WATCH: The dentistry students at Dalhousie University, who made misogynistic comments about women online, have penned an open letter. The men are apologizing, while the women say they support the restorative process of justice. Ross Lord has the details.
HALIFAX – An update on the restorative justice process underway at Dalhousie University after a scandal involving fourth-year dentistry students has been released.
The statement, posted on the university’s website and quietly released on Sunday, said it written by the 29 members of the dentistry class.
The open letter is also said to be posted in its full and unedited form.
The statement is divided into three parts: a statement from members of the Facebook group, the women involved in the restorative justice process and all participants in the class who are involved in the restorative justice process.
READ MORE: Dalhousie urged police not to ‘contribute unnecessarily’ to Facebook controversy
The members of the Facebook group state:
- “Our actions have led to significant consequences for us, but also for others”
- “We know that our conduct has damaged trust in many important relationships”
- “We know that we must work to earn back this trust”
The letter continues on to state that they understand their silence may be interpreted as cowardly but the members of the Facebook group said they know “more than saying ‘sorry’ is required”, they want to “truly be sorry”.
The men state that the restorative justice process includes giving detailed accounts of their participation in the Facebook group and the events after it was made public, regular contact with restorative facilitators since December and participation in meetings with facilitators.
They have also participated in sessions related to public safety and security, sexualized and gendered violence and trauma, psychology and counselling, law and human rights, religion and conflict resolution. There have also been workshops on misogyny, rape culture and bystander intervention.
The women involved in the process state:
- They wish to be given respect for this justice path – there have been reports that some of the women felt forced to opt into the restorative justice process
- They feel that coverage in the media has not been representative of their experience and has been harmful, silencing and re-traumatizing: “At times, the volume of public opinion has drowned out our voices on what we need and want in this situation”
- “[The restorative justice process] allows us to address underlying systemic and institutional issues influencing the climate and culture in which we live and learn”
- “We want this process to make a significant contribution to bringing about a change in that culture”
All participants involved state:
“We hope that through this process our voices and experiences will make significant contributions to the important public discussions about sexism, misogyny, inclusion and professionalism”
The update is the public’s first glimpse into the restorative justice process since it was announced.
The letter states it was released ahead of an expected update from the Academic Standards Class Committee.
In December, Dalhousie University president Richard Florizone said there was no timeline on the restorative justice process and it was unclear whether the results would be made public.
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