TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide and self-harm
The University of Alberta (U of A) issued a public apology for the 2016 eviction of a student who had been experiencing issues with self-harm.
“Self-harm is and was not a reason for exclusion from residence,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the eviction decision was reversed as soon as the Office of the Dean of Students became aware of the eviction letter. The statement also said administration reached out to the student to offer further supports.
“We support students in residence who struggle with chronic suicidal ideation, and we have processes that allow us to rapidly respond and correct our actions when an intervention is not initially appropriate,” said the statement.
According to a CBC article, the eviction was issued because the student had violated his residency agreement.
The agreement states “the resident will not endanger persons or damage property in the premises of residence.”
This was the student’s second suicide attempt in university, according to the article. For the first attempt, police took him to the hospital, and after, U of A gave him phone numbers to call if he needed help, according to the article.
In an interview conducted by CBC, Andre Costopoulos, dean of students, said a policy does not exist in which self-harm is a reason to evict a student from campus residence.
Students and alumni of the university took to the official Facebook post of the apology to express their frustration and anger.
“I’m deeply disappointed with my alma mater in this case and also with this response. It’s boilerplate. What processes have you changed? How will you ensure such a situation will not be repeated? Your students, especially those at risk, deserve more. Deserve better,” Wade Kelly, an alumnus of U of A, wrote.
Jeffrey Van Alstin, another Facebook user, addressed administration directly in his comment: “As a student and a staff member, I hope you understand how triggering this event has been to those of us that suffer from depression and have suffered from suicidal ideation.”
Eric told the CBC he does not feel safe anymore at the school.
“I just felt like I needed a safe place to stay where I could try to work this out in my head, where I can feel comfortable. They took that away from me,” Eric told the CBC.
Photo by Lauren Hicks
