w w w .w e sterngazette.c a • @uw ogazette
Bell tower Cellular service amped up on campus >> pg. 3
thegazette Signing up for the long gun registry since since 1906
Thursday, September 27, 2012
today high 17 low 4
tomorrow high 18 low 5
canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906
Volume 106, Issue 15
Alleged sexual assault in rez HOCO parade no London police continue investigation
longer downtown Aaron Zaltzman News Editor
Cameron Wilson Gazette
CONSENT CONCERNS. According to London police, an alleged sexual assault occurred in an undisclosed residence on September 16.
Jesica Hurst News Editor The London Police Service is looking for more information on an alleged sexual assault that took place at a Western residence. According to Dennis Rivest, media relations officer for the London Police Service, the assault— which was reported to London police late last week—occurred between approximately 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on September 16. “At the present stage of the investigation, there’s nothing that indicates that this was an incident of a stranger-on-stranger violence,” Rivest said. “Clearly, the investigation is still continuing, but we’re not releasing which residence it was.” Susan Grindrod, associate vicepresident for housing and ancillary services, said that housing is doing all they can to support the victim during this difficult time. “Housing’s role is to support the survivor and give him or her referrals to professional support on campus, or in the community,” Grindrod said. “There are many options open to a survivor, including Student Health Services, Student Development Centre and the Regional Sexual Assault and Do-
mestic Violence Treatment Centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital.” Although these situations can happen regardless of the training and education put into place, Grindrod explained the safety of students is the highest priority for the university, and they are doing everything they can to ensure the campus is a safe place to live. “We, as a university, work diligently to instill in our students that safety is a shared responsibility,” she said. After the alleged assault was reported to police, Western News published a news release online, which included safety tips students could use to stay safe. Although Myuri Komaragiri, vicepresident campus issues for the University Students’ Council, understands why the university took this approach, she believed including more information would have been beneficial. “Upon first read, there are some aspects of the [news release] that are problematic,” Komaragiri said. “I will say that I understand the university’s approach, as it’s always good to remind people of safety tips in any kind of situation, but the feedback I’m getting is about the way in which it’s presented— it’s kind of a larger societal thing
where we tend to put the blame on the victim.” “Instead of saying the victim should not be putting themselves in a situation where they are going to be attacked, we should be focusing on the fact that there are perpetrators of this violence. It would have been nice to see a balance.” Jess Rueger, coordinator of I Know Someone, a campaign targeted at sexual violence, agreed the university’s response to the issue should have targeted perpetrators of sexual violence. “Staff should be educating students on what sexual violence looks like, how to respond appropriately to it as an active bystander and how to support other students who come to them disclosing their experiences,” Rueger said. “If Western cares about its students, they really need to show it by keeping students safe instead of re-victimizing them by blaming them for what happens to them at the hands of nasty people.” If anyone has any information about this incident, they are urged to contact London police or Crime Stoppers.
This year’s homecoming parade will come a little closer to home, as it will be held solely on campus, rather than starting downtown as it has for the past several years. The decision was made by the University Students’ Council in response to the news that the London Police Service would be unable to provide officers for the parade. “London police, in the past, have basically given us pro bono service, but this year they indicated they wouldn’t be able to secure the route,” Adam Fearnall, president of the USC, said. “We were left with an unbudgeted expense that we would have had to go to council with, but, based on student feedback, we decided to make a go of hosting it on campus.” Sergeant Ryan Scrivens of the London Police Service’s traffic management unit said the police could not afford to provide security for free this year. “The cost wasn’t going to be entirely unloaded on the university, but there was going be a cost depending on the route that was chosen, because that would determine the number of officers,” Scrivens said. Fearnall explained the police gave the dwindling attendance of the parade, compared to other, better-attended events, as a reason for the change this year. “For example, if you take the Santa Claus parade, the police know there’s going to be a significant number of people from the city drawn to the event,” Fearnall explained. “So it makes sense
to staff it, and not have to worry about pulling officers from other parts of the city.” “However, the police service thought that for the homecoming parade—given the low turnout—it didn’t make a lot of sense to pull people from areas where there’s still a need for police.” Scrivens cited the increased need for police presence during the rest of homecoming as an example of other priorities for the force. “I can’t have officers assigned to a parade if they have to work that night and into the morning.” Erin Uberig, vice-president student events for the USC, said she wasn’t surprised to hear about the dwindling attendance. “You don’t see a ton of students getting super excited about the parade—not many of them would list it as the highlight of their homecoming,” Uberig said. “So we decided to focus on the quality of the parade, rather than the length and location.” “We’re also going to try to push the parade back later in the day […] so more students can sleep in, and then come out and see it.” Fearnall explained the location of next year’s parade would be revisited later in the year. “I think it will be interesting to see what the student feedback is. [The campus parade] is not the only way to go,” Fearnall said. “We’d be just as happy to put the parade back downtown, but it would be up to the council whether or not that’s something to be budgeted for.”
Mike Laine Gazette