Photo by Tina Wallace
The University of Ottawa has revealed the members of its taskforce on respect and equality created earlier this month in response to recent events and allegations of sexual assault and rape culture on campus.
Caroline Andrew will chair the taskforce. She is a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences, director of the Centre on Governance at the university, and an expert in feminist studies.
“I am pleased to have been asked to chair the taskforce,” she said. “I feel strongly that the entire university community needs to engage in serious and broad-ranging conversations about what needs to be done. From these conversations, we need to move to concrete proposals to make meaningful changes.”
The task force includes 14 other members, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, professors, and other faculty and staff members. It will take effect in the fall of 2014.
U of O president Allan Rock said many other universities have similar taskforces which have “started the conversation.”
“I am delighted that someone of Professor Andrew’s stature and experience has agreed to lead this very important initiative,” he said. “She will enable the taskforce to approach their mandate in a focused and effective way.”
At a press conference on March 6, Rock asserted that campus is safe and that there are various mechanisms, resources, and services in place to keep it that way. He said sexualized violence is a common societal issue, and that “universities and colleges are the ideal places to forge new strategies to deal with the prevalence of sexualized violence.”
Read the full list of taskforce members here
