Faculty and students call for action on campus sexual violence

To the University of New Brunswick and wider communities,

We are writing as faculty members in Gender and Women Studies, as well as members of the community, with deep sorrow, frustration, and outrage regarding recent events that can only be described as emblematic of rape culture across university campuses. Over the weekend, a homecoming banner reading “Drop-off Zone: Acadia Girlfriends” was hung on off-campus housing at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. The language in the banner objectifies women and carries an implicit threat of violence and dehumanization. The CBC reports that there was another “more offensive” sign that was also displayed. This follows the story of the “Cornell 7,” broken by the student newspaper The Cornell Daily Sun on September 18th, 2026, in which seven male students allegedly gang-raped a woman for seven hours. The alleged details of the event are incredibly disturbing and include a text chain circulated between 57 fraternity students advertising “free pussy” during the assault and a text asking “is the shop still open?” Although two alleged perpetrators were expelled and two others barred from campus temporarily, part of the punishment for the remaining alleged perpetrators from Cornell University was to have them write “reflection papers.” No penalty of any kind was given to the other alleged fifty students in the text thread. In response, Jane Doe, the victim, has served a civil lawsuit to Cornell University, the seven students, Chi Phi fraternity, Tri Delta sorority, and Moonies Bar & Nightclub.

These crimes are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of gender-based sexual violence that continues, seemingly unabated, and apparently at ever-higher rates, across university campuses. In 1989, the École Polytechnique massacre saw fourteen women murdered in Montréal. Marc Lépine, the shooter, explicitly stated he was “fighting feminism” in the attack. That same year, male students at Queen’s University hung banners from their residence windows that said, among other things, “No Means More Beer” and “No Means Kick Her in the Teeth,” in response to a campus “No Means No” anti-rape campaign. There are many instances, like in the Cornell case, where the hateful responses are shared more privately. In 2014, a Facebook group run by male dentistry students at Dalhousie University containing sexually explicit and misogynist comments about their female classmates was exposed. In 2023, a former student went on a stabbing rampage at the University of Waterloo, targeting a gender studies class. Two students and a professor were stabbed. Sexualized violence and misogyny are entrenched in post-secondary campuses, and our campuses here at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and in Canada, generally, are not immune.

Data on sexual assault on university campuses demonstrates that outside of these high-profile events, sexual harassment and sexual assault remain an ongoing problem on post-secondary campuses across Canada. In fact, rates of sexual assault are higher in student populations than in the general public. In Canada, one in ten women students report being sexually assaulted on campus and “The majority (71 per cent) of students witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours.” Racialized, trans, queer, and disabled students experience higher rates of sexual assault than their peers. Only about 5 per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police, making it the most underreported crime in Canada. How is it that one of the most aggressive, hateful, and traumatizing crimes is allowed to continue? Why are some individuals able to terrorize others to this degree year after year? The long-term impacts on survivors of sexual assault include ongoing emotional distress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many student survivors drop out of school altogether. Too often, perpetrators are allowed to remain and thrive. A 2023 report on campus sexual assault concluded that “the prevalence of [sexual violence] in Canada has not changed in over 30 years, and neither has how we deal with it.”

In our own institution, the findings of the 2017 UNB Sexual Assault Climate Survey (now unavailable online) were in line with the national statistics, with 21 per cent of surveyed students reporting experiencing a sexual assault since becoming a student at UNB Fredericton. No other survey of this magnitude has been undertaken since, despite the blatant need. The Campus Sexual Assault Student Advocate’s (CSASA) office has not published an annual report since 2024, a year in which they report serving “44 individuals who had been affected by sexual assault during their campus experience” with “less than 5 survivors initiat[ing] a formal complaint.” The CSASA serves UNB, Saint Thomas University, and New Brunswick Community College.

The silence on post-secondary campuses around sexual violence is deafening. Students, staff, and faculty are being asked to work in an environment where sexual violence is rampant and our safety is disregarded. In this context, the attacks on gender, sexuality, and women’s studies programs in post-secondary institutions are particularly egregious. Across Canada, we have seen attempts to shutter or defund such programs at Laurentian, York, Acadia, and Mount Allison Universities. Given that these programs are critical locations where gender-based violence is researched and studied, these cuts are not only short-sighted but also point to a strategic and institutional attack on women’s rights. For example, after the Dalhousie Facebook incident, the enrolment in the first-year Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies class rose by 20 per cent. As a society, institution, and university community, we need to put the focus squarely on those who commit these crimes, not focus on teaching individuals how to avoid being targeted or how to recover once hurt. All individuals on this campus should feel safe from sexual harassment and assault. Our institution needs to protect students and do better to address these crimes immediately and definitively.

Against this backdrop of indifference on sexual violence, we call on post-secondary institutions to centre the experience of survivors in all policies regarding sexual assault. We further demand that perpetrators of sexual violence be held accountable. To all survivors of sexual violence: we stand in solidarity with you in the ongoing fight for justice.

Sincerely,

Sabine LeBel, Associate Professor, Culture and Media Studies, Gender and Women Studies faculty, University of New Brunswick

Celeste E. Orr, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Wendy J. Robbins Professor in Gender & Women’s Studies, University of New Brunswick

Sophie M. Lavoie, Professor, Culture and Media Studies, Gender and Women Studies faculty, University of New Brunswick

Lucia F. O’Sullivan, Professor & Chair, Psychology, University of New Brunswick

Lauren Cruikshank, Associate Professor and Chair, Culture and Media Studies; Gender and Women Studies faculty, University of New Brunswick

Lisa C. Robertson, Associate Professor, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Stephanie M. Cavanaugh, Associate Professor, Department of Historical Studies, University of New Brunswick

Robert W Gray, Professor, Culture and Media Studies, University of New Brunswick

Michael A. Fleming, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

Lisa Todd, Professor and Graduate Director, Department of Historical Studies, University of New Brunswick

Andrea Bombak, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

Emily Veysey, Graduate student (PhD), Interdisciplinary Studies, University of New Brunswick

Stefanie Hunt-Kennedy, Professor, Department of Historical Studies; Director of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, University of New Brunswick

Şule Yaylacı, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick

Gabrielle Morfitt, Undergraduate Student (English and Gender & Women’s Studies), University of New Brunswick

Jo Bear, Graduate Student, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Brendan Wahl, Administrative Assistant, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

Victoria Mullin-Lamarche, Undergraduate Student, (English and History), University of New Brunswick

Koumari Mitra, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick.

Anne Quéma, English and Theatre, Acadia University

Julia Fursova, Associate Professor, School of Leadership Studies, University of New Brunswick

Katie Hamill, Communication and Knowledge Dissemination Officer, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre from Family Violence Research

Void Clark-Nason, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick

Corinne L. Mason, Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, Mount Royal University

Rachel Hurst, Professor, Women’s & Gender Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Igor Shoikhedbrod, Assistant Professor, Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University

Yvonne Simpson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, University of New Brunswick

Jennifer Storey, Professor, CRC in IPV Responses, Department of Psychology; The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, University of New Brunswick

Michael Van Tassell, Administrative Coordinator, Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research, University of New Brunswick

Ella Melvin, Undergraduate Student (English and Gender and Women’s Studies), University of New Brunswick

Courtney Buder, Undergraduate Student (English), University of New Brunswick

Alice Johnston, Assistant Professor, Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Erin Mazerolle, Associate Professor, Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Morgan Bimm, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Nancy Forestell, Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Devon Fraser, Liaison Librarian & Archival Assistant, St. Francis Xavier University

Kendall Garton, Educational Developer and Part-Time Instructor (History), St. Francis Xavier University

Edith Snook, Professor, English, University of New Brunswick

Koumari Mitra, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick.

Christina Flemming, Assistant Professor, Adult Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Chen Zhang, Assistant Professor, Schwartz School of Business, St. Francis Xavier University

Casey Flanagan, Undergraduate Student (Nursing and Health Sciences, Co-Chair of UNB’s Reproductive Justice Society), University of New Brunswick

Amanda Casey, Professor Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University

Amelia Thorpe, Instructor, Education, University of New Brunswick

Carolyn Guay, Assistant Professor, Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Ryanne Chisholm, Practicum Coordinator & Instructor, Applied Forensic Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Colleen Maykut, Associate Professor and Director of Student Affairs & Educational Initiatives, St Francis Xavier University – Rankin School of Nursing

Laura Estill, Professor of English, St. Francis Xavier University

Baran Karsak, Assistant Professor, Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Carly Ciufo, Part-Time Instructor, St. Francis Xavier University

Donna Trembinski, Professor, Department of Art, St. Francis Xavier University

Stephen Marmura, Professor and Chair, Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Michelle Lesley Annett, Part-Time Academic Instructor, St. Francis Xavier University

Bruce Sparks, Part-time Academic Instructor. St. Francis Xavier University

Janet Purvis, Assistant Professor, St. Francis Xavier University, Faculty of Science

Vedika Pimpalkkar, Undergraduate Student (Marketing, Co-social media manager for the University of New Brunswick’s GWSS), University of New Brunswick

Elizabeth McGibbon, Professor, St. Francis Xavier University, Faculty of Science

Carmen AJ Matheson, Graduate Student, Department of Sociology, UNB

Mahasti Khakpour, Assistant Professor, InterD Health, StFX University

Triny Finlay, Teaching Professor, English, University of New Brunswick

Robin Neustaeter, Assistant Professor, Adult Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Irene Shankar, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University

Jackson R. Ham, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, St. Francis Xavier University

Lindsay Corbin, Part-Time Academic Instructor, Department of Human Nutrition, St. Francis Xavier University

Stephan Pigeon, Assistant Professor (LTA), Department of History, St. Francis Xavier University

Cierra White, Under Graduate Student (Psychology, GWSS Treasurer, Arts Matters Committee member), University of New Brunswick

Aurora Nolan. Undergraduate student (Psychology), University of New Brunswick

Kailin Wright, Professor, Department of English, St. Francis Xavier University

Derrick G Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, St. Francis Xavier University

Claire Carter, Professor, Department of Gender, Religion, and Critical Studies, University of Regina

Amélie Dionne, Undergraduate Student (English and Political Science), University of New Brunswick

Nathan Kalman-Lamb, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick’

Hannah Vardy, Undergraduate Student (Biology-Chemistry), University of New Brunswick

Meagan Maguire, Undergraduate Student (Political Science and Drama), University of New Brunswick

Olivier Banville, Undergraduate Student (Political Science and French), University of New Brunswick

Nikki MacLeod, Assistant Professor, Schwartz School of Business, St. Francis Xavier University

Ryan Billington, Associate Professor, Department of Music, St. Francis Xavier University

Evan Throop-Robinson, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Tabatha Armstrong, Instructor & staff member, Faculty of Arts, University of New Brunswick

Matthew Lewis, Part-time Instructor (Mathematics and Statistics), St. Francis Xavier University

Olivia Brown, Undergraduate Student (Sociology and Social Entrepreneurship), STU Representative for UNB Reproductive Justice Society, St. Thomas University

Hailey Murphy, Assistant Professor (Department of Political Science) St Francis Xavier University

Sara Parks, Associate Professor (Department of Religious Studies) St Francis Xavier University

Randy Lauff, Senior Laboratory Instructor, St. Francis Xavier University

Kim Burnett, Assistant Professor (Development Studies), St. Francis Xavier University

Mila Desbiens, Undergraduate Student (English and History), University of New Brunswick

Tia Dafnos, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of New Brunswick

Tara Taylor, Professor and Chair, Mathematics and Statistics, St. Francis Xavier University

Muhannad Ayyash, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Royal University

Noah Pleshet, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Coordinator, Program in Law and Society

Sue Sinclair, Professor, English Department, University of New Brunswick

Ken M. Penner, Professor and Chair, Department of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Heather Millar, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick

Suzanne Hindmarch, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick

Fred Burrill, Assistant Professor, Department of Historical Studies, University of New Brunswick

Ian LeTourneau, Managing Editor, The Fiddlehead & Studies in Canadian Literature, Department of English, University of New Brunswick.

Melanie Lam, Associate Professor, Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University

Mark Norman, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University

Janette Fecteau, Instructor, Art Department, StFX University

Jill Connell, Instructor and Writer-in-Residence, English Department, University of New Brunswick

Emily Eaton, Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Regina

Amanda Benjamin, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of New Brunswick

Jessica Webster, Teaching Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Jennifer Fraser, Senior Lab Instructor, Department of Chemistry, St. Francis Xavier University

Arlinda Ruco, Associate Professor, Interdisciplinary Health Program, St. Francis Xavier University

Patricia Morris, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Carole Roy, Professor, Dept. Adult Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Elvira Prusaczyk, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, St. Francis Xavier University

Laura Reid, Dietetic Educator, Department of Human Nutrition, St. Francis Xavier University

Melanie Simoes Santos, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Sherry Coffey, Library Assistant, Gerard V. La Forest Law Library, University of New Brunswick

Martha Paynter, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Anna Hamling, Professor, Culture and Media Studies, University of New Brunswick

Kim Lauzier, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Stephen Schryer, Professor, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Angie Kolen, Professor, Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University.

Petrea Taylor, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Stephanie MacIntyre, Lab Instructor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University

Pauline MacIntosh, Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University

Leigh Gillam, Academic Instructor, Department of Art, St. Francis Xavier University

Nick Lyons-MacFarlane, Library Assistant, Gerard V. La Forest Law Library, UNB

Sharon Gregory, Professor, Department of Art, St. Francis Xavier University

Lindsey Budovitch, Academic Advisor & Student Retention Officer, Faculty of Arts, UNB

Kristi Allain, Canada Research Chair in Physical Culture and Social Life, Professor, Sociology, St. Thomas University

Nikki Tanner, Reference/Instruction Librarian, Gérard V. La Forest Law Library, UNB

Chloë Fuller, JD Student, Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia

Adam Perry, Associate Professor, Adult Education, St Francis Xavier University

Brittany Lindsay, Assistant Professor, Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Qianou Xu, Undergraduate Student (Nursing), University of New Brunswick

Erin Russell, Production and Marketing Coordinator, The Fiddlehead, SCL, and Acadiensis, Department of English and History, University of New Brunswick.

Grace Taylor-Whelan, Administrative Assistant, The Fiddlehead, SCL, and Acadiensis, Department of English and History, University of New Brunswick.

Joselyne Mukantwari, Assistant Professor, Nursing, St. Francis Xavier University.

Krista Johnston, Associate Professor, Feminist & Gender Studies and Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University

Omar Faruque, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick.

Whitney Blaisdell, Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Education, University of Regina

Ruth Lue, Assistant Teaching Professor, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Geordie Miller, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mount Allison University

Meghan Rose Allen, Contract Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Mount Allison University

Hayley Russell, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University

Turkuler Durgut, Part-time Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Mount Allison University

Anja McLeod, Research Manager, Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of New Brunswick

Ariana Malthaner, Lecturer, Department of Celtic Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Katrina Stefaniuk, Undergraduate student, Department of Political science and Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick

Christiana MacDougall, Associate Professor, Sociology Department and Feminist and Gender Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Araby Smyth, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Environment, Mount Allison University

Kendall Witaszek, Assistant Professor, Feminist and Gender Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Hailey Culberson, Undergraduate Student (Psychology), University of New Brunswick

Ashley Morehouse, Graduate Student (Master’s), Sociology Department, University of New Brunswick

Tabitha Mercer, Graduate Student, Masters of Adult Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Katharine Dunbar, McCain Postdoctoral Fellow, Health Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Linda Pearse, Professor of Music, Mount Allison University

Joel Garrod, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Emily Drake, Assistant Professor, Health Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Jérôme Melançon, Professor, Department of Philosophy and Classics, University of Regina

Fraser Turner, Teaching Instructor, Departments of Physics & Math-CS, Aviation Program, Mount Allison University

Jane Blakely, Graduate Student, Master of Arts, University of New Brunswick

Davina Bhandar, Chair, Department of Gender Studies, University of Victoria

Kimberly A Williams, Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, Mount Royal University

Hayden Aubrey Statton Cotterell, Undergraduate English Student, University of New Brunswick

Lisa Jodoin, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Robert van den Hoogen, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, St. Francis Xavier University

Carlene Weaving, Professor, Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University.

Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers, Associate Professor, Commerce Department and Feminist & Gender Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Laurie Ricker, Professor, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Mount Allison University

Graham Clark, Assistant Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, St. Francis Xavier University

Julie Morris, Collections Analysis/Bibliometrics Librarian, University of New Brunswick

Sam Read, Digital Initiatives and Data Services Librarian, St. Francis Xavier University

Andrew Nurse, Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University

Jessica Thibeau, Undergraduate Student (English and Psychology), Co-Chair of the UNB Menstrual Health Society, University of New Brunswick

Cadence Steeves, Undergraduate Student (Political Science), Co-Chair of the UNB Menstrual Health Society, University of New Brunswick

Michelle Hoeckel-Neal, Graduate Student, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Olivia Harvey, Undergraduate Student (UNB Reproductive Justice Society,) University of New Brunswick

Catherine Lovekin, Professor, Department of Physics, Mount Allison University

Gerjan Altenburg, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University

Luc Thériault, Professor of Sociology, University of New Brunswick.

James Hahn, Assistant Professor, Department of English/ Canadian Studies Program, Mount Allison University

Linda McNutt, Coordinator, Advising and the First Year Experience, Office of the Dean of Arts, University of New Brunswick.

S. Andrew Inkpen, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Mount Allison University

Christine Mason, Undergraduate Student (Nursing and Health Sciences), University of New Brunswick.

Lai xia Hein, Undergraduate Student (Medical Laboratory Science), University of New Brunswick

Gabby Yearwood, LTA Assistant Professor (Anthropology), St. Francis Xavier University

Mary Grace Lao, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Humber Polytechnic; Communication & Culture, York University

Sutapa Chattopadhyay, Associate Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies and Development Studies, St Francis Xavier University.

Christine Lomore, Associate Professor, Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University

Sade London, Sexuality and Gender Diversity Representative, St. Thomas University Students’ Union

Krystal Batelaan, Assistant Professor, Sociology, St. Francis Xavier University

Sofie Ostertag, Undergraduate Student (Applied Forensic Psychology, Sociology), St. Francis Xavier University

Hannah Rigg, Graduate Student, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Camille Roylance, Undergraduate Student (English and History), University of New Brunswick

j wallace skelton, Associate Professor, Queer Studies in Education, University of Regina

Shaunasea Brown, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

Jessica Mensch, Part-time Instructor, Art Department, Saint Francis Xavier University

Kyra Lustig, Vice President Education, St. Thomas University Students’ Union

Colby LeBlanc, President, St. Thomas University Students’ Union

Anna Houston, Undergraduate Student (English and Criminology), St. Thomas University

Emmanuelle Claus-Jackson, Undergraduate Student (English and Sociology), St. Thomas University

Tavleen Purewal, Assistant Professor, Department of English, UNB Fredericton

Parker Sedgewick, Undergraduate Student (MAAC and Criminology), University of New Brunswick

Jacklyn Price, BN RN, Graduate Student (MN Thesis), University of New Brunswick

Chelsea McKinley, Undergraduate Student (Engineering), University of New Brunswick

Matthew Anderson, Gatto Chair of Christian Studies, Saint Francis Xavier University

Avery Earle, Undergraduate Student (Business), University of New Brunswick

Rigjey Namdroen, Undergraduate Student (MAAC), University of New Brunswick

Autumn Roy, Undergraduate Student (Education), University of New Brunswick

Adetomiwa Adeyemi, Vice President Student Life, St. Thomas University Students’ Union

Austin Irvine, Undergraduate Student (Leadership Studies), University of New Brunswick

Katelyn Staples, Undergraduate Student (BBA), University of New Brunswick

Rohan Ghatage, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of New Brunswick

Tobin LeBlanc Haley, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of New Brunswick

Tracy Glynn, Assistant Professor, Sustainability and Environmental Studies, St. Thomas University