Campus Sexual Violence Support and Prevention Offices, Part 4/4: Atlantic Edition
Written by: Rebecca Akong
Please note that the information provided in the guide is current as of December 2020.
Sexual violence (“SV”) is both an individual and a community-based issue. It can involve one survivor and one perpetrator, or multiples of each; it can also affect those involved in the lives of survivors, from family and friends to colleagues and professors. For this reason, we wish to compile a list of resources by region (specifically the Atlantic provinces in this post) to help those affected by sexual violence find support when and where they need it.
We also recognize that those affected by sexual violence may not be sure if they’re ready to seek support right away. For this reason, we hope that this short resource will help them gain familiarity with each Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Office’s (CSVPO) objectives and approach, as these factors may assist those requiring support in deciding whether the consultation of a CSVPO is right for them.
Even if you are not currently affected by issues of sexual violence, the below CSVPOs can also provide information that promotes a greater sense of allyship to survivors and can help you be a more informed and empowered member of your post-secondary institution’s (PSI) community. We encourage you to check out the resources relevant to your region for these reasons and more!
Maritimes
Nova Scotia
What You Should Know: In Nova Scotia, work has been ongoing to address campus sexualized violence (led by survivors and communities) for decades, and has been formally supported by various government departments (community services and labor and advanced education specifically) since 2015 when the provincial sexual violence strategy was launched. The Government of Nova Scotia was encouraged by advocates in the area to develop and implement a comprehensive response to SV, and it has taken steps to do so. The committee established by this partnership seeks, inter alia, to prevent and spread awareness of SV, facilitate professional education and training, provide intervention services and engage in policy development, research, and the evaluation of actions taken under the framework to realize further improvements in the area. In 2017, the report "Changing the Culture of Acceptance" was released which included 10 recommendations and a mandate for each institution to develop a stand-alone sexual assault policy to prevent and respond to SV on each campus. Representatives from the community, survivor groups, student groups, government departments, and institutions have been implementing and monitoring this work since.
Supports to the campus community are offered by way of a Sexualized Violence Policy and a Sexualized Violence Response and Education Coordinator, to whom all formal disclosures are encouraged (but not required) to be made. However, these resources do not appear to be related to a formal CSVSPO.
Per AST’s Policy, Procedures & Protocols for Management of Sexual Violence, they have developed a Sexual Assault Response Team, which includes members of administration and residence advisors. Those affected by SV are encouraged to bring their concerns or experiences to the attention of the SART team members. However, AST does not have a Sexual Assault Case Manager or a formal CSVSPO, and will, where necessary, seek the guidance of a specialised professional through Saint Mary’s University.
CBU does not appear to have a formal CSVSPO or response team but does have an SVP including guidelines on the PSI’s response to SV. The support resources included on the PSI’s website direct users to campus security and student counselling services, while the reporting options contained in the SVP direct community members to report via Student Services or the Department of Human Resources, depending on the circumstances of the SV they experienced.
Dalhousie does not have a formal CSVSPO, but does have a SVP, which is administered by Human Rights & Equity Services and its Sexualized Violence Advisor, to whom disclosures are encouraged to be made. Insofar as supports and resources, community members are directed to security services, the Employee & Family Assistance Program, the student Health & Wellness Centre, and the Dalhousie Student Union Survivor Support Centre and Sexual Assault and Harassment Phone Line.
Mount Saint Vincent University
While MSVU has no formal CSVSPO, it encourages community members to seek help via MSVU Health Services, Counselling Services and its Harassment and Discrimination Advisor, employees of which are trained in SV response. Those who consult these resources are not required to make formal reports but may benefit from on-campus support with respect to safety planning, counselling, medical support and academic or residence-related arrangements or accommodations.
NSCAD has an SVP, but does not have a CSVSPO. However, it does take telephone-based counseling inquiries at 494-8260 (telephone number at the time of publishing). Where a survivor seeks to disclose an instance of SV, disclosures are to be made to the Director of Human Resources (for faculty or staff) or the Vice-President Academic and Research (for students).
NSCC does not have a CSVSPO. Rather, it encourages community members to seek support by speaking to an NSCC counsellor, noting that appointments may be booked through Student Services. Where reports of SV are made, the PSI establishes a Sexual Violence Response Team to oversee the PSI’s overall response to the report, advise on supports that may be required by the survivor and determine if and when to commence an investigation of the incident.
SMU does not have a formal CSVSPO but encourages community members to reach out to the Sexual Violence Case Manager via Student Health Services to make a disclosure. Institutional response to the disclosure will, naturally, depend on the wishes of the survivor. For immediate assistance, the PSI suggests that community members contact Security Services and/or the police.
While StFX does not have a CSVSPO, it does have a Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Advocate who is available to all members of the StFX community during regular business hours and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), who is available at all times by telephone. Moreover, community members are encouraged to consult StFX Health and Counselling for physical and emotional support.
The province’s only French-language PSI has a SVP, but no formal CSVSPO, committee or team providing SV-related support. Its SVP encourages those seeking to make an informal disclosure to contact counsellor Joline LeBlanc or Sébastien Dol, director of Student Services (both employees so named at the time of this article’s publishing), who are able to provide further support.
While a CSVSPO does not exist at UKC, it has hired a Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Officer to assist with the implementation of its SVP. While no comprehensive list of support resources can be found online, a flowchart of the reporting process indicates that both those experiencing harm and those causing it are “provided support via appropriate University staff throughout [the process].”
New Brunswick
What You Should Know: In New Brunswick, there is no public policy directive or legislative framework requiring or encouraging PSIs to develop supports or response protocols for those experiencing campus SV. Nevertheless, a number of PSIs have endeavoured to enact policies themselves and to connect with one another and local organizations to address this problem and offer supports to students, staff, and community members more broadly.
MAU has a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) led by a Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education (SHARE) Advisor. Both initiatives have the aim of providing support and education with respect to SV and the academic or emotional challenges it may engender for those who have experienced SV-related harm. However, it does not have a formal CSVSPO or independent online resource hub. Instead, it has partnered with a local Moncton organization, the South East Sexual Assault Centre (SESAC), to provide access to a 24-hour crisis line to those who need it.
STU participates in the tri-campus agreement with Sexual Violence New Brunswick (SVNB). This agreement enables STU to have a CSVSPO which is coordinated by SVNB staff offering trauma-specific counselling and systems advocacy. All disclosures of sexual assault are referred onto this CSVPO where appropriate options and referrals are planned and executed with the survivor. The CSVPO also coordinates efforts to address sexual violence prevention, education, policy, and strategic development. STU facilitates a Campus Sexual Assault Response Team (C-SART), which helps survivors obtain additional support on campus with respect to residence and academic accommodations, physical safety on campus, or health resources. For Survivors graduating or leaving STU, the CSVPO facilitates a community referral to SVNB’s downtown office which can offer long-term supports for counselling as well as community and legal systems navigation.
Le service d’intervention en violence à caractère sexuelle is an intervention service for those affected by SV which offers confidential consultations, psychosocial support, and information on possible recourse available to the survivors. It also assists with the arrangement of accommodations or the formal disclosure of SV. However, its services are available on more of an individual basis than as a repository of online resources or series of in-person initiatives, therefore it is not a formal CSVSPO.
UNB’s two campuses implement the assistance of Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocates (CSASAs). UNB’s Saint John campus employs a CSASA as part of their counselling team while the Fredericton Campus participates in the tri-campus agreement with SVNB. This agreement enables UNB to have a CSVSPO which is coordinated by SVNB staff offering trauma-specific counselling and systems advocacy on campus. All disclosures of sexual assault are referred onto this CSVPO where appropriate options and referrals are planned and executed with the survivor. The CSVPO also coordinates efforts to address sexual violence prevention, education, policy, and strategic development. UNB also facilitates a Campus Sexual Assault Response Team (C-SART), which helps survivors obtain additional support on campus with respect to residence and academic accommodations, physical safety on campus, or health resources. For Survivors graduating or leaving UNB, the CSVPO facilitates a community referral to SVNB’s downtown office which can offer long-term supports for counselling as well as community and legal systems navigation.
An open source search of UFred’s sexual violence response practices yielded no results specific to the PSI. A search of their website did not include entries on the existence of a SVP or CSVSPO.
An open source search of Yorkville University NB’s sexual violence response practices yielded no results specific to SV, nor did it indicate that they maintain a SVP. However, a search of their website indicates that their Mental Health and Wellness department offers students free counselling services despite the absence of a formal CSVSPO.
An open source search of Crandall’s sexual violence response practices yielded no results specific to the PSI. A search of their website did not include entries on the existence of a SVP or CSVSPO.
KU’s Abuse, Harassment and Neglect policy contemplates sexual abuse and sets out the options of recourse for those who have experienced harm. However, it does not appear to have a freestanding SVP, a CSVSPO, or a webpage with support links available to the PSI community.
An open source and website-specific search of SSU’s sexual violence response practices yielded no results, nor did they indicate that SSU maintains a SVP or a formal CSVSPO.
Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick
CCNB has a Harassment in the Work and Learning Environment policy, which includes sexual violence and sets out how to bring a formal complaint of SV. However, it does not appear to have a freestanding CSVSPO, or a webpage with support links available to the PSI community.
New Brunswick Community College
NBCC participates in the tri-campus agreement with SVNB. This agreement enables NBCC-Fredericton to have a CSVSPO which is coordinated by SVNB staff offering trauma-specific counselling and systems advocacy on campus. The CSVPO also coordinates efforts to address sexual violence prevention, education, policy, and strategic development. All disclosures of sexual assault are referred onto this CSVPO where appropriate options and referrals are planned and executed with the survivor. For Survivors graduating or leaving NBCC-Fredericton, the CSVPO facilitates a community referral to SVNB’s downtown office which can offer long-term supports for counselling as well as community and legal systems navigation. For all other NBCC campuses, SVNB coordinates ongoing education opportunities for students and staff as well as offers prevention resources and access to virtual awareness initiatives.
Prince Edward Island
What You Should Know: In PEI, there is no public policy directive or legislative framework requiring or encouraging PSIs to develop supports or response protocols for those experiencing campus SV. Nevertheless, a number of PSIs have endeavoured to enact policies themselves and to connect with one another and local organizations to address this problem and offer supports to students, staff and community members more broadly.
University of Prince Edward Island
UPEI maintains a Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, which holds trauma-informed, safe and confidential virtual office hours every morning until noon while COVID-19 measures are in place. For 24/7 emergency response, the CSVSPO encourages community members to contact Security Services or 911.
Holland College does not have a CSVSPO, nor does it offer an accessible list of supports and resources for those affected by SV on its website. It indicates, however, that instances of SV, harassment or discrimination are to be reported to the Vice President Corporate Services, Strategic Development and Stakeholder Relations. Notwithstanding, the survivor may approach any member of the college staff to make a disclosure, even if they choose not to initiate a formal complaint.
Presently, this PSI does not appear to have a SVP, CSVSPO or formal disclosure procedure for reporting instances of SV.
Newfoundland and Labrador
What You Should Know: In Newfoundland and Labrador, there is no public policy directive or legislative framework requiring or encouraging PSIs to develop supports or response protocols for those experiencing campus SV. Nevertheless, a number of PSIs have endeavoured to enact policies themselves and to connect with one another and local organizations to address this problem and offer supports to students, staff and community members more broadly.
Memorial University of Newfoundland
MUN maintains a Sexual Harassment Office, which provides information on SV in the form of sexual harassment and assault. The point of contact at the CSVSPO would be the Sexual Harassment Advisor (“SHA”), who provides advice, guidance, the facilitation of interim measures and other support to those who wish to disclose instances of SV. The SHA is available to community members whether or not they pursue a formal resolution under the PSI’s SVP.
The CAN does not maintain a CSVSPO, but provides counselling services and encourages community members in immediate danger to contact the End Sexual Violence hotline at 1-800-726-2743. The PSI does not have a standalone sexual violence policy, but has a general policy on harassment generally, characterizing sexual harassment broadly enough that C2A’s general definition of SV should be covered within it.
Read the others in this series:
Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 1/4: Prairies Edition
Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 2/4: Western Canada and Territories
Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 3/4: Central Canada
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Suggested Citation: Akong, Rebecca. (2021, April). Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 4/4 (Atlantic Canada). Courage to Act. www.couragetoact.ca/blog/csvspo-atlantic