McMaster, Brock make course locations private after University of Waterloo stabbings in gender-studies class

McMaster in Hamilton and Brock in St. Catharines are among the latest universities to remove classroom informationfrom their public websitesfollowing the June stabbings in a University of Waterloo gender-studies class in southern Ontario.

In August, several universities tookcourse locations and other information off their public domains following a similar move by the University of Waterloo. The stabbings sent an instructor and two students to hospital, and triggered a series of safety measures.

Brock Universitysaid in an online post on Sept. 5 that it will no longer be puttingclassroom locations on public timetables andfaculty office locations on its website.

Brock said the moves are to"enhance safety on campus," and "reflect calls from various organizations in the sector for universities to enhance the safety of students, faculty and staff studying and working in academic areas that might be targeted by hate." Registered students canaccess class locations through their personal timetables, the school said.

McMaster University saidclassroom information likeroom locations won't be made public, a move made "to promote the safety of students, faculty and staff."

It's also asking students, faculty and staff to download theMcMaster SafetyApp for emergency instructions and to stay up to date on campus closures. The school said in a news releaseit is also regularly testing its on-campus alarm system.

Instructor weighs in on changes

A former student has been charged, with attempted murder, terror and other offences, in the University of Waterloo stabbings.Waterloo's police chief described it as a"senseless act of hate."

The incident has drawn reaction and resulted in various safety enhancement measures fromuniversity communitiesacross Canada.

Margot Francis, an associate professor at Brock University's Centre for Women's and Gender Studies, said she has concerns only institutingmore security measures will lead to "the proliferation of moral panic and hate crimes."

Instead, she said, there should also be more representation and support from universities, and a "'fight back' response which ensures that trans and queer perspectives are more visible and are more solidly endorsed at all levels of the university."

Francis said it isn't rare for marginalized particularly Black, Indigenous, queer and trans staff and studentsto receive threats.

"Certainly seeing the moral panicsunfolding and increasing violence against all of our communities it's a difficult context."

Emphasis on 'strong culture of inclusion'

Susan Tighe, McMaster's provost and vice president academic, said in the school's online statements that these safety actions are important, but "a strong culture of inclusion also plays a critical part in building a welcoming and safe campus for all."

Catherine Anderson, director of McMaster'sgender and social justice program, told CBC Hamilton that while the University of Waterloo incident has created worry, concerns from faculty in her program aren't new because they're "always at risk."

"We've always been aware of that ... we choose to accept that risk because we know that the teaching we do is really important."