Statement on the attack at the University of Waterloo campus

It is with deep sadness that the University of Calgary community learned about the indefensible acts of hate and violence targeted against members of the University of Waterloo faculty and students in a course on gender issues on June 28. We recognize the grief and trauma this incident has caused. Our thoughts are with those who are grieving, including the survivors of this targeted attack, and all students, staff, faculty and members of the university and wider community. 

The University of Calgary condemns all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, harassment, bullying, and discrimination directed against people because of who they are, their gender identity or gender expression, or because of the content of their teaching, learning, research or community engagement. We are in solidarity with all those impacted by this violence.

We understand the investigation continues to unfold. In the meantime, we would like to reiterate to our campus community and across the post-secondary sector our ongoing commitment to prevent violence and combat hatred directed against members of the LGBTQ2S+ community as we work to create a safe, equitable, diverse, inclusive, and affirming teaching and learning environment in which all members of our campus community can flourish.

Please, if you or anyone you know needs help or support, we have access to a wide range of on and off campus resources for you to consult.

The safety of everyone on our campuses is our number-one priority. The University of Calgary has an Emergency Management program, which includes emergency communications via our Alertus Emergency App and Desktop notification, voice mass notification systems in most buildings, Twitter, website banners and email.

We conduct monthly testing of our Alertus Emergency App to ensure that everyone who has the app is receiving the messages, and we encourage anyone who doesn’t have the app to download it to maintain their safety on campus. We also have active assailant training and encourage everyone in our community to view the video on our website. 

We co-ordinate closely with the Calgary Police Service on any potential situations of concern. Additionally, our security teams patrol the campus on a regular basis and monitor for potential concerns via CCTV cameras. More information on UCalgary’s approach to emergency management is available on our website.

Sincerely,
 

Penny Werthner, PhD
Interim Provost and  Vice-President (Academic)