London, Ont. –
Students flock to the Western University alumni hall on Monday only to come out shortly after, wearing or wearing their new campus ID.
At first, Lily McDonald, a third-year journalism student, supported the new security measures, especially in light of concerns raised about alleged sexual assault during orientation week.
“I think it’s a good policy to put in place given everything that’s going on on campus. I think it will bring peace of mind to a lot of the students, especially the freshmen, given the year they’ve had.
But as McDonald’s analyzed the ID, concerns began to arise. The lanyard identifies the faculty she is in and the card has her name, photo and student number on it. She admits that could be problematic, especially when it comes to social media.
“It would be the easiest way. You could find out what faculty I am in, what school I attend and my name. So they could totally find information about me through Facebook or other websites like this.
When asked if she found this worrying, she replied, “A little. “
Questions have been raised about the consultation process that helped develop this initiative, with some saying they see no sign of consultation.
“A process that does not involve consultation is not a plan that will ultimately work,” says Nigmendra Narain, president of the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA). He says that in addition to the issues raised by women, faculty members of color also feel uncomfortable.
“Our BIPOC members who have a history with card systems are very concerned about this. And, on top of that, we have a black visitor pass that just screams very problematic. “
He also says the pilot program for visitor passes does not appear to be well regarded either.
Narain says Western has worked to improve ties between the university and the wider London community and the passes don’t reflect that.
“It is in our strategic plan to be part of the community and to welcome the community. And they’re very concerned that their collaborations in London, and beyond, make Western appear to be outside of this community.
CTV News London contacted the Western administration on Monday morning to gain insight into the thought process behind the identification system.
Late in the afternoon, a member of the communications team, Marcia Steyeart, responded in an email saying no one was available to comment, but added that the use of IDs was not not mandatory.
“Western provides employees and students with Western branded lanyards and hard plastic brackets as a convenient, secure and accessible way to hold existing Wesetrn ONEC cards. The use of cords is completely voluntary and will not be applied. “
She also highlighted a statement published on the West website on the identifiers.
This statement refers to “adding another layer of security” and the desire to “create a visual means to help identify who is on our campus at any given time – including visitors to the campus.”
It does not offer a specific rationale for the approach or why they think it was necessary.
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