Student union changes needed to help prevent sexual violence: Students NS

HALIFAX – An organization representing student unions at Nova Scotian universities is asking its student leaders to make changes to prevent incidents of sexual violence on campus.

On Monday, Students NS released a report called Student Safety in Nova Scotia: A Review of Student Union Policies and Practices to Prevent Sexual Violence.

The independent review laid out several findings, including how students do not fully comprehend the meaning of consent, how alcohol is a factor for potential perpetrators, victims and bystanders to sexual assault and how the majority of sexual assaults are not formally reported.

While the findings are not ground-breaking and many were also found in a report released by SMU following the now-infamous frosh chant, Students NS is encouraging student unions to adopt its 21 recommendations.

Recommendations range from assigning a student union representative to oversee the sexual violence file to having the student union develop a position on sexual violence and sexual assault and having student leaders sign pledge cards promising to intervene when there is inappropriate sexual behaviour.

“What this report is about is creating opportunity and informing our student leaders so they can, moving forward, be a significant part of the solution and not a part of the problem,” said Jonathan Williams, executive director of Students NS.

Williams said each of the eight student unions Students NS oversees is independent and can decide for itself which recommendations to implement.

“We’ve given them a hell of a lot of ideas that are really, really good ideas. We’re confident they’re going to consider them really thoroughly and there will be a lot of these recommendations implemented very soon.”

The report was commissioned before the SMU chant and cost $25,000, which was paid for with funding from the province.

Students NS will launch a campaign on sexual assault prevention next month and will host a conference in March to discuss the review with student leaders from across the province.