For students, faculty and staff on campus who have been affected by sexual violence, the Sexual Violence Resource Centre (SVRC) on the Fort Garry campus remains open to provide assistance.
The SVRC is a resource at the university that was established to provide a safe, confidential and inclusive space for people affected by sexual violence, offering them the support they need to thrive academically and personally.
The centre’s mandate is to assist those affected by sexual violence and to educate the campus community about the topic.
The SVRC assists people affected by sexual violence by using trauma-informed and survivor-centered approaches, according to the university’s website. The centre also assesses what people affected by sexual violence need, clarifies their options, identifies their next steps and coordinates plans to support them. They further assist by helping to find alternate living arrangements, employment, course accommodation and food security, ensuring that people get the help they need.
In terms of building awareness on campus about sexual violence, the SVRC encourages prevention and education initiatives to the community by hosting open discussions through workshops.
The SVRC hosts a healthy relationship workshop, a responding to sexual violence disclosure workshop and sexual violence awareness online modules.
The healthy relationship workshop is an in-person workshop that is used to build a culture of consent on campus. It provides students with practical knowledge about consent, sexual violence and personal boundaries, emphasizing university-related relationships and campus community responsibilities.
The responding to sexual violence disclosure workshop is a three-hour workshop that covers the key elements of responding to disclosures of an incident and introduces the current U of M Sexual Violence Policy.
It also includes interactive components with scenarios for practice, and it guides staff, faculty and students on providing compassionate, supportive and consistent responses to such disclosures.
The sexual violence awareness online modules were created by the university to help provide the community with fundamental knowledge about sexual violence.
These modules address key topics, such as a community values statement, an overview of sexual violence policies and procedures and discussions on consent, power dynamics and conflicts of interest.
They also focus on debunking common myths about sexual violence and offer an introduction to the Sexual Violence Support and Education website.
Individuals experiencing issues such as assault, harassment or abuse in their relationships are encouraged to reach out to the SVRC.
The centre is located in room 537 at UMSU University Centre and operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Drop-in hours are on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
For those unable to visit the SVRC in-person, remote options such as phone and email support are also available. To contact the SVRC, email [email protected] or phone 204-474-6562.
