性骚扰性侵犯议题（24）布鲁克大学教授发表公开信要求校方改善处理性骚扰的政策和程序

继布鲁克大学学生举行示威活动抗议校方对一宗性骚扰事件的处理方式后， 布鲁克大学一批教授发表了一封公开信，要求校方改善处理性骚扰的政策和程序。

他们在信中表示：“我们因关于这个个案的新闻深感不安，并对提出投诉的学生表示同情。她没有看到校方对调查结果迅速采取行动，令她对校方失去信心，校方还要求她保持沉默。这个学生对校方的信任被滥用，我们向她勇于发声的勇气致敬。”

他们在信中说：“这个个案证明很多教职员工已经意识到的：学校处理关于性骚扰和性侵犯投诉的政策和程序不清晰，不有效和不公平。”

他们最后在信中敦促校方为学校人权办公室的运作提供充分的资源；建立考虑周全的、清晰的和负责任的以幸存者为中心的处理投诉的程序；向学生和教职员工分发相关指引。

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT March 16, 2016

In the wake of the recent news reports and university announcements concerning a case of sexual harassment, we, the undersigned Brock University faculty members, would like to highlight some pressing problems and propose some courses of action.

We are deeply troubled by the news of this case and wish to express our sympathies with the student complainant, who has seen no prompt action taken by the university in response to the findings of the investigative report, and has felt so discouraged and silenced by the university. It is reprehensible that this student’s trust has been abused, and we salute her courage for speaking out.

This case demonstrates what many faculty and staff have come to recognize: the university’s policies and processes with which to address and resolve complaints of harassment and assault are unclear, ineffective, and unfair. Many of us in recent years have observed how inadequate, contradictory, and often self-defeating the process has proved. This situation cannot stand. The university administration needs to support and preserve the general culture of profound pedagogical commitment and collegial trust at Brock.

Acknowledging the mandate of the sexual violence prevention committee created only last fall, we call for the following:

(1) a significant commitment of resources (funding, staff, and autonomy) to a fully functional Human Rights office;

 (2) a considered, clear, and responsible survivor-centred process for handling these and related kinds of complaints, in accord with provincial legislation and the Strategic Mandate Agreement (SMA), drafted not solely by administration but with the HRO and in consultation with BUFA and CUPE and all other affected unions (so that unions sign on and are not forced to grieve against an incoherent or unclear process) as well as student counselling services and campus security;

 (3) the dissemination of a set of clear instructions and guidelines for faculty, staff, and students, including those concerning the responsibilities of faculty and staff in reporting complaints and the rights of faculty, staff, and students involved in such complaints.