Concordia University has stepped up its security presence following multiple allegations of harassment and stalking from strangers on its campus.

Lisa Komlos posted a video to Instagram that has received 150,000 views, warning others of two troubling encounters she had with men in recent weeks.

She was first approached two weeks ago while she was alone and walking through a university building.

“He started with a compliment and then asked me tons of personal questions and basically was trying to get me alone with him,” she said in an Instagram post. “He was very pushy about it, very aggressive. He didn’t pick up on any of my social cues.”

The same thing happened to Komlos two days later, with the same script.

“The same sense of urgency again,” she said “The same thing, then he proceeded with a compliment and then again the same exact line of questions. So right away, I knew that this was a coincidence that there’s something more going on.”

Komlos reported the incident to the Concordia’s Sexual Assault Resource Centre and to Montreal police.

The school said it has taken notice and upped its number of security guards, saying similar reports have surfaced on campus and in other locations in downtown Montreal.

“Concordia has taken several measures to respond, including liaising with the Montreal police,” the school said in a statement. “In addition, we have increased security at our Sir George Williams campus and asked our agents to be especially vigilant in light of these latest reports.”

“The safety of women on campuses is all of our jobs,” Komlos said in her post.

 

Young man yells FHRITP during CTV interview

Some students say talking about the issue is what will lead to changing the culture of harassment that exists on campus.

That culture was evidenced Monday, when CTV Montreal reporter Amanda Kline was interviewing a student outside the Hall building, and a young man yelled out the well-known vulgar slur abbreviated as ‘FHRITP.’

“Those are the people that make me really upset, because they have no idea what we’re talking about and then they make comments like that. It’s completely out of the blue, but it’s also super relevant at the same time how that comment just happened,” said the student.


Campus resources

If people feel unsafe or notice suspicious behaviour, they are asked to call Concordia Security:

  •  Internal (university) phone: dial 3717, press 1
  • External phone: 514-848-3717, press 1

Concordia also has a 24-hour Safe Walk Program in place where members of the Concordia community can have a security agent accompany them to their car or other locations within a three-block radius.

Those working on campus can also use the Checkmate, an after-hours automated telephone check-in system that calls or sends text messages to you every hour between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and asks you to confirm your safety.

For more information, visit Concordia’s Security Department website.