Hamilton

McMaster, Brock make course locations private after University of Waterloo stabbings in gender-studies class

McMaster in Hamilton and Brock in St. Catharines are among the latest universities to remove classroom information from their public websites in the wake of the June stabbings in University of Waterloo gender-studies class in southern Ontario.

Instructor at St. Catharines university supports finding ways to make trans, queer perspectives more visible

Two people sitting on a bench.
McMaster University is one of the latest Ontario universities to no longer display course information on public domains, one of the safety measures some schools have adopted in the wake of the June stabbings in a gender-studies class at the University of Waterloo. (Bobby Hristova/CBC)

McMaster in Hamilton and Brock in St. Catharines are among the latest universities to remove classroom information from their public websites following the June stabbings in a University of Waterloo gender-studies class in southern Ontario.

In August, several universities took course locations and other information off their public domains following a similar move by the University of Waterloo. The stabbings sent an instructor and two students to hospital, and triggered a series of safety measures.

Brock University said in an online post on Sept. 5 that it will no longer be putting classroom locations on public timetables and faculty office locations on its website.

Brock said the moves are to "enhance safety on campus," and "reflect calls from various organizations in the sector for universities to enhance the safety of students, faculty and staff studying and working in academic areas that might be targeted by hate." Registered students can access class locations through their personal timetables, the school said.

McMaster University said classroom information like room locations won't be made public, a move made "to promote the safety of students, faculty and staff."

It's also asking students, faculty and staff to download the McMaster SafetyApp for emergency instructions and to stay up to date on campus closures. The school said in a news release it is also regularly testing its on-campus alarm system.

Instructor weighs in on changes

A former student has been charged, with attempted murder, terror and other offences, in the University of Waterloo stabbings. Waterloo's police chief described it as a "senseless act of hate."

The incident has drawn reaction and resulted in various safety enhancement measures from university communities across Canada.

Margot Francis, an associate professor at Brock University's Centre for Women's and Gender Studies, said she has concerns only instituting more security measures will lead to "the proliferation of moral panic and hate crimes."

Instead, she said, there should also be more representation and support from universities, and a "'fight back' response which ensures that trans and queer perspectives are more visible and are more solidly endorsed at all levels of the university."

Francis said it isn't rare for marginalized — particularly Black, Indigenous, queer and trans — staff and students to receive threats.

"Certainly seeing the moral panics unfolding and increasing violence against all of our communities — it's a difficult context."

Emphasis on 'strong culture of inclusion'

Susan Tighe, McMaster's provost and vice president academic, said in the school's online statements that these safety actions are important, but "a strong culture of inclusion also plays a critical part in building a welcoming and safe campus for all."

Catherine Anderson, director of McMaster's gender and social justice program, told CBC Hamilton that while the University of Waterloo incident has created worry, concerns from faculty in her program aren't new because they're "always at risk."

"We've always been aware of that ... we choose to accept that risk because we know that the teaching we do is really important."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cara Nickerson is a journalist with the CBC's Ontario local news stations, primarily CBC Hamilton. She previously worked with Hamilton Community News. Cara has a special interest in stories that focus on social issues and community.

With files from The Canadian Press