By Rebecca Abelson

Discussions around campus safety have permeated the agendas of several of the McMaster Students Union presidential platforms. Shaarujaa Nadarajah, Patricia Kousoulas and Aquino Inigo are the three out of six candidates who have proposed various avenues to implement newfound security practices. These efforts have both yearlong and exam-time applications.

A nightly shuttle bus service is one of the more notable programs put forth. All three candidates propose a shuttle bus service that will transport students during late exam hours to their respective neighbourhoods. This will act as an extension of the Student Walk Home Attendant Team, which currently operates from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. every day by providing students with a safe, reliable form of transportation after hours. Nadarajah’s platform discusses campus safety in tandem with the prevention of sexual violence, and the implementation of the shuttle service is rightly considered.

Under Kousoulas’s platform point of “Feeling Well,” she highlights the importance of providing extra support to students during exam time. The shuttle bus proposition complements her objectives by alleviating the fears associated with late nights on campus.

In doing so, students would be able to avoid long waits at distant bus stops, cold walks home and unwanted catcalling. The shuttle system is a feasible on-campus resource that can be used to improve the academic and personal well-being of McMaster students.

In a similar vein, Inigo’s platform also proposes a call-in service where students can contact a volunteer to accompany them on the phone during their walks home. Like the shuttle bus, this call-in service acts as an extension of SWHAT by allowing students to have contact with a trained volunteer during the later hours of the night. Expanding familiar campus services is an excellent way to incorporate students into new security initiatives.

McMaster students must be able to rely on their university and the support it provides.

In addition, the propositions put forth also tend to the security of the volunteers by creating additional avenues for safe commutes. In the case of the shuttle bus program, SWHAT volunteers would be able to use the service after late nights spent serving McMaster students.

Increased lighting in poorly lit student neighbourhoods is another focal point of Inigo’s platform. By working with Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson and SWHAT, student neighbourhoods lacking sufficient lighting are promised to be identified and made more visible. This would contribute to feelings of safety and security among the student-body.

From the initiatives explored, it becomes apparent that all three candidates emphasize the value of harm prevention. Through the implementation of bus services, call-in programs and brighter neighbourhoods, the presidential candidates aim to reduce the likelihood of assault by taking preventative action. These activities exemplify the active pursuit of MSU candidates in eliminating widespread issues within university campuses.

As an off-campus student, I’d argue that on and off-campus security should continue to be at the forefront of presidential campaigns. Since most students live off campus, it is integral that their safety needs are not overlooked. The route home should not burden on and off campus students, nor should it deter students from late nights at the library.

McMaster University is the home away from home for a multitude of diverse students. The responsibility to uphold their well-being should not end where the campus perimeters are drawn.

These obligations must be extended to students in their commute home, to school and while on campus. Moreover, the pertinence of on and off-campus safety measures in the 2017 MSU presidential campaigns reiterates the value student well-being poses to the McMaster Students Union.

McMaster students must be able to rely on their university and the support it provides. Shaarujaa Nadarajah, Patricia Kousoulas and Aquino Inigo have done an effective job in raising awareness of prominent and relevant safety concerns and should encourage other presidential candidates to follow suit.

Devra Charney/ The Silhouette

On Friday March 8, the global community celebrated International Women’s Day. The 2013 theme focused on promoting gender equality in a modern progressive world.

On campus, McMaster hosted multidisciplinary activist and educator Kim Crosby. Her workshop on anti-racism as well as her keynote address were much-anticipated events for a number of students and community members.

Emilee Guevara, member of Feminist Alliance McMaster (FAM), was pleased to see McMaster bring Crosby and the values that she represents to campus, hoping for similar speakers in the future.

“This event was awesome to have Kim here speaking. International Women’s Day is to talk about women, but it’s to talk about issues that affect all women, so that’s where her theme of intersectionality is really important… I hope that events like this can continue every year and in every space, not just on specific days.”

FAM endeavours to make sure campus remains accessible throughout the year for students looking to connect and align with other feminists in a safe environment. Guevara added that FAM’s activism also extends off campus to related community events where members can meet up and attend as a group.

“Women and men have joined together to go to certain events, like Take Back the Night, like the SlutWalk, celebrate International Women’s Day… hopefully making connections for women who have felt either silenced, objectified, sexualized, who have experienced rape and harassment and sexual assault – realities in the lives of women everywhere.”

And in an effort to address the issue of violence against women in a McMaster context, The Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton & Area (SACHA) and YWCA Hamilton have partnered together for the It’s Time to End Violence Against Women on Campus project funded by Status of Women Canada.

Project coordinator and Mac alum Alicia Ali said that McMaster currently lacks specific guidelines on dealing with violence against women on campus.

“The project is split into two phases – information gathering and outcome,” she explained. “The information-gathering phase includes surveys and focus groups to identify current gaps, priorities, resources, opportunities, and strengths around the issue of violence against women on campus.”

Students are invited to attend sessions as part of a Safety Audit scheduled for March 18and 19 so that they can provide feedback on safety around campus. A campus walk-about will also allow students to point out specific problem areas and voice their concerns about unsafe parts of campus after dark.

“The second phase of the project includes a campus wide awareness campaign, events on campus, and a campus community protocol in how the university responds to instances of violence against women,” said Ali.

“We hope to explore the possibility of introducing a gender-based analysis to all policy development at the university.”

The project coordinators and advisory committee will provide the University with a list of recommendations after a two-year period on how to increase safety for women as well as involve the campus community in a more informed approach to dealing with the culture of violence against women.

Trigger warning: This story examines women’s experiences with sexual assault and how women are advocating for a safer environment for students. Names have been changed or abbreviated in order to protect student privacy.

Some experiences simply can’t be understood by looking at the stats.

Statistics Canada (2004) estimates that less than one out of 10 sexual assaults will come to the attention of the police and overall, actual victimization is much higher than official statistics.

In 2012, McMaster Campus Security reported three sexual assaults, but if national statistics are any indication, this number could be a gross underestimate of the total number of sexual assaults experienced by Mac students.

The Silhouette spoke with several individuals associated with advocacy efforts, as well as survivors of sexual assault. Their stories reflected how sexual assault is largely unacknowledged among students and the university community.

A., a woman involved with social justice on campus, explained how her own peer group saw rape as something that happens and should be addressed. But she explained attitudes among the general student body varied: “people are horrified by rape and sexual assault. But no one wants to label it. And it something that needs to be spoken about but isn’t.”

While events like SlutWalk have tried to build mainstream awareness about “slut shaming” and victim-blaming, students often still face an alienating and stigmatizing environment on campus among their peers.

Survivors interviewed reported that rape jokes were prevalent in their peer groups and that they would commonly be accused of exaggerating their experience or told that it “wasn’t a big deal” or that they were “just drunk.”

Sarah, a sexual assault survivor, emphasized how common victim blaming is among students.

“Questions such as, ‘why was she walking home alone in the first place?’, ‘was she drunk? ‘ or ‘was she wearing a skanky outfit?’ come to mind immediately. Victim blaming is never okay and it’s very hurtful for me to hear comments like that.”

Others suggested that the stigma has been perpetuated in the reporting process and discrimination occurs through the entire legal system.

A. explained how criminal law unfairly classifies sexual assault by levels. These levels place unequivocal emphasis on certain types of assault while negating others.

“I haven’t yet seen an approach within the law that is appropriate. It’s a hierarchy of hurt. Being raped isn’t a simple thing, [it’s not something] you can put levels on. [Categorization] doesn’t put emphasis on a lifetime of pain.”

Similarly, Sarah expressed her disgust at how the legal system approached survivors and their experiences.

“One of the big problems is that when an officer is dealing with sexual assault they tend to ask questions such as, ‘were you drunk?’, ‘did you make advances on your own?’ and ‘did you say no clearly’, which lead to the victim feeling like they themselves are on the stand for the crime. That is not okay.”

Jyssika, QSCC Co-ordinator, also described how security concerns remain a huge issue on campus.

“We have measures in place like SWHAT and the red emergency posts on campus. But places where we’re most susceptible, like coming out of labs at night or secluded spaces in the library, we have nothing.”

While the people interviewed spoke from different perspectives, they all concluded that access to resources remains limited for students.

Sarah described how she did not seek help for one of her assaults because she feared being judged and as a result became depressed and has a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

“As a survivor I know what it feel like to feel unsafe going to a regular health centre, so I 100 per cent support a woman and trans* centre on campus.”

Jyssika described how QSCC operated one of the few consistent “safe spaces” on campus.  She emphasized how a safe space for anyone who has experienced sexual violence would provide a specific and much needed forum for outreach and a channel to connect survivors with resources.

“To the young men of the McMaster community: We do not think that every single one of you are out there to sexually assault us but there is absolutely no way for us to tell the difference when we first meet you. So next time a female doesn’t respond to your ‘Hello’ on the street, especially after dark, instead of calling her a ‘bitch’ or saying she is rude, take into account that she does have the right to not say anything to you if she doesn’t want to,” concluded Sarah.

While survivor’s stories remain only partially told, a willingness and commitment to open up campus dialogue seems apparent.