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A researcher into sexual violence prevention on university campuses says she sees a connection between the outcry over a banner that appeared during homecoming weekend at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., and an alleged gang rape at Cornell University.
Alyssa Spridgeon says the public outcry over the St. FX banner has been fuelled in part by the recent outrage over how American authorities have handled the Cornell case in upstate New York. They initially decided not to lay charges, and that is now the subject of an inquiry ordered by New York’s governor.
Spridgeon says it’s a good thing people are focusing on this issue, but she said she hopes that interest in stopping sexual violence is sustained long after the Cornell case, or even the banner, disappears from the news.
“I would love to see people continue to advocate long-term, and not just when this story gets resolved or when it goes away,” Spridgeon said.
She hopes the conversation happening now helps people “understand how things like a sign or rape jokes or victim-blaming statements … can contribute to a culture that perpetuates harm.”
St. FX professor Tara Taylor was driving home when she saw the sign hanging from an off-campus student rental house.
“I thought I should really take a photo of it to document this,” she told CBC News. “This is not OK and I don’t want to contribute to the silence around it.”
Taylor said there was another sign at the home that was more offensive, but she chose not to take a photo of it.
She posted the photo to Facebook to see if others had the same visceral reaction as she did. Taylor said people generally did.
“I saw it as a taunt and just very much treating girlfriends as objects, as possessions,” she said. “I just found it very offensive and part of rape culture. I didn’t see it as just a joke.”
Football player convicted for sex assaults
Spridgeon was an undergraduate student at St. FX when a member of the university football team was convicted for sexually assaulting two female students. Omogbolahan “Teddy” Jegede has since been released on day parole, having served his prison sentence. The two women have each launched civil lawsuits against the university.
The president of St. FX, Andrew Hakin, said a lot has changed since those assaults.
“We have gone through our policies very carefully,” he said Monday, adding the school has adjusted its policies as well.
Hakin said he couldn’t comment further on the Jegede case or the subsequent lawsuits, but he expressed frustration and disappointment about the banner that appeared on the weekend.
“We don’t want behaviours that objectify women in this way, that normalizes sexual violence and is indicative of a rape culture,” Hakin said.
“This is not who we are.”
Spridgeon said she has seen a wide range of reactions to the banner after a photo was posted online, from rationalizing them with a “boys will be boys” attitude all the way to expressions of outrage.
Hakin said a student code of conduct investigation is already underway and he expects to see results within two weeks. He said sanctions could include suspension or expulsion.
During her time at St. FX, Spridgeon worked with varsity athletes, talking to them about sexual violence. She was a varsity athlete herself, playing goal for the university soccer team.
She’s now part of a research project looking at sexual violence in university sports across the Maritimes. The team is reaching out to present and former athletes to try to persuade them to talk about their experiences.
She said the banners displayed this weekend show there’s still more work to do.
“I’d love to see people taking steps to interrupt conversations in their daily life, calling out or calling people in to conversation to discuss why what they’re saying isn’t appropriate,” she said.
Spridgeon says those interventions are a preventative approach to prevent more harmful behaviours in the long term.
“When we’re excusing the banners or excusing harmful jokes, we’re sending the message that we’re going to excuse other things as well, like sexual assault.”
A sign hung outside an off-campus house during St. Francis Xavier University’s homecoming weekend has been widely condemned as an example of rape culture. Elizabeth Yeo, vice-president of students, shares what the Antigonish, N.S., school is doing to address concerns.
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