Warning: This story discusses sexual violence, which may be triggering to some readers.
After two Instagram photos by a Mount Allison University student ignited a firestorm of protests against sexual violence across New Brunswick university campuses, St. Thomas University responded to sexual assault allegations involving the University of New Brunswick Student Health Centre.
Jeffrey Carleton, associate vice-president communications at STU, said the university was notified of allegations involving the health centre, a shared resource between STU and UNB, on Wednesday. Carleton said the first steps in approaching the situation included communicating with UNB and those involved.
“Any students who had appointments through the health centre that were upcoming or that had [been] previously scheduled were being contacted by the UNB Health Centre or Horizon Health and alternative arrangements were being made,” he said.
Some of the allegations involving the health centre were made through an Instagram account called @accountabilityatunb, which features other testimonials about sexual assault on STU and UNB campuses.
About 80 people attended a protest against sexual violence at the UNB Fredericton campus on Friday. The protest featured 10 speakers and included five anonymous testimonials that shared stories of assault on campus. There was also a protest at UNB Saint John.
The gathering at UNB followed a protest against sexual violence of about 400 people at MTA in Sackville on Thursday. It came after Michelle Roy, a fifth-year MTA student, shared two photos in her graduation cap and gown next to the university’s sign, holding posters that read “[Mount Allison] supports rapists” and “[Mount Allison] silences victims” earlier this week on Instagram.
MTA released a statement on Nov. 8 that said it is committed to hearing the voices of survivors.
“There is an ongoing need for us to listen to and understand the lived experience of survivors and a responsibility to continually review our approach to ensure all that can be done is being done,” the statement read.
The spark
Roy was sexually harassed in 2016 during her first year of university, which led to a violent physical altercation. She started speaking out after her experience and about 12 others came forward with stories about the same person.
They went to make a formal complaint, but Roy said the university used fear tactics to coerce them not to. Still, one student did and had their case go to the judicial board. Roy said the abuser was found guilty and told to leave campus. A few months later, he appealed the decision and the university allowed him to move back into residence.
Last week, a professor put Roy in contact with a first-year student whose experience reminded her of her first-year.
Roy had graduation photos the next day but knew she couldn’t take normal pictures knowing what new students were walking into when they came to MTA. She said she decided to go out with a bang. That’s when she posted the now-viral photos.
MTA released an action plan on Nov. 12. The plan included pledges to increase resources to support sexual violence prevention and response strategies, implement immediate changes to sexual assault intake and counselling services and establish a Sexual Violence Prevention Working Group at MTA. The university also promised to initiate a comprehensive third-party review of Mount Allison’s sexual violence prevention model, resources, policies and procedures.
Roy said she gave the university suggestions before it released its plan and said it took some of those recommendations into account.
“I do believe that if they actually go forward with this, there’s so much opportunity for the university to better themselves,” said Roy.
Students respond
At the protest on the UNB Fredericton campus, Miranda Murphy said she left UNB almost three years into her undergraduate degree because of the lack of consequences for her abusive ex-boyfriend. She met with the university last year with documents of her court hearing, along with ideas on how to make the campus a safer environment for herself, but nothing happened, she said. To prioritize her safety, Murphy dropped out while her abuser was able to finish his degree.
When Murphy shared her story last week, she said she was overwhelmed with positive feedback from other survivors. Some said they decided to share their stories and report their abusers because of her. Still, she wanted to do more and said Roy inspired her to organize the protest in Fredericton.
“I’m at the point in my healing journey where I feel like I want to advocate for change and I’m able to speak publicly about my experience being a survivor,” she said.
This story was co-written by Hannah Rudderham, Diana Chávez, Jasmine Gidney and Aaron Sousa with social media coverage by Hana Delaney.
This story was originally published in The Aquinian on Nov. 14, 2020.
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