Students speak out, pushing for better resources, stricter consequences, and institutional reforms
Illustrations by Sage Blackwell.
*Some names have been changed and identifying information omitted to protect the privacy of those interviewed.
This article contains discussion of sexualized violence, which may be upsetting to some readers.
On her second day living in residence, Damini Johnstone, 17 years old and in her first year of university, attended a party in Cadboro Bay. It was September of 2021.
UVic was Johnstone’s next big adventure, and just like hundreds of other new students, she looked forward to joining the university life social scene. Getting to know the people in her residence, who she attended the party with, was the first step.
But that night, Johnstone’s experience would expose critical gaps in UVic’s response to sexualized violence — gaps that are now being highlighted as the university’s Sexualized Prevention and Response Policy (SVPR) undergoes a long-awaited review.
At the party, Johnstone accepted a drink from a male student. This is where her story begins.
“I remember … being pulled up and being dragged up the hill back to UVic,” said Johnstone in a TikTok video she posted about the incident, which has garnered over 420 000 views and 46 000 likes so far.
Although Johnstone left UVic after her second year, she is calling for increased safety measures and better student support in her TikTok video, accusing UVic — particularly Campus Security (CSEC) — of responding inadequately when her incident occurred.
After accepting the drink, the night went black for Johnstone. In her TikTok, she explains bits and pieces of what she can remember. How the male student found her Cluster neighbourhood dormitory and took the keys from her pockets to let himself in; how she couldn’t answer or object; how she locked herself in the washroom and called as many people as she could while the man waited on her couch.
After her friends arrived and forced the man to leave, Johnstone was found vomiting blood and unable to communicate.
“They had told us when we were first moving in that your first point of contact on-campus for any emergency is to call campus security,” said Johnstone in the video. Following this advice, her friends called CSEC.
According to Johnstone, despite clear signs of distress, CSEC dismissed the situation as drunkenness, providing no further medical support. Johnstone says she later faced disciplinary action from UVic’s residence office for underage drinking, despite her repeated claims that she had been drugged.
UVic declined to comment on details of this incident.
“If something happens, call the police, call an ambulance, don’t call Campus Security,” said Johnstone. “Protect yourself, because the school is not going to do it for you.”
UVic’s SVPR is undergoing a review, three years after the last one, and students like Johnstone are stepping forward to reveal how the current system has failed them. Their stories highlight crucial gaps that still exist in addressing cases of sexualized violence on campus.
The SVRP policy is detailed in a 50-page document that outlines the university’s approach to handling cases of sexualized violence. This policy emphasizes a survivor-centered approach and gives clear and strong definitions of key concepts, such as consent. It states that consent must be clear and enthusiastic at all stages, and encourages survivors to report incidents to the Sexualized Violence Resource Office (SVRO). However, survivors say the policy’s practical implementation — especially regarding awareness of resources and institutional response — isn’t working.
A UVic spokesperson said, in an email to the Martlet, that “the safety and wellbeing of our students is UVic’s top priority. All forms of violence, including sexualized violence, are unacceptable, and we encourage anyone who has immediate safety or security concerns to call 911 and Campus Security.”
The spokesperson also pointed out that numerous resources, including CSEC, Equity and Human Rights (EQHR), SVRO, Student Wellness, and the Office of Student Life are available for students in need.
Nevertheless, statistics and student testimonies point to a lack of support and a lack of direction to available resources.
Recent data from UVic’s EQHR office highlights the extent of the problem. In the 2022-23 school year, nearly 60 disclosures of sexualized violence were filed. Despite this, only five per cent of survivors filed formal reports. Of these two reports, one led to an investigation, and the other was resolved through a voluntary resolution process.
The underreporting crisis
According to the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, sexual assault is the most underreported crime, with victims being about 80 per cent less likely to report it to the police compared to other violent offenses. In fact, only six per cent of sexual assaults are ever brought to law enforcement.
If we extrapolated these statistics to the UVic environment, it would mean that there were more than 900 cases during the 2022-23 school year that were never disclosed to the EQHR or SVRO offices.
However, UVic’s position is a bit trickier, as disclosure doesn’t mean it falls within their jurisdiction. As per the policy, UVic can investigate any actions, interactions, and behaviours of a member of the university community if the incident occurred on UVic property, if the respondent is or was in a position of power or influence over the complainant’s academic or employment status at UVic, or if the incident happened while engaged in a university activity.
If the incident doesn’t break the Sexualized Prevention and Response Policy (implemented in 2016), there aren’t many alternative strategies or solutions UVic can offer. Howver, UVic has a responsibility to inform students about the different resources available and how to access them.
In an interview with the Martlet, Johnstone said that she reported her incident to Residence Services several times, and was never told about SVRO. “Why did it take three years and a viral TikTok for you guys to tell me about this?” she asks.
Alex,* another former UVic student, shared their experience with UVic’s policy with the Martlet. Alex recounted months of ongoing harassment by their roommate, who eventually assaulted them. UVic Residence Services did not effectively address the situation during that time, they said.
According to Alex, UVic’s SVRO had no process in place for students living with their assailant. “Their procedures relied on you not having to interact with the person every day,” they said.
SVRO’s Voluntary Resolution Process relies on offering a voluntary, moderated discussion between the claimant and respondent, which Alex found highly inappropriate given their living situation.
“It made no sense as I lived with him and saw him every day, both before and after the assault. I was scared that following that procedure would create a hostile living environment.”
Fearful of escalating the situation, Alex felt they had no choice but to continue living with their assailant for three more months. “I felt that [UVic] didn’t take the assault seriously. It seemed as if disciplinary action, removing him, or even just moving him [within] residence was never on the table.”
A UVic spokesperson, in an email to the Martlet, stated that during an investigation, if both the complainant and respondent live on campus, the university may implement interim measures, such as relocating the respondent from shared living spaces. “In some cases, the SVRO can also help negotiate a no-contact agreement or behavioural agreement.”
SVRO advocates and reports on Voluntary Resolution Processes. In their 2022-23 report, 24 per cent of survivors requested this process, “with most resulting in either awareness and education for the person alleged to have caused harm and/or behavioural agreements.” Sanctioning does not fall under SVROs’ jurisdiction, but rather with the respective Associate Vice-President — Student Affairs for students, Human Resources for staff, and Provost for faculty.
“It took me a long time to go through an EQHR process because I didn’t realize that was an option until a nurse told me,” said Charlie* another former UVic student.
For Charlie, the consequences of UVic’s flawed policies were even more devastating. During their first weekend on campus, they were sexually assaulted by someone in their friend group. “The process was very difficult emotionally,” Charlie recalled. “[The perpetrator] tried to use UVic’s policy on consent as his defence, claiming I was ‘enthusiastic’ when really I don’t know how he got me from the bathroom to my dorm room.”
The formal report ended with the male student suspended and not allowed on campus until Charlie finished their degree. Charlie understood this to be “the most severe punishment UVic had ever laid out for an EQHR case,” they said. “This surprised me, but I was just relieved not to have to be afraid of running into him on campus.”
A UVic spokesperson said that such discipline for students typically “ranges from education to expulsion.”
“I’ll obviously never be the same in my personal life,” said Charlie, “but I especially resent how my academic success was destroyed by what happened to me.”
Steps toward change
UVic remains committed to warning students about possible threats as well as presenting resources available. On Sept. 14, UVic issued an email to students addressing concerns of drink tampering at off-campus events, advising students to pour their own drinks and contact authorities if they notice any suspicious activity. The email included online resources to learn more about drug-facilitated sexual assault, and on-campus available resources such as The SVRO, Student Wellness, CSEC, and the Anti-Violence Project.
On an institutional level, UVic’s SVPR policy is currently under review. This policy was created in 2016 in recognition of the pervasiveness of sexualized violence both on and off campus. The policy outlines UVic’s definition of sexualized violence, options for reporting concerns, and the support students can expect to receive. The policy applies to all members of the university community, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The policy was last reviewed in 2020/2021 with input from the community, and another focused review is underway, scheduled to be completed by March 2025.
“As per BC’s Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, the university’s Sexualized Violence Policy must be reviewed every three years,” said a UVic spokesperson in an email to the Martlet. “While we are constantly looking at ways to improve our policy, the formal policy review is an important opportunity to take a critical look at how we can best serve our community.
This review has completed Phase 1, which involved broad community engagement through an online survey and in-person consultations. Crucial to this review is the consultation with survivors, as well as others who have recently interacted with the policy. This phase ran from Sept. 16 to Oct. 4, 2024.
Now, the review is undergoing a more focused consultation and analysis of feedback throughout the fall. The SVPR advisory group made up of students, faculty, staff, and other UVic employees will meet and review the summaries of Phase 1 every two weeks, so they can inform and create key changes to this policy.
The final technical review is planned for early 2025, when key UVic units such as the Office of Student Life, Human Resources, Faculty Relations, Campus Security, and Occupational Health, Safety, and the Environment will review their specific responsibilities. The revised policy is expected to be presented to the Board of Governors for approval in March 2025.
“I hope that the [SVRO] and Residence Services can come up with better procedures in place for when a student is assaulted by someone they live with,” said Alex.
“It wasn’t until my final semester that I was told by my therapist that I could get accommodations because of my C-PTSD diagnosis,” said Charlie, reflecting on their time at UVic, “I wish I had had that at least. It was also challenging to access enough therapy since the counsellors on campus are overbooked and it’s hard to have regular appointments.”
UVic students are calling for changes in how UVic responds to cases of sexualized violence, with many demanding more thorough investigations, stricter consequences, and better support for survivors.
Johnstone would like to see UVic handle sexualized violence incidents “with more grace and kindness, instead of immediately assuming that a girl is too drunk and that she did it to herself,” she said. “[And] maybe think about why this keeps happening at your university.”
