Langara’s first sexual assault policy has been finalized

Langara has developed a new sexual assault policy that defines sexual consent and harassment, and outlines procedures and services now available to victims.

Workshops teaching Langara faculty and students about disclosing incidents, and developing boundaries and assertiveness skills started yesterday, Feb. 22.

Last year, the provincial government passed Bill 23 requiring that all B.C. post-secondary institutions implement sexual violence and misconduct policies by 2017. Now that Langara’s sexual assault policy aligns with provincial requirements and has been approved by the Langara president and council, training sessions will prepare staff and students for the official policy roll-out in September.

According to SexAssault.ca, Canadian statistics show that of every 100 sexual assault incidents, only six are reported to the police. In response to six sexual harassment reports made by Langara students, and one of sexualized stalking since fall 2016, workshops have been constructed to “educate [students and faculty] about the limits of [sexual violence] and teach how they can support themselves and their friends,” says Langara communications officer, Deborah Schratter.

“Any unwanted sexual tension is not okay,” Schratter adds, “[the policy] confirms that Langara students’ hard work isn’t going to be compromised because they don’t feel comfortable coming to school or they are uninformed.”

Langara student Priya Narsaiya says she “finds it reassuring to know the support and resources are available in a time that would otherwise be very scary and confusing.”

“The policy has the potential to start changing the culture,” says Maggie Ross, manager of the Langara student conduct and judicial affairs department.

Ross adds, “When you start helping people to say “no” to sexual violence, you’re saying safety and respect are what we value here.”

Ross and Schratter hope to inform students of the policy at the beginning of each semester and incorporate social media ads into upcoming campaigns, but the frequency of workshops depends on student responses from pilot workshops.

The sexual violence workshops for students post on Langara’s events calendar page features a link to the policy.