Over 18,000 sign petition asking U of C to expel convicted sex offender

The University of Calgary is under pressure to expel a convicted sex offender who was allowed to finish his semester of studies prior to serving his sentence.

A petition calling on the school to remove ConnorNeurauter, who was sentenced to three months in jail for sexual interference with a 13-year-old Kamloops girl,has more than 18,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

"In a egregious move by the courts, his sentencehas been postponed until May so Neurauter can finish this semester at the University of Calgary," reads the petition.

"I and those who sign this petition, implorethe University to take a stand against sexual violence and expelConnor Neurauter from school for violating the University of Calgary's Sexual Violence Policy," it concludes.

• Mother of 13-year-old victim wants convicted sex offender expelled from University of Calgary

The school's policy on sexual violence says students and staff "alleged to have perpetrated sexual violence may be subject to the University's administrative processes and discipline systems in addition to the civil or criminal legal system."

The U of C released a statement saying it was recently made aware of the situation.

"The university is reviewing the situation.We can confirm that Neurauter is not on the university campus this week. We will provide further information when it is available."

The statement goes on to say that beyond its sexual violence and harassment policies, it also has "extensive support services" for those who wish to access them.

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