Information about EPC Divisional Changes - Vice-President Equity, People and Culture

This page contains information about changes within the Division of Equity, People and Culture, including details about units that are joining the division.

Location and Services of the Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education

In March 2025, the Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education (the Centre) moved to the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, where it is now co-located with the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (CHREI).

We plan to continue same level of supports and services to the community and hope to make these even more visible and accessible to community members:

Education dedicated to raising awareness and deepening understanding about sexual violence, preventing it, and supporting those who have experienced it is continuing. This work and its objectives will also be integrated with education focused on human rights, equity and inclusion.

Case management and resolution services have not changed.

We continue to offer sexual violence response, care and support, including by providing careful referrals for additional and ongoing support.

By consolidating rights-focused education and services within a unit, we can: streamline community members’ access to services; coordinate services and communication among supportive resources on campus; increase the visibility and reach of education and support services at York.

We recognize how much the physical environment matters to a person’s experience, especially in times of crisis and vulnerability. We have taken steps to ensure community members will feel safe and welcomed in the Centre’s new location. There will still be a quiet reflection/comfort room and we’ve moved the Centre’s artwork and most furnishings (e.g. sofa for the comfort room). Staff members still have individual offices, a kitchenette, work areas for student assistants and interns, and a large conference room for team meetings. As the team settles into the new location, they will continue to arrange and decorate the space guided by the social and emotional needs of community members seeking support.

The same care and attention to protocols established by the Centre will continue, such as being in a discrete location and having two exits. Survivors and complainants will be offered online and in-person meetings to suit their preference. Respondents will continue to be supported through the Office of Student Community Relations (OSCR) and if there is a need to meet respondents in person, this will occur outside the office spaces of CHREI.

York Lanes suite 301 will be shared by multiple units in the Division of Equity, People and Culture (EPC): Indigenous Initiatives, Faculty Affairs, the equity, diversity & inclusion program manager, and the divisional office, including the vice-president. Community engagement is a divisional priority and principle, and as such, this location allows for greater engagement with community and neighbours in York Lanes. EPC will also make spaces available to others, including the large meeting room, which can be booked for use during normal business hours and access to private lactation space (also during normal business hours).

There is no change how the Centre’s support services are accessed or provided: Centre staff will still meet with community members (students, staff or faculty) in person or online at their request and according to their preference, as they always have.

Yes. 301 YL will still provide lactation space; CHREI also offers lactation space.

Students still have access to counselling services and employees have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) for crisis support. As before, after-hours crisis supports remain available in the community. Well-being support information for students and employees can be found here.

We are confident that having the Centre and CHREI under one umbrella will strengthen and align education and support services, including the complaints process. Distinct education, care and support focused on sexual violence will continue.

We also think linking the Centre and CHREI may be mutually beneficial. For instance, key aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention (e.g. the five core principles of trauma-informed care) can be integrated further and more deeply into CHREI’s practices. The Centre’s specialization in sexual violence and CHREI staff members’ expertise in addressing sexual harassment complement each other, enriching all staff members’ ability to serve community members through education, case consultation, investigation and resolution. Coordination and collaboration between CHREI and the Centre also makes sense given the origins and perpetuation of sexual violence through intersecting systems of inequity and injustice. Even as we continue offering services focused on sexual violence, we want to reduce the false segregation of sexual violations from other human rights violations and from rights-based education and services.

Given its mandate to support students, staff, and faculty, locating the Centre within the Division of Equity, People, and Culture can help ensure that these supports are equally visible and accessible to all members of the University community. Even as we protect the distinct experiences and needs stemming from diverse rights violations, we also think the synergy between the Centre and CHREI can be tapped in ways that benefit both service users and service providers. Both the Centre and CHREI, along with the Division of Equity, People & Culture as a whole, embrace the primary mission of creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all. We are committed to treating all community members, including survivors and complainants, with equal dignity, respect and care.

Location and Services of the TD Community Engagement Centre

In April 2025, the TD Community Engagement Centre (CEC) began reporting to the division of Equity, People and Culture.

No. The location of the TD CEC remains at York Gate Mall.

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