Tuesday, April 4 2017

An important message from:

Dr. Donald Ipperciel, Principal
Ian Roberge, Associate Principal, Academic 
Pascal Arseneau, Assistant Principal, Division of Student Services, Glendon College
Patrick Banville, Executive Officer 
David Ip Yam, Director, Student Affairs 
Brandon Cheong, President, Glendon College Student Union
Samina Sami, Executive Director, Community Safety
Michael Charles, Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
Debbie Hansen, Executive Director, Community Support and Services
Brendan Schulz, Executive Director, Student Success

 

Dear members of the Glendon Community,

Thank you to all who participated in the Town Hall last Friday, March 24, both in person and online. The Town Hall intended to serve as a starting place to collectively resist anti-Semitism, anti-Black and other forms of racism and hate; to share baseline information about the incidents; and to serve as the basis for improving communication, safety, security, inclusion and ongoing support. Here is what we heard from you, our response, and what we have committed to doing immediately:

Clarity regarding the role of the Department of Community Safety and the investigation led by Toronto Police:

  • The new Executive Director of Community Safety, Samina Sami, advised that:
    • as part of establishing the new Community Safety Department, they are engaging in consultations across York’s campuses to build a community-informed vision and strategy for safety;
    • the Department held public consultations with Glendon in February 2017 and community members can still provide input into the consultations through the safety website safety.yorku.ca or by arranging meetings with the Department;
    • the Department has made some of its resources more accessible to the Glendon Campus by translating them to French, beginning with its list of services. The services handout is available in the security office located at the Glendon Greenhouse. Further resources will continue to be translated as part of establishing the new Department.
    • the University takes the safety of all community members seriously and wants to hear ideas from the community;
    • the investigation is ongoing and York Security is working actively on the investigation with the police;
    • no arrests have been made and the community will be informed if there are any new developments;
    • during an active and ongoing investigation further details of the investigation cannot be shared, as this may reveal details which could compromise the process;
    • Toronto Police are treating the investigation with the highest priority and members of the TPS Hate Crime Unit were in attendance at the Town Hall to listen to the community;
    • anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, and all forms of hate will not be tolerated and if the perpetrators of these terrible crimes are found, they will be brought to account for their actions;
    • enhanced security patrols have been initiated and video surveillance is in place;
    • anyone with information about these incidents is encouraged to contact Toronto Police Service or York Security Services;
    • cases have been solved and prevented at York University with the community’s input and community members are strongly encouraged to come forward if they have any information, and;
    • York safety reporting procedures, services and contact information are available on safety.yorku.ca.

 

Dissemination of emergency preparedness training and protocols:

Community Safety will be offering emergency preparedness and safety training sessions as early as this summer at Glendon and the training will continue into the 2017/18 school year.  

 

Enhance campus security infrastructure: 

  • The University is committed to work closely with the Principal’s Office and the Glendon community to ensure concrete investments are made to enhance safety at Glendon. These will include:
  • improved interior lighting based on immediate recommendations from the Principal’s office, as well as improved exterior lighting following a community lighting tour;
  • existing CCTV cameras will be replaced and additional cameras added to both interior and exterior locations.This comprehensive review, assessment, and upgrade is anticipated to take 9-12 months;
  • LCD screens will be added to the Centre of Excellence, York Hall, Glendon Manor, and the Frost Library. Planning for this program is already underway with installation expected for September 2017;
  • installation of a PA system is currently underway. The Centre of Excellence and York Hall fire alarm system will be integrated with the PA system for emergency announcement. Similarly, the upgrades currently underway with both residences will allow this capability for the summer;
  • exploration and implementation of the most effective platform for a Glendon-based Mobile Safety App; and
  • increases in the base budget to ensure Glendon Security supervisory capacity with bilingual skills.

 

Improved communication and mechanisms for communication:

Improving campus security infrastructure and enhancing emergency preparedness training will greatly help with the communication gaps experienced during and after the incidents. Glendon will also review its internal email lists to ensure that all students, staff and faculty are included.

 

Human Rights, Anti-racism and Diversity:

  • The Centre for Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI) has already begun making some of its online and print resources more accessible to Glendon Campus by translating them to French. Moreover, we will be creating a Glendon diversity working group that comprises student organizations, staff and faculty and that will be supported by REI and Community Safety. Their mandate would be to coordinate existing and new extra-curricular programming to help promote a culture of renewed commitment to human rights and anti-racism.

 

Care and Support:

We would like to remind you of services available to you should or someone you know require support:

 

Accountability and transparency regarding progress on the action plan:

We will keep you informed and updated on the progress with these items on this website.

 

Implementing an Action Plan

As evidenced by the above information, we have begun implementing an action plan with our University partners. The product will be enhanced with everyone’s participation. Therefore, we invite you to provide feedback before April 30th, 2017 by sharing your comments and suggestions on building a culture of security, safety, inclusion and support via this online and anonymous form. Your feedback will directly inform ongoing efforts.

We echo the statement from President Shoukri and Provost Lenton on incidents of hate graffiti sent to the community via email on March 23, 2017: “We want to be very clear to the York University community and beyond: this kind of hate does not represent who we are, and is in complete disaccord with our values of respect and inclusion. We condemn all acts of hate, and we embrace diversity as the very foundation of our institution.”

 

Kind regards,

Dr. Donald Ipperciel, Principal
Ian Roberge, Associate Principal, Academic 
Pascal Arseneau, Assistant Principal, Division of Student Services, Glendon College
Patrick Banville, Executive Officer 
David Ip Yam, Director, Student Affairs 
Brandon Cheong, President, Glendon College Student Union
Samina Sami, Executive Director, Community Safety
Michael Charles, Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
Debbie Hansen, Executive Director, Community Support and Services
Brendan Schulz, Executive Director, Student Success