Join ECU’s Sex and Gender-Based Violence Committee: Student Participants Needed

In 2021, ECU established its first Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Committee. This committee began as a small collective of faculty, staff, and students united by a commitment to student safety and support. Together, they developed a blueprint to create education, support, and a response framework for addressing sexual and gender-based violence. Their work aligns with the requirements of the BC Sexual Violence and Misconduct Act and ECU’s own Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Misconduct Policies and Procedures.

The initial meetings have worked to establish terms of reference and goals for this working group, which include:

• Enhancing awareness

• Promoting education

• Facilitating violence prevention

This year we are renewing the call for expressions of interest to fill vacant positions in the SGBV Committee, including strong student representation.

The SGBV Committee will work towards the goal of creating safety education that works to prevent sexual violence and ensures supportive and trauma-informed responses to harm. This is a commitment to creating a learning and working environment where all students, staff, and faculty can thrive. The committee’s work will be grounded in best practices in violence prevention and meaningful inclusion.

We are committed to the "nothing about us without us" philosophy and upholding the provincial government mandate of ensuring that the voices on the committee include people with lived experience and people who directly support efforts to respond and reduce incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.

The committee is open to different forms and levels of participation, such as shared positions, advisors, or affiliates who may not participate in a fully active capacity, but who can opt into meetings, discussions, collaborative writing and email threads as time and energy allow, and as topics meet their expertise and curiosity.

There will be a one-year appointment for students and two-year appointment for staff. These terms can be renewed and extended for both if interest is expressed to continue.

Please email ECU Coordinator of Student Rights, Safety + Responsibility Justine Langille (justinlangille@ecuad.ca) a short/informal statement* outlining the following:

• Why you would like to contribute to this work

• What you offer the committee in terms of its required composition (i.e. role at ECU, diversity, and lived experience considerations) in support of a committee formed to reflect the diversity of ECU’s community. 

*Please note we recognize that challenges may emerge in submitting an expression of interest for people with lived experience of sex and gender-based violence.

You are not required to tell us your story or any details of your experience. Do not hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can support your application to this committee.

To address privacy concerns, the information submitted will only be used for the committee composition process and will then be destroyed.

Please indicate if you are interested in being an active committee member or casual advisor or affiliate. 

Please email ECU Coordinator of Student Rights, Safety + Responsibility Justine Langille (justinlangille@ecuad.ca) with any questions.

If you are an ECU student who has experienced or witnessed sexual or gender-based violence and need support please visit the ECU Sexual Violence Prevention and Support website.

This site has current information on how to get help on campus and in the Vancouver community. It also outlines how to make a report or support someone else.

In the “Make a Report” section, you can also find information on how to report completely anonymously through the ECU Anonymous Reporting Tool, which allows you to share information with ECU without divulging any identifying information about yourself.

You can also find more information on the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support website about sex and gender-based violence policy and procedures at ECU, prevention and education resources as well as staff and faculty resources