Protest march focuses on BU safety concerns – Brandon Sun

A Brandon University (BU) biology professor is disputing Brandon police’s claim that the vicious attack and robbery of a young female student near campus on Nov. 23 was an “isolated incident.”

“I doubt it is isolated because not everything is reported,” said Prof. Mousumi Majumder, who teaches biology at the university. Majumder serves on the university’s Equity Committee and said a faculty member recently told them they had been followed home from campus.

“Classes ended at 9 p.m., so it took her to be ready and all around 9:15 p.m. So as she walked from campus to her (residence), you know, across the street that she rents, she said two people…followed her. Did she report it then? I don’t think so. I feel like there is more than what you hear. It happens more than just in isolation.”

Majumder is one of about 25 faculty and students who marched Friday morning from Bailey’s Cafe in BU’s Knowles-Douglas Building to BU President David Docherty’s office in Clark Hall to call for more and better information about safety and security on campus . The group presented Docherty with a signed petition calling on the president to host a public town hall on the issue of campus safety and security.

Friday’s march and petition came a week after the robbery and assault near the university campus. On the evening of November 23, a female student was on her way to visit friends living in an on-campus residence when she was attacked, robbed and seriously injured in the 1800 block of Louise Avenue.

In an interview with the Sun Wednesday, Brandon Police Chief Tyler Bates said the woman had “significant lacerations” and was taken to the hospital for treatment before being released. While he sympathized with the injured and traumatized victim, Bates said police were treating the situation as an isolated incident.

“Although it is an isolated incident that is very serious in nature, and the injuries were such that, you know, that is certainly regrettable and unfortunate for that victim, who had to be traumatized in that way … we are aware of that and…we We will continue our patrols in that specific area.”

Students in Majumder’s biology class are still concerned, she said, because the nature of their science studies requires students to work in the lab at different hours of the day or evening.

She has long had a kind of buddy system for students, requiring them to have lab partners who walk and work together to keep them safe on campus. Majumder has also implemented mandatory check-ins with students and is encouraging more cautious behavior to ensure the safety of the campus community, which she considers a “temple of knowledge.”

“I now have a research group of about fifteen students. I am extremely careful every day,” Majumder added.

On Friday morning, participating students and faculty in Docherty’s office told the university president about their concerns and expressed hope that he would take them seriously.

“I would say that, especially as a woman, I feel unsafe,” said Joy, one of the students who joined the group in Docherty’s office Friday morning. “Right now I don’t have a car, so I usually walk home, and it’s been a situation where, as I’m walking home, I’m looking at my back – especially now that it’s… getting so cold and getting dark really early. I see myself walking home in the dark and I know that many students share this feeling.”

The signed petition called on the university to “immediately” host an informational town hall through BU Assoc. Prof. Ariane Hanemaayer, who organized Friday morning’s march, said it should in any case be held as soon as possible.

“I think this should be done within the next few days because this is an urgent matter, and therefore we hope that this will be addressed urgently,” Hanemaayer said. “This is for the students. This is where they belong. This is their learning place. They have the right to feel safe here. The same goes for the faculty.”

She told the Sun that the faculty has been asking for specific safety measures for more than a year. While a number of safety and security requests have been resolved, Hanemaayer says other issues remain outstanding. The administration updated the university’s website with new information this past week, adding that faculty are grateful they can now choose whether their office and teaching locations are visible to the public online.

But Hanemaayer said teachers should have the option to lock their doors during class, and said the dean of students has asked for cameras at every entrance to the university residence hall, something that is not currently in place.

“These are relatively small budget items that would make a meaningful difference and show both faculty and students that the administration cares about their safety,” Hanemaayer said.

An apparent lack of clear information from the administration has caused great concern among both students and faculty on campus, and frustration on campus has increased.

“We were informed of the incident on Sunday morning and there were no further updates until yesterday,” Brandon University Students’ Union (BUSU) President Charles Adamu said on Friday morning.

Those present in March said the administration’s email to students Thursday morning contained no new information. Instead, it told students that administration was grateful the victim was recovering and again asked anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and speak to investigators.

“The update was things we already knew,” said Kesha Haulder, BUSU vice president of engagement. “So what are you updating on? It’s like they sent an email just to send an email because they said they were going to update us. But nothing was even said about what they were going to do.”

Haulder and Adamu said transparency is the biggest problem they have with the university right now.

“Don’t let our minds wander,” said Adamu, “that is the big problem. Once people start speculating, it becomes a problem. Just give us an answer.”

For his part, Docherty says it is not always possible to provide all the information they would like to provide. In this case, he said the university had to balance the need to communicate updates to students and faculty with the requirement to maintain confidentiality, especially in relation to the victim.

While the university informed both students and faculty about what had happened in the university’s first email last Sunday, the university was waiting for more information from police this week before making further comments.

“Until the police released their report, we didn’t have many updates to provide,” Docherty said. “Did we send a message on Tuesday saying we don’t have any updates yet, but that we will contact you on Thursday? We’ll keep doing that and people will stop reading their emails. So it’s a balancing act.”

That said, Docherty says he understands people are scared as a result of the incident, and that the university must do what it can to keep students and faculty safe. But he also noted that there are limits to what any organization can do.

“The other thing we have to realize is that we can quadruple the number of guards. But that won’t stop a random attack during the day or at night. We could have eight security guards, but they still won’t be everywhere all the time.”

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