ANALYSIS: Series of Sexual Assaults at Western University Elevate Discussions of Campus Safety and Security

Sawyer Bogdan/Global News

“We let our students and families down,” stated Western University President Alan Shepard during the release of Western University’s new sexual violence ‘Action Plan’ amid the panic of an ‘O-Week’ turned sinister.

On the night of Friday, September 10, 2021, up to 30 young women were allegedly drugged at Western University in London, Ontario. The allegations were made through social media posts across many different platforms; all describing a similar chain of events at the Medway-Sydenham student residence during the infamous Orientation Week, or as it’s been coined ‘O-Week’, at Western.

The tragic story of Gabriel Neil, a Western student who was murdered just outside of campus, hit the headlines alongside the allegations of the mass drugging, adding to the anger and sadness brewing amongst students within the university. The next week thousands of students, staff, and faculty at Western University participated in a walkout in protest of the culture of sexual violence on campus. It seemed unanimous amongst attendees that a cultural shift is needed, especially during ‘O-Week’.

Western University stated they have not received any formal reports or complaints of a similar nature to those of the social media allegations. The London Police have been investigating the incidents but have had no witnesses or victims come forward as of October 21. The London Police had received reports of four sexual assaults the previous week, however they have been counted as unrelated.

The London Free Press in conjunction with the Western Gazette, official student newspaper of Western University, revealed that they have received witness accounts from September 10, 2021 including at least one count of sexual assault, and many counts of young women being ‘roofied’. ‘Roofie’ is a slang word describing a date-rape drug such as Rohpynol, and the action of nonconsentally administering it with the intention of sexual assault. Date-rape drugs like Rohypnol or GHB can cause multiple symptoms including, but not limited to, drowsiness, unconsciousness, dizziness, and memory loss.

Witness accounts could conclude that victims feel more comfortable opening up anonymously or to those they trust, like friends on social media or a student journalist on campus.

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities in Ontario has announced some mandatory policy changes for all post-secondary institutions in the province to make reporting sexual violence easier and more victim-friendly. For instance, a student now cannot be reprimanded for breaking school rules on alcohol or substance use when reporting sexual violence, and they cannot be asked about their sexual history or expression. Post-Secondary institutions in the province have until March 2022 to make these policy updates.

Western University’s ‘Action Plan’ requires mandatory education for all students in residence on consent, personal safety, and sexual violence, as of September 20. They plan to hire 100 students as safety ambassadors in residences, as well as four new special constables so that patrol goes to 3 am. The last initiative of the ‘Action Plan’ is a task force made up of students, staff, faculty, and community leaders. The task force will be taking a critical look at student safety, specifically with gender-based violence and sexual assault, as well as with campus programming and activities. Participants of the walkout described this ‘Action Plan’ as a positive first step towards a brighter future for the safety of students at Western.

This series of events may have brought a dark commonality in university life to light across Canada. A 2017 Maclean’s student life survey revealed that while 60 per cent of post-secondary students had been taught about consent in some form by an official school source, 40 per cent of the sexual assaults reported in the survey happened during post-secondary studies. Along with 31 per cent of students reporting they were not instructed how to report a sexual assault and 25 per cent saying that they were not given any information on support services for victims of sexual assault.