Students, neighbours hope to avoid repeat of last year’s O-Week violence

As students get settled into neighbourhoods around Western University, there’s hope that the next week of orientation and off-campus parties will go off without a hitch. However, the events of last year are never far from mind for some students.

“People definitely be a bit more cautious about what they’re doing, especially with all the first-years coming, and homecoming coming up later on in September,” says second-year psychology student Elana Kressock. “I think people just having that in the back of their mind of what happened last year and being more cautious of their actions.”

During the first weeks of the fall semester in 2021, Western was rocked by the death of first year student Gabriel Neil, who died after being assaulted near the campus.

In addition, last year is remembered for the dozens of sexual assault allegations that emerged, followed by a massive march against sexual violence.

For second-year student Daryn Wright, it’s all a bit overwhelming.

“Like it’s not a new thing, but new for me I guess,” she says. “I’m not used to it, being close to the situation.”

This past spring Western University announced new safety measures, including mandatory training for students, staff, and faculty along with the continuation of health and safety advisors, and the addition of special constables and security.

Sam Trosow, a Western law professor who lives near the school, says he’s hopeful this year will be better.

“The university has taken steps to increase their education and awareness about gender violence, their awareness and education about excessive alcohol consumption,” he says. “There was a death in the 7-11 parking lot. That really was a wake-up call that there really were a lot of very serious problems.”

Meanwhile, as the school gets set for O-Week activities on campus, students are busy moving into surrounding neighbourhoods. With the first major parties expected this weekend, the message from the London Police Service is to be civil.

“Our goal here is to deal with people who are being unruly, noisy, and disturbing their neighbours,” says Staff Sgt. Robert Brown. “We welcome students back and we want them to have a great year in London. But we just want to make sure that they’re mindful of their neighbours, and are partying and having fun respectfully.”