SFU harasser issued trespass notice, escorted off campus
Social media posts claim the man has tried to forcibly hug or kiss women and follow them home
Simon Fraser University has issued a trespass notice and escorted a man off the Burnaby Mountain campus after one woman complained to campus security about being harassed.
But according to posts on social media, the same individual has been harassing women at SFU for years, including attempts to forcibly hug, kiss and follow women home.
SFU chief safety officer Mark Lalonde said the man, who is described as early to mid 20s, five feet three inches to five feet five inches tall and of South East Asian descent, is not a student or member of the SFU campus community.
He was escorted off campus May 30.
"We also contacted the RCMP and I understand they've opened up a case," said Lalonde.
Third year student Hayley Vediola says she was approached by the man on May 23 while studying.
She said he made her feel uncomfortable by hovering over her for an extended period of time. He eventually asked for her phone number, Facebook information and what bus she was taking home.
Hid in the washroom
"I wrote down a fake phone number ... told him I was taking the 144 [bus] — I wasn't — and then hid in the washroom for 10 minutes," she said. "Thankfully, he did leave."
Vediola says she normally feels safe at SFU but now wonders if there's a way to make some areas on campus only accessible to students.
"Everyone has random encounters with people who make them feel uncomfortable, but the more I thought about it, it really made me feel unsafe on campus. That's the first time I felt like that."
Vediola did not report the incident, because she wasn't sure if it was serious enough.
Despite a number of social media posts about the man, Lalonde claims last week was the first time anyone reported him to SFU campus security.
"The challenge is people can post things on social media and ... misinformation can get out there. But if it's not reported, then we don't know about it, and we can't take action," he said.
Lalonde says campus security has an image of the man, and that staff will be on the lookout to make sure he doesn't trespass.
With files from Megan Batchelor