The members of our Recreation and Leisure Studies (RLS) community continue to process the senseless act of violence that took place on campus on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 when a gender studies instructor and two students were injured during an attack in the classroom. Our department feels compelled to publicly and categorically denounce all acts of hate rooted in the broader culture of violence toward women, queer and trans people, and racialized and Indigenous peoples. Misogyny, transphobia, and hatred have no place whatsoever in our classrooms or communities.
Our department remains in full solidarity with the professor and students targeted in Wednesday's violent attack. Moreover, we reaffirm the necessity of offering university courses that challenge dominant discourses by asking critical questions about systems of oppression underpinned by patriarchy, sexism, colonialism, racism, and nativism. It is incumbent upon us all to do our part to ensure our faculty, students, and staff who advance this crucial work feel supported, safe, and emboldened to carry on.
Resources are available to help you as you process this event and the aftermath.
- Counselling services at Campus Wellness for UW students 519-888-4096
- Integrated Mobile Police and Crisis Team (IMPACT) 519-888-4911 (available after hours)
- Here 24/7 at 1-844-437-3247
- Good2Talk at 1-866-925-5454
- Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645