After six years of back-and-forth between student groups and university administration, Carleton’s Sexual Assault Support Centre opened in late April, said Carrolyn Johnston, Carleton’s co-ordinator of sexual assault services.
The centre is located in 503 Robertson Hall as a part of Equity Services.
It is currently open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, though Johnston said this may change as more volunteers become available.
The space includes a small library and a quiet room for reflection and counselling, she said.
There will be an official launch and open house in September when more students are on campus, Johnston said.
She said individual counselling is currently available, and in September a peer support program will begin. The centre will also provide public education and training on sexual harassment and assault.
In 2007, the Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre was formed, advocating for a student-run, university-funded support centre, according to its co-founder Julie Lalonde.
The centre that just opened is far from this, Lalonde said via email.
“We are incredibly disappointed with the way the centre was developed and the lack of leadership for students,” Lalonde said. “It is basically a subset of Equity Services and is run by the administration. Students have no veto power and have no leadership positions.”
Lalonde stressed the importance of peer support. She said countless survivors have had successful experiences with peer support-based systems.
“There is research to back up its effectiveness and it’s what students have been consistently asking for since 2007,” she said.
Johnston said student representatives sit on the Sexual Assault Services Advisory Committee and can volunteer as peer educators and peer supporters. The centre has a meeting room that can be used free of charge by any campus group working on projects related to sexual violence, she said.
Lalonde said one of the main problems with the new centre is that it is run by the administration.
“To have spent six years telling students (and survivors) that sexual assault is not a problem on campus, and then to be charged with supporting survivors on campus, is incredibly problematic,” she said.
In 2010, Lalonde said the coalition launched the Carleton Sexual Assault Support Line, offering peer support seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. until midnight.
The call line is student-run and funded by various community groups. The coalition does not receive financial or personnel support from Carleton for the line, Lalonde said.
Despite the disappointment in the lack of student involvement with the centre, Lalonde said she is proud of the work the coalition has done over the past six years.
“We ‘moved the mark’ on discussions of sexual assault on campus,” said Lalonde. “We’re still advocating for a larger role for students in the existing centre.”
