UPEI holds ‘listening’ town hall in response to Rubin Tomlinson report
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — UPEI’s administration held a city corridor on June 26 in response to the findings of the Rubin Tomlinson report, which characterised UPEI’s tradition as one wherein bullying and toxicity was frequent.
The city corridor was open to members of the college group however was closed to media retailers. SaltWire was instructed by college employees media wouldn’t be permitted entry.
In an interview after the occasion, college interim president Greg Keefe stated he provided an apology to complainants.
“What I did was apologize to anybody who had suffered below both the earlier administration or who continued to undergo hurt on the college. It is a honest apology given on my own on behalf of the college,” Keefe instructed reporters.
“We’re completely taking the state of affairs severely and dealing to place the fitting assets in place, enhance the coverage.”
These assets will embody a rise in funding for the college’s sexual violence prevention and response workplace, in addition to the college’s fairness variety and inclusion workplace.
The Rubin Tomlinson report was commissioned by the college following media tales thay revealed new allegations of sexual misconduct levelled towards former UPEI president Alaa Abd-El-Aziz in 2021. Abd-El-Aziz later stepped down.
The report concluded the college had failed to make sure there was a secure studying atmosphere on the college. The report’s authors, nonetheless, have been unable to succeed in a conclusion concerning the allegations directed at Abd-El-Aziz as a consequence of the truth that a number of complainants had signed non-disclosure agreements
The Rubin Tomlinson report discovered the sexual violence prevention and response workplace had not been adequately funded. A survey of 966 college students, employees and school additionally discovered that just about 46 per cent had witnessed or been subjected to harassment, discrimination or sexual violence.
Of those college students, 79 per cent felt their experiences weren’t adequately addressed by the college.
“This can be a first step so far as making a listening tradition that was prompt throughout the report,” Keefe instructed reporters.
“We’re dedicated to doing that. Dedicated additionally right this moment to higher resourcing among the companies that we offer, in our EDI workplace and in our Sexual Violence and Prevention Workplace.”
As reporters weren’t permitted entry to the city corridor, SaltWire couldn’t confirm what apologies Keefe provided to those that attended.
UPEI School Affiliation government director Margot Rejskind stated she felt Keefe didn’t supply solutions to lots of the questions posed by school.
“He started with an acknowledgement of hurt finished however probably not an apology,” Rejskind stated.
Rejskind stated the UPEIFA despatched a letter to college administration that requested for a number of adjustments days after the Rubin Tomlinson report was launched.
“That included public acknowledgement of the harms which are in that report and of the victims of all of this. We had one on this closed discussion board. We nonetheless have not had that from the board of governors. There’s been no apology for any of this,” she stated.
“They have not precisely moved as far ahead as acknowledging it.”
UPEI Pupil Union president Camille Mady stated the findings of the report have been upsetting. However she was glad to see the college decide to offering extra funding for the Sexual Violence and Prevention Workplace.
“That workplace wants not solely to have extra assets but in addition to be communicated higher in the direction of college students. We’d like our college students to remember about the advantages of what that workplace presents to them,” Mady stated.
Mady additionally stated she believed recruitment of scholars on the college may very well be affected by the discharge of the Rubin Tomlinson report.
“Clearly all this information, media about what’s going on at UPEI will not be an incredible look. Nevertheless it’s essential that these are being delivered to mild,” Mady stated.
