Shahroze Rauf | Assistant News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Komal Kalia
Daniel Katsnelson was released last year after an eight-year sentence. He was found guilty in 2010 of sexually assaulting two York students in Vanier College in 2007 during Frosh week, aged 17 and 19 at the time.
In a pre-sentence report, Katsnelson said: “I hope some day the victim will be able to take away something positive from this, as I have, such as she will now know to keep her doors locked.”
Now, the ex-convict is reported to have returned to social media and dating apps such as Tinder. But Katsnelson’s case is only one of the many sexual assault incidents to have occurred on or near the York campus.
Just last Thursday, 21-year-old Lamar Anthony Howe, was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault. He is allegedly associated with a string of sexual assaults that occurred since last August, one of which happened on October 9, 2018, when a 21-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the York Village around Sentinel and Cook Road.
This past December, Toronto Police Inspector Domenic Sinopoli released a safety alert concerning five women who were assaulted near York in an unrelated case.
“A predator on the loose is attacking women from behind,” Sinopoli said at a news conference, “I don’t know what his motive is, considering that some of these occurrences may start with a robbery and end with a sexual assault.”
Deputy Spokesperson for York, Yanni Dagonas, issued a statement responding to these, and many other sexual assault incidents that have happened on, or in the vicinity of campus grounds.
“York University takes the safety of students and all members of the York community very seriously. When an incident occurs on campus or near campus, York’s Community Safety will send a security bulletin email informing our community on multiple platforms.”
However, many students from York and Seneca feel that campus security and general preventative measures need to be increased to ensure campus safety.
“I would feel a lot safer if there were more cameras installed that were being monitored on a 24-hour basis, as well as more security after hours in certain areas of York that are more deserted,” says third-year law and society student Aisha Asakzai.
“York can install safety booths like Humber North around areas that might make students feel unsafe,” says first-year journalism student at Seneca, Jashveer Daboo.
According to Dagonas, there are multiple measures already in effect on campus to help students in case of an emergency.
“York Security Services are on active alert, patrolling the campus. York has a total of 62 exterior ‘Blue Light’ phones, 56 are located on the Keele Campus and six at Glendon. There are also interior safety phones located in building hallways, 72 LCD screens, more than 700 CCTV cameras and an internal PA system,” Dagonas says.
As for preventive measures regarding Katsnelson’s return to social media, many female Facebook users have spread awareness on the matter, warning women of his history of sexual violence.
“For all of you who are using dating apps, regardless of the reason, if you are looking for cis males please be careful,” says Facebook user Justine Thompson-Fisher. “Please share this with your friends, your family, in Facebook groups online, and anywhere, so that we can keep our communities
