Dear Members of the Carleton Community,
I am writing to let you know that over the course of this year we will be reviewing our Sexual Violence Policy, which was approved in December 2016. Carleton is committed to being a safe and inclusive community, and it is our shared responsibility to always strive to enhance the education, prevention and response to sexual violence.
The current policy is aimed at allowing enough flexibility to be supportive to survivors throughout the process, while at the same time respecting the requirement for procedural fairness. This is a very difficult balance to achieve and the first year of implementation of the policy has informed the need to review several areas, including the complaint procedure. We are also always aiming at improving access to support services.
Over the course of the year, we will be engaging the entire community in a collaborative review of the policy. As a first step, we have developed a draft plan outlining the proposed consultation and review process. Members of the Carleton community are encouraged to review this draft plan and to provide feedback through our consultation website throughout September.
Feedback on the draft plan can be provided directly through our website or by email at svpolicy@carleton.ca.
As described in the draft plan, there will be many opportunities to provide feedback on the policy itself through digital feedback, in-person workshops, and continued meetings with stakeholder groups.
We look forward to working collaboratively with the entire community in this review process. Together, we can ensure that we have a survivor-centered policy and process that makes our community safer and more inclusive.
Sincerely,
Benoit-Antoine Bacon
President and Vice-Chancellor