Spring 2024 Update

Since our last update to the U of A community ( see below), we have had valuable discussions with university and community representatives and partners. With the advice of these partners, we have been envisioning how to build on the Centre’s 30+ years of service for not only the next academic year, but also the next generation of support and awareness for U of A students. Our heartfelt thanks to all those that have contributed to these conversations so far, and to the strong history of support and engagement that has grown within our community because of the Centre. Today, we’re sharing a few important updates from the last couple of months and introducing a community engagement and action plan initiative for the Centre for the 2024-25 academic term.

Service delivery for U of A students

As we head into the Spring and Summer terms, the Sexual Assault Centre continues to provide confidential support, guidance, referrals and assistance for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in person and virtually. See how to best access support services according to your needs and preferences. Every call and need is being addressed as soon as it comes in whether in-person, by appointment or virtually.

We have heard the concerns of U of A students, and drop-in hours at the Centre have recently increased across five days a week and we will continue to add more hours when possible. We also commit to having full-time drop-in hours and educational and volunteer programming available for the Fall 2024 term.

Leading U of A community wellness and sexual and gender-based violence support services 

As part of the U of A’s holistic approach to student wellness support, we are pleased to share that the university is currently recruiting an Assistant Dean, Community Wellness and Sexual Violence Supports. As part of the Associate Vice-President (Student Experience) and Dean of Students’ Senior Leadership Team, this new role will be responsible for delivering integrated wellness support for students. The Assistant Dean will lead the Community Wellness Supports unit and the Sexual Assault Centre, overseeing a multi-disciplinary team that includes psychological support and crisis management services for sexual or gender-based violence survivors, community well-being programs, and health promotion and educational initiatives. We are actively working to have a successful candidate in place before the 2024-25 academic year.

Planting - Growing - Flourishing

The U of A is undertaking a community engagement and action plan initiative focused on growth for the Sexual Assault Centre. For the initial phase of that process in May and June, we have engaged Possibility Seeds, a Canadian systems change consultancy. Possibility Seeds led the award-winning Courage to Act project, a national multi-year initiative funded by the Government of Canada, to foster safer, trauma-informed post-secondary campuses. Possibility Seeds will provide actionable, transparent, and evidence-based recommendations to guide the Centre’s community engagement, programs and activities throughout the 2024-25 academic year, and beyond. Their recommendations will be informed by conversations with campus partners and community members, a literature review and data from the 2023 Alberta Campus Climate Survey on Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and 20+ years of leadership and participation in campus sexual violence prevention.

Learn more about the community engagement process and action planning for the Sexual Assault Centre »

Sexual Violence Awareness Month

While we take time to reflect on our Centre’s next steps, we are also mindful that May is Sexual Violence Awareness Month, a time for greater pause and reflection, prioritizing awareness, and promoting a culture of consent. One way students, staff and faculty members can get involved is by learning about or sharing Building a Culture of Consent on Campus, a six-module online course. We also encourage all members of our community to be mindful of additional ways to participate and support services in our local communities.

We greatly appreciate the continuing support of the U of A community and our partners both on and off-campus. We have much to accomplish in the coming months and we look forward to sharing more progress again soon in our summer update.

Sincerely,