Concordia has unveiled its ‘Climate Review’ of the university’s English Department following a spate of allegations of sexual misconduct.
Compiled by a retired Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal and two psychologists, the 18-page report reveals some students and faculty members perceived the climate within the department as “unhealthy” and that “departmental culture and practices did not promote healthy relationships.”
The review follows university President Alan Shepard’s announcement in 2018 that Concordia would be taking steps to respond to and prevent sexual assault throughout the university – most notably within the English Department – including the creation of a task force and the third-party investigation of specific allegations.
In 2014, former student Emma Healey published an article on the website The Hairpin in which she alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a professor while an undergraduate at the school.
In February 2015, a letter signed by six students within the creative writing program called on Concordia to act against the program's "toxic atmosphere."
Novelist Heather O'Neill told CTV News she had been subjected to sexual harassment while studying at the school two decades ago.
Ibi Kaslik, a Toronto-based New York Times bestselling author, said a professor had made repeated unwanted romantic overtures towards her that began on her first day in his class back in the mid 1990’s.
The students denounced the "lack of response from the department," and called for new policies to ensure "a positive space for creative interaction."
In 2018, two professors were suspended amid misconduct allegations, and later cleared of any wrongdoing.
Kaslik was especially vocal in her rejection of the university’s inquiry.
“We were not involved in the process in a transparent way, we weren’t told of any results, we were not kept up to date – we were actually misled several times about what would occur,” she told CTV news in February.
“I can understand why that’s very frustrating – it’s very frustrating for us as a university that takes these things very seriously, and to not be able to say anything either,” explained Lisa Ostiguy, Head of Concordia’s Standing Committee on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence.
“We have all sorts of ranges and sanctions, from a letter of warning, to suspension to a person being terminated, and we can’t explain what those outcomes are,” she said.
Sophie Hough-Martin, General Coordinator of the Concordia Student Union, says they are "disappointed with the findings but not surprised."
"It's useful to be able to quantify it," Hough-Martin said. "There should be climate reviews in other departments, because it’s a given that there may be sexual misconduct [there.]"
What the review reveals
In order to compile the review, Concordia solicited input from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other members of the department between April and September 2019.
A total of 109 participants – 32 students, 17 faculty members, 3 staff members, and 57 alumni from the Department of English – weighed in on the overall environment, and not specific cases.
According to the information gathered, the authors of the report identified four key issues impacting the department’s reputation: Real or perceived acts of sexual violence committed by faculty members, real or perceived instances of favoritism and conflict of interest, mistrust towards the institution in the handling of complaints, and perceived discrimination and hostility.
According to the report, certain faculty members have held classes in bars, held parties at their houses, invited students for drinks, or consumed alcohol or drugs with students.
“In parallel to the situational factors described above, there appears to be a solidly rooted whisper network at work in the Department of English where past and recent incidents are discussed between students and communicated to new students,” the report reads. “The existence of the whisper network underlines the lack of trust that certain students have in the University’s handling of these matters.”
Many students explained they perceive favoritism towards certain students by some faculty members, and an inappropriate use of the latter’s power.
The review also revealed that faculty members and staff are “sometimes made aware of their colleagues’ misconduct but are unsure of how to act or are hesitant to do so.”
"Naturally, this causes us concern. We care about the well-being of the Concordia community, and it is distressing to lean of such issues," Shepard said in a statement issued Thursday.
"Indeed, the findings indicate that a very small number of faculty members had been perceived as engaging in inappropriate or unacceptable conduct," he wrote. "The report also notes that negative experiences reported by current students are significantly less compared to the negative experiences reported by alumni."
The report recommends implementing and enforcing clear expectations, training and guidelines from the university’s highest authority.
The university also suggested the assignment of a liaison for complainants “involved in ongoing investigations in order to share information and answer questions regarding processes,” according to the report.
Ostiguy says she believes the department, the task force, and the standing committee have put a lot in place to combat the problem, but concedes that it’s a “work in progress.”
“Often, because of [Concordia’s] size, it’s hard to turn things around quickly, but I can say that we’ve made a commitment over time and will continue to do that,” she explained.
“I don’t think anyone will ever be satisfied, because we always have work to do on our processes,” Ostiguy added.
"We wish to acknowledge the courage of individuals who have shared with us their experiences," Shepard said in his repsonse. "We know that it can take time — sometimes years — for survivors to come forward. We will always be ready to listen and receive accounts of past events and will strive to incorporate those perspectives and lessons into our path forward."
