Announcing the launch of the newly designed Sexual Violence Support Centre website

Saint Mary’s University is proud to launch a new website for the Sexual Violence Support Centre under Student Affairs and Services (SAAS).

The Sexual Violence Advisor, in conjunction with members of SAAS and the Saint Mary’s web team, have been working over the past year to develop a new website that enhances the user experience, aligns with more intuitive web navigation and better showcases the supports, education and initiatives within the centre.

“With the full overhaul of the SVSC website, the content structure is more intuitive making it easy to quickly navigate to supports or resources,” says Dee Dooley, Sexual Violence Advisor. “This helps ensure the SMU community has access to comprehensive, accessible and survivor-centric information and supports.”

The refreshed website derived from a need to present written and visual content that was trauma-informed and survivor-centric. Vector graphics replaced stock photography to reduce potential visual triggers for survivors, content was modernized to reflect evolved understandings of sexual and gender-based violence and harassment, and pages were audited to ensure accessibility and ease of use.

“This renewed website is a tremendous upgrade to the experience of people using the site,” says Tom Brophy, Associate Vice-President, SAAS. “We want survivors to know that we are here for them, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to access supports. The refreshed content also makes it easier for members of the SMU community to get informed, educated and involved in initiatives.”

The new website comes on the heels of the revised Sexual Violence and Harassment policy that was announced at the end of January. “Our understanding of sexual and gender-based violence have evolved significantly over the past several years,” says Mark Moffett, Associate Vice-President, People and Culture. “It is important that we continue to adapt our efforts to reflect this new insight in order to better respond to the needs of our Saint Mary’s community.”

New Website Highlights

1.     Enhanced user experience: removing stock photography in favour of vector graphics means reducing the risk of potential content triggers for a survivor. The vectors quickly and accurately depict sub pages for an easier web journey.

2.     Updated navigation: the SVSC landing page creates an intuitive interaction opportunity with audience sub-page architecture to help each user find the information they need more intuitively and efficiently.

3.     New Ways to Explore: users can now explore supports, resources, forms, policies, initiatives, programs and education through the vector card landing page and the simplified mega menu navigation bar.

“This was a huge labour of love for me,” says Dooley, who has been working on the web updates since last July. “This website is a digital doorway to the vast array of offerings we have, so these updates are an important step towards ensuring our campus is a safe and respectful culture for students, staff and faculty.”

The Turner Bursary for African Canadian and Indigenous Women

Keisha Turner BA’12.

Saint Mary’s is proud to offer a new bursary to African Canadian and Indigenous women through the generosity of SMU alumna, Keisha Turner BA’12.

The Turner Bursary reflects Keisha’s identity as a community leader and her own lived experience as a Black female entrepreneur:

"I am so excited to be able to offer this bursary over the next five years. It was bursaries just like these that allowed me to succeed and finish my degree with the stability and support I needed to get where I am today.  It is with great pride and gratitude that I am able to do the same for the next generation of Black and Indigenous leaders."  

During her time at Saint Mary’s, Keisha studied Sociology and won an AUS Championship with the women’s volleyball team in 2010. She has since established an impactful career as an entrepreneur and consultant in Ontario and Nova Scotia. With her husband Michael Polak BComm’14, she has formed Akwekon – a consulting firm that guides Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations in the reconciliation of colonial and Indigenous practices.

It is in this spirit of cultivating positive change that Keisha invests in Saint Mary’s students, and in turn strengthens our community and the world beyond.  

Read more about Keisha’s story in Maroon + White

New award will help support grieving students

Paul Hollingsworth BA’94

Saint Mary’s alumni Paul Hollingsworth BA’94 is giving back to support new students who have experienced the loss of a sibling or parent. 

Paul knows well the impact of such grief. He was young student in the Faculty of Arts at Saint Mary’s when his older brother Bryce took his life in 1991. 

He credits the support he received from professors and the Saint Mary’s community as integral to helping him move ahead and continue pursuing his degree as he navigated his loss. 

Paul went on to graduate and now enjoys a successful career as a well-known reporter for CTV Atlantic and TSN.   

Last year, Paul suffered another loss in his family, with the sudden passing of his sister Lauren. Motivated by grief and memories of how the Saint Mary's community supported him 30 years ago, he decided to establish an award which would help future students going through the same thing. 

Each year, the Hollingsworth Family Award, valued at $1,000, will be given to a first-year student who has lost a parent or sibling.

On February 1, Paul spoke movingly on-air about his decision to establish the award. The story clearly struck a chord with many in the community; since the award was announced, several donations have been received, including one of $5000. To date, the total donations top $8000, an amount that Hollingworth plans to increase with his own fundraising efforts.  

“I love Saint Mary’s,” he said in an interview with CTV writer Alex MacIssac. “So to do this and to put some of the pieces back together from my family’s life and to do it and wrap it around my university, Saint Mary’s, I’m so pleased.” 

 Give to the Hollingsworth Family Award 

Black joy on campus: Reflections from student Fisson Tibbo

Fisson Tibbo

Fisson Tibbo is a fourth-year student taking a double major in Psychology and in Social  Justice and Community Studies. She also holds three roles at Saint Mary’s: as a Residence Assistant; as a Residence Services Officer and as the Student Coordinator for the Racialized Student Academic Network (RSAN), which focuses on the academic wellbeing of BIPOC students.

During the lead-up to Black History/African Heritage Month, Tibbo took some time to reflect on what it means to be a Black leader at Saint Mary’s, and what Black joy looks like in the SMU community.

“As a Resident Assistant, I am a leader who can give representation for Black students, promote events and help foster the love we have for one another.” Tibbo shares. “I bring my experience and knowledge into my role, helping to raise awareness, share resources, initiate discussions and connect Black students from all different backgrounds to the best of my abilities.”

“As the Student Coordinator of RSAN at Saint Mary’s, creating a safe space is one of my priorities,” Tibbo explains. “Those spaces give us the opportunity to come together, to celebrate one another and celebrate the histories of our ancestors.”

Imani Tribe performs at International Night at SMU

When asked what Black joy at SMU means for Tibbo, she describes it as, “Seeing my people and having the community to walk into a space where I feel safe, seeing people coming together, playing music, dancing...even complimenting on each other's hair and understanding hair struggles,”

In addition to her roles at Saint Mary’s, Tibbo is also a member of the Imani Tribe, an African Christian acoustic musical group at SMU. The group recently took to the stage to perform at the 27th Annual International Night at SMU, an event that showcases and celebrates the incredible cultural diversity of the international community at Saint Mary’s.

Thank you Fisson for your thoughts on living and sharing Black joy, and your contributions to helping your community thrive!

Earthquakes in Syria and Turkey: supports for students

It has been devastating watching events unfold in Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes earlier this week. We have a number of students who call those places home and have been keeping them in our thoughts. Large-scale tragedies are felt far and wide and can impact anyone’s well-being.

Beneficial service supports can be accessed through Student Affairs and Services, including the International Student Centre, Counselling Centre and the International Wellness Ambassador through the Counselling Centre, and teams within the Student Success Centre.

There are also a number of free mental wellness supports available within SMU and throughout the HRM, which can be found on the Counselling Centre’s Resources page. We also encourage you to connect with your faculty’s academic advisors where needed. 

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Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative team shares importance of bystander training and understanding of shared responsibilities

The SVPI team

Over the past academic year, four of Saint Mary’s University’s spring graduates worked together as part of the Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative (SVPI), a student-led prevention and awareness program. Hailey Saunders, Krystal Lowe, Lucinda Laskey and Tala Aisheh formed the SVPI team and worked closely with the university’s Sexual Violence Advisor, Dee Dooley, to offer education on bystander intervention, harm reduction, consent and healthy relationships.

“We strive to empower and educate the community towards making change,” says Lowe, who will return to Saint Mary’s this fall as a master’s student in applied psychology while continuing in her role as Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator through Student Affairs and Services. “It is important for us to challenge the status quo and many of the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.”

Over the last year, the SVPI team delivered training and special events for the Saint Mary’s community, with more than 100 students participating in prevention and response education. Through this training, students learned how to identify and intervene in problematic situations and support those who are affected.

“We want to create a community of support, respect and safety,” says biology and forensic science graduate Laskey.

Programming offered by the SVPI is based on a sense of shared responsibility—namely, the belief that creating a safe campus and preventing sexual violence is everyone’s responsibility. Workshop topics included Bystander Intervention Training to introduce bystander intervention techniques and an Alcohol & Sex workshop to take a harm reduction approach to the issue of alcohol-facilitated sexual violence.

“By spreading awareness on campus, we are making everyone accountable for fostering a safe community,” says criminology graduate Saunders.

The SVPI members also recognize an important link between their educational efforts on campus and the broader community.

“Halifax is a close-knit community, where many people know each other,” says psychology graduate Aisheh. “Our work has helped to create safer spaces and equip students to mitigate situations that could escalate.”

Though the original SVPI facilitators have recently graduated, Student Affairs and Services is currently hiring a new team of facilitators for the next academic year. Lowe will also continue working over the summer, in her capacity as Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator, to develop a new curriculum and expand SVPI offerings for Saint Mary’s and the broader community.

Krystal Lowe

Much like her fellow original SVPI members, her dedication to sexual violence prevention work continues beyond her role with the initiative. When Lowe returns to Saint Mary’s this September as a Master of Science student in Applied Psychology (Forensic Psychology), her research interests will include gender-based violence.

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• Students who are interested in getting involved in the SVPI are encouraged to email svpi@smu.ca.

• For resources for people who have experienced sexual violence or who want to know more about available supports, visit the Sexual Violence Support section.

Accessibility Week at Saint Mary's

Join the Fred Smithers Centre as we celebrate Accessibility Week at Saint Mary's from March 21 to 25, 2022. The Fred Smithers Centre will offer virtual events exploring how to create accessible environments, accessibility in higher education and the post-COVID-19 world, and more. For a full list of events please see below.

Learn more about the Centre and the services we offer.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription. Please email fredsmithers.centre@smu.ca for other accessibility requests and specific accommodation

Schedule of Events

Keynote Speaker, Cynthia Bruce

Monday, March 21 
noon-1:00 p.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Join us as we welcome keynote speaker Cynthia Bruce as she details her experience supporting accessibility legislation and exploring the future of accessibility in a post-COVID world.

Accessing Mental Health & Accessibility Services as an International Student

Tuesday, March 22
1:00-2:00 p.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Discussion and workshop to material to focus on barriers to access, methods of support, philosophical differences and beliefs. This event is open to student, staff and faculty.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Welcome to the Student Success Centre

Wednesday, March 23
10:00-11:00 a.m. 
Virtual Event: Zoom

Welcome to the Student Success Centre – the new hub for support for student learning! Please join us with guest speakers Amy McEvoy, Manager of the Student Success Centre and Emma Sylvester, Learning Strategist as they discuss their new positions within the Student Success Centre.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Pathways to Accessible Employment: The SEI Program

Wednesday, March 23
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Are you a student looking for employment but not sure where to start? Look no further! Join this interactive session to learn more about the Student Employment Initiative Program and Wage Subsidy (SEI). SEI is a program that supports students with disabilities in securing employment with on and off-campus employers, gaining volunteer experience, and developing their professional skills and competencies.

The Fred Smithers Centre strives to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. All events will have sign language interpreting and real-time transcription.

Accessibility & The Physical Environment

Thursday, March 24
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Join guest speaker Matthew Glynn, an engineer in Halifax NS and a former student of the Fred Smithers Centre as he discusses his experience of engineering, accessibility and the physical environment. A session for faculty, staff and students.

Enable the Environment

Friday, March 25
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Virtual Event: Zoom

Facilitators Jennifer Green, Manager of the Fred Smithers Centre and Jennifer Webb, Educational Developer, Learning Experience will define what an enabling environment is and provide practical guidance and instruction on how to make your classroom or space an enabling environment. A session for faculty and staff.