An act of voyeurism was committed on January 9 at Wilson Hall, New College
Content warning: mentions of sexual violence, racism, mental illness, and police intervention
On January 10, New College students received an email alert from Campus Safety regarding an act of voyeurism at Wilson Hall, a New College residence building. The act was committed the day before by an “unknown individual” in an all-gender washroom who “held a cell phone above a shower stall.” As of January 26, this alert has not been published on Campus Safety’s “Community Safety Alert” webpage.
This is the latest incident in the most recent string of voyeurism offences at New College, which dates back to at least July 2023 in which a campus-wide community alert was sent to students via email months later on October 24.
Three months after the October community alert, students point out that the recent incidents highlight the university’s lack of meaningful change, thereby generating a sense of discomfort and insecurity on campus. Simultaneously, student groups, such as the PEARS Project—a grassroots, trauma-informed coalition that provides support and resources to survivors of sexual violence—have criticised the university’s trend of neglecting instances of sexual violence on campus, emphasising the Campus Security Office’s tardiness and lack of clear communication when sending community alerts.
Reported acts of voyeurism on campus
According to Canada’s Criminal Code, voyeurism is defined as when “one commits an offence who, surreptitiously, observes—including by mechanical or electronic means or makes a visual recording of a person who is in circumstances that give rise to a reasonable expectation of privacy.” The offence can be punishable for up to five years.
The male individual who committed multiple acts of voyeurism between July and October of 2023 at UofT was arrested on January 4. The perpetrator positioned a cell phone under the bathroom stall door and recorded those occupying it. Between July and October, just two community alerts about voyeurism were made by Campus Safety—one on August 19 and October 24, which only the latter was notified of through a campus-wide email. The perpetrator was charged with five counts of voyeurism and six counts of mischief, but investigators believe there are even more victims with ages ranging from 14 to 21 years old. Regarding the January 9 incident, however, there have not been follow-up reports about the arrest or criminal charges on the perpetrator as of January 26.
Students, student groups, and institutional grievance
The Strand interviewed a New College student (Student A) who admits that in the immediate aftermath of the October reports of voyeurism, she felt “unsafe” and used “different bathrooms with more security,” such as “bathrooms without as big of a gap between the door and the ground” or “taller doors in general.” Today, she still avoids “those specific bathrooms” and uses “others close by” instead.
In response to the October incident, the only change reportedly implemented by Campus Safety is an increase in police presence at New College. Following the January 9 incident, however, New College announced to residents through email on January 12 that they are “working on/considering” extending stall doors, frosting the shower glasses, and even fobbing the washrooms to restrict access—this would mean “everyone would be required to use their residence keys to access the washrooms.”
Another student from New College (Student B), a resident of Wilson Hall, has “not noticed any increase in campus security around New College” and believes it is not something that can be “solved” by them. She also does not believe fobbing the washrooms will truly solve the issue, stating, “Our fobs can allow access to any floor, so if the [perpetrator] lives on residence, it can happen to any floor, so many people [are still] scared. The lack of information from our residence office has been more concerning because we have not heard about any updates since the [January 12] email sent a couple of weeks ago.”
Continuing on the topic of police presence, PEARS Project co-directors, Jay Prentice and Emma Biamonte, emphasised in an interview with The Strand that “police aren’t helpful in these scenarios…they disproportionately target marginalised folks including racialised folks, queer folks, mentally ill folks, disabled folks…and will likely only serve to put survivors at more risk.” Yet, making “the architecture more secure for the users of the facility,” they add, could be a “good option” in making voyeurism a “less accessible” crime.
The university’s public reporting of these incidents, namely the community alert sent by Campus Safety, has differing opinions of effectiveness among students. Student A revealed that “some people I know did not receive the [January] email and were only notified by word of mouth or through other student groups.” On the other hand, Student B did not have “any issues” with it, as it warned her to generally avoid that public space more. However, Student B wishes “more information [was] released about the [January] incident.” Unlike the community alert in October, the newest email did not contain photos or physical descriptions of the perpetrator.
UofT’s community alerts include links to on-campus resources for sexual violence. Prentice and Biamonte criticise UofT’s lack of referral to off-campus resources for sexual violence, asserting that “many survivors aren’t exactly comfortable accessing these resources, had negative experiences, or feel that it lacked justice” and that resources on campus “ultimately work to serve the institution.”
Image-based sexual abuse—a form of digital sexual violence that typically accompanies physical acts of voyeurism—is widely considered to be a form of gender-based violence as women-identifying demographics are disproportionately targeted. Students continue to criticise UofT and New College, in particular, for what they argue are ineffective measures for preventing such further incidents of voyeurism. According to the January residential alert, Campus Safety continues to work with residence staff to address safety measures in residence buildings.
The January 9 incident remains an ongoing investigation. Please contact Campus Safety at 416-978-2323 and reference Report #UT24000797 for any information pertaining to it.
Off-campus resources if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment:
- Call the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre at 416-597-8808. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Call the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 866-863-051. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Call the Gerstein Crisis Centre at 416-929-5200. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Call the Women’s College Hospital Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre at 416-323-6040
- Call the Scarborough Grace Sexual Assault Care Centre at 416-495-2555
On-campus resources if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence or harassment:
- Visit UofT’s Safety and Support faculty at safety.utoronto.ca
- Visit the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre at svpscentre.utoronto.ca or by email at [email protected] or by phone at 416-978-2266
Reach out to the Community Safety Office at [email protected] or by phone at 416-978-1485
