual violence “is intended to provide a unified approach to primarily prevent and, where it occurs, to address incidents of sexual violence,” according to the document.
The policy includes sections detailing the university’s obligations as they relate to confidentiality, prevention, education, and support surrounding sexual violence. The policy also details a list of rights to which students who have experienced sexual violence are entitled.
“We had brought in a student code of conduct in 2012, and since that time it became apparent to us that the aspects dealing with sexual violence were not developed enough,” said Jeffrey Carleton, the director of media relations at STU.
“We had to take a step back and state our expectations for student behaviour and also outline what conduct is prohibited, what the reporting procedures are, what the hearing processes are, what the sanctions could be, and what the appeal process is,” he said.
Carleton also said the newly developed sexual violence policy at STU is the first stand-alone university policy in New Brunswick, and one of the first in the country as a whole.
Aside from updating response protocol, STU’s new sexual violence policy emphasizes sexual assault prevention and education. During Welcome Week, over 200 student leaders and staff took part in a bystander training program which will be made available to all students later in the academic year.
“We’re looking at it as an opportunity where you have a lot of young people arriving at the same time. They’re new to an environment and a new climate and it’s important to educate them on the risks,” said Lorraine Whalley, the director of the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre.
Megan Thomson, president of St. Thomas University’s Students’ Union, said it works closely with residence to create a safe campus environment.
Thomson said the union did not have an influence on helping develop policies, but did play a role in advocating for its existence.
“This policy is not only inclusive when it comes to administrative details,” Thomson said, “but it also uses language and procedure accessible to the average student.”
