Ryerson, Acadia University statements on CBC's campus sexual assaults report

These statements were sent from Canadian universities concerning the CBC NewsFeb. 9 campus sexual assaults report, and have been published verbatim.

• Campus sexual assaults report
• Campus sexual assaults study methodology

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

TheAssociation of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) issued this statement on behalf of its members in response to the CBC News report:

Canadas universities take the issue of sexual assault on campus seriously, and are working to ensure campuses are safe for all students.

But news reports that take aim at universities that have higher numbers of reported assaults are misleading and dangerous, says the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

While some aspects of the reports by CBC today on campus sexual assault were put into context, the overall tone suggested that universities with high levels of reported assaults were in the wrong. But as CBCs own details on its methodology point out, the results cannot be interpreted as a scorecard, and institutions differ in how they gather and report data.

Moreover, by inflating rates by 10,000 students, CBC overstates the incidence of sexual assault on campuses.

Issues surrounding sexual assault are a challenge not just for universities but for the broader Canadian society. Of particular concern is finding ways so that more victims can be encouraged to come forward and report assaults an area universities have been working to improve.

AUCCs 97 members are deeply committed to providing students, faculty and staff with a safe, supportive and respectful environment in which to learn, work and interact with others.

They are equally deeply committed to evidence, fairness and due process.

Universities and their regional/provincial associations are at the forefront in society in developing information about sexual assault, strategies to make their communities safer, and resources to support students who have been the victim of assaults. While we welcome conversations that provide greater understanding and information on sexual assault and safety on campus, AUCC urges that such reports, both in tone and content, be reported and understood with appropriate evidence and accuracy.

Ryerson University

"When it comes to sexual assault, any number above zero is unacceptable. Ryerson is strongly committed to making our university a place where we can all feel, and be, safe.

"We believe an informed community is a safer community. There are multiple places within Ryerson that a community member who has experienced sexual assault can disclose what has happened to them: Counselling, Security, Human Resource, Office of Student Conduct, Office of the Vice-Provost Students, Housing, Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services, and more. Reporting to anyone else on campus will result in a referral and will trigger a team coming together to develop a support plan including advice, counselling, and referrals appropriate to the situation.

"Regarding the data, unfortunately, there is little consistency in how Canadian post-secondary institutions collect and report sexual assault data. At Ryerson, we use the Criminal Code definition - which is a continuum starting with unwanted touching. We also collect data that includes non-community members reporting incidents that have happened within our precinct, which extends over a large area of downtown Toronto. In light of these inconsistencies in data collection and reporting across Ontario, universities are working together to developing common definition and data. We believe it's important to have clear, consistent, comparable information to better address this very important issue."

Acadia University

Inter-institutional comparisons have little meaning since each individual campus has its own unique set of circumstances including the size of the community in which it is located and the variances inherent in reporting requirements. There is no standardized method of capturing data, no standard definition of sexual assault for reporting purposes and no standard reporting relationships between investigative bodies such as police forces and campus security personnel. The CBC has chosen to ignore the flaws inherent in its research in an effort to present comparative data with no relevance to many of the universities in its survey sample. Presenting comparative data on a per 10,000 student basis has no relevance for a university campus with only 3,500 full time students unless it is a deliberate effort by reporters to sensationalize an otherwise extraordinarily important and complex issue.

Acadia University, because of its size, has been able to work diligently with its student services staff, students union, and local police force to educate students about the need to come forward to report instances of sexual assault. We havelowered the bar for reporting of any behaviour that relates to sexual assault (including touching), therefore we count a broad range of behaviour in our reporting.

We have made an impact and provide an environment in which students are very comfortable doing so. We feel it is important to encourage victims to come forward to ensure they receive the proper support and counselling and to allow the university or RCMP to take action that will lead to a safer community. Punishing institutions forincluding incidents that fall under a broad definition will ultimately create a chilly climate for young women to come forward with complaints counter-productive to changing the very culture that CBC is reporting on.

The under reporting of sexual assaults is a significant issue across Canada at post-secondary institutions and in society in general. We know that there is much work still to do, but are pleased that our efforts are having an impact and that we have a campus community where students are starting to trust our commitment and welcome efforts to ensure that sexual assault is addressed. Acadia is a close-knit university community where people tend look out for each other and want everyone to feel safe and supported.

Student Services and the Department of Safety and Security work collaboratively to ensure thorough responses happen, including investigation and reporting. Our efforts include the regular promotion of resources in electronic and print formats as well as classroom presentations to identify options available and how various processes work. Faculty members have also initiated class related projects to create discussion and feedback from our students about the best ways we can support a community that takes this issue seriously. We encourage the reporting of all incidents that fit the criteria of assault.