Reduced hours, cut services at U of A sexual assault centre harms survivors, advocates say

Students and former staff with the University of Alberta's sexual assault centre are calling for a full resumption of operations to ensure sexual assault survivors have access to the crisis and education services they did before last November.

Former centre staff, current volunteers and the school's student union told CBC the impact on the centre's operations has been a steep blow to those who experience sexual assault and require immediate care. 

Before last fall, the centre offered weekday drop-in services ranging from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours depending on volunteer availability. Services were open to anyone — not just U of A students and staff. But now the centre is open just two hours a day, three days a week. 

Staff and volunteers also previously conducted educational workshops on campus about topics like consent, but that hasn't happened since November. 

"The closing of the centre has had a severely detrimental impact on our students," said Michael Griffiths, outgoing vice-president of student life with the U of A student union. 

In November, university president Bill Flanagan said the school replaced the director of its sexual assault centre over its endorsement of an open letter calling for a ceasefire that also questioned the validity of sexual assault claims against Hamas during its attack into Israel in October. 

Since then, the university says it's been conducting an ongoing review of centre services, which resulted in education workshops being halted and hours for drop-in support being heavily reduced.

CBC spoke to three volunteers who said the severe impact on operations has left survivors in the lurch.

Furthermore, volunteers trained in crisis intervention say they have been unable to conduct their work. 

Volunteers said they received scant details on continuing their work or how the university would support current clients.

Over the course of a normal school year, the centre's supports could be accessed hundreds of times. From September to November 2023 alone, volunteers said the centre had 100 instances where drop-in, text and chat supports were provided. The university did not not provide additional data on the most recent instances where supports were accessed.

On Feb. 1, the university released details in a public news release outlining an ongoing review of centre services. 

The university stated that the in-person locations of some services have changed and that "we are working towards having additional in-person drop-in service opportunities very soon."

Drop-in hours are now Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.