Three safety working groups approved to continue into 2016

The effectiveness of York’s safety initiatives and research has yet to be communicated, as thus far the main goal seems to be promotion and awareness.
Three working groups were formed to discuss specific aspects of safety at York in September of last year:Safety Communication, Outreach, and the Active Bystander Program. All three working groups have contributed to this year’s recommendations.
[su_quote]“With the procedures being developed for the Sexual Assault Prevention policy, and with the subway coming onto campus, York will have a lot of positive initiatives on the horizon,” says Prakash Amarasooriya, former student committee chair.[/su_quote]
The three working groups are a big step forward because it continues the work from the previous year without time being spent on re-establishing them, he adds. Which is not to say that new groups cannot be formed either.
“I encourage students to join the Community Safety Council Student Committee, which is open to everyone. They can learn about the initiatives York already has in place, how they can get involved, and provide feedback on how to improve and move forward.”
This is truly important because safety should not only be a focus after an incident, but all the time, says Amarasooriya.
His only recommendations for the Community Safety Council would be to have the recommendations sent to the president at the very least bi-annually so they can be implemented in the same year, and further work collaboratively with local community groups in and around campus.
“The working groups were only established about 18 months ago,” says Joanne Rider, media relations. “So this was their first full year of operation. Their recommendations will be audited in the future but it is premature to evaluate their effectiveness at this point.”
Nevertheless, the CSC is gearing up for another year of initiatives. Last year, the CSC had one open session on the Active Bystander Program.
Additionally, several CSC members attended the February 20, 2015 symposium on sexual assault prevention, led by the Ontario Committee on Student Affairs and held at York.
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, chair, wrote that the objective of this symposium was to “inform the reference group on sexual violence that has been formed by the Council of Ontario Universities.”
Students can be part of the committee and attend meetings. To stay updated, visit csc.info.yorku.ca.

Ryan Moore, News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Michael Zusev, Photo Editor