'It's long overdue': Mixed feelings towards gender based and sexual violence training at Western U

In response to increased concerns about student safety, Western University is making it mandatory for students in residence to complete training in understand and preventing sexual violence. This comes after numerous allegations of sexual assault surfaced in the fall of 2021.

AnnaLise Trudell is the manager of education, training and research at Anova, a gender-based violence agency in London, Ont. that supports victims of sexual violence. Trudell says there’s been mixed feedback about the training from students, which began in January.

“Survivors, they feel seen in this, they feel like it’s been given an important space that’s long overdue,” she said. “Others are pushing back, saying this is not the right approach.”

Students in residence are currently undergoing gender-based and sexual violence training which consists of online modules as well as in-person group sessions.

The program is intended to focus on preventing violence in the first place and supporting survivors who have experienced it.

“The training is really, intentionally causing discomfort because we’re intentionally challenging values. What will not work to prevent sexual violence is to make everyone comfortable because we’re never going to change behaviour in that,” Trudell said.

Trudell explained the training brings forward difficult conversations and provide tools on how to handle these scenarios in the future.

Western’s action committee on gender-based sexual violence, which was created last fall - put forth recommendations which include having students complete gender based sexual violence training before they arrive on campus and enhancing housing support staff in student residences.

“The third recommendation is about ensuring that the staff that we have in housing are appropriately trained. And able to identify and respond to issues of gender based violence, safety or other areas of escalation,” said Terry McQuaid, co-chair of Western’s Action Committee on Gender-based sexual violence.

McQuaid believes there will be training extended to other students, which will likely be made annually. 

According to McQuaid, they’ve received positive feedback from survivors. The in-person training is designed to challenge our beliefs around gender and sex “and really present real world examples in these areas,”

While members of the Safe Campus Coalition think the recommendations are a step in the right direction, they have some concerns.

“Our biggest concerns have been that we don’t know what it’ll look like for students beyond first year, we don’t know what the first year training actually looks like,” said Effie Sapuridis, with the SCC. “We don’t agree with the employee training only accepting disclosures.”

Employee training is also underway.

According to Western’s website it will take employees 25 minutes to complete and will provide “guidance on receiving a disclosure from a student or colleague.”

Out of 5,500 first-year students, 4,500 have completed the training.