Local institutions stand in solidarity with University of Waterloo after stabbings
Posted Jun 30, 2023 03:00:32 PM.
Last Updated Jun 30, 2023 01:14:24 PM.
Nearby post-secondary institutions are showing solidarity with the University of Waterloo.
Wilfrid Laurier University President Deborah MacLatchy released a letter Thursday expressing shock and sadness following the triple stabbing that happened just down the street from Laurier at UW in a gender studies class.
I am shocked and saddened at the senseless act of violence that took place yesterday @UWaterloo. This is a traumatic incident for our friends at UW and for our community here at Laurier. We are here to support our UW colleagues at this time.https://t.co/r03WIR9Z6b
— Deborah MacLatchy (@LaurierPres) June 29, 2023
“This is a traumatic incident for our friends at UW and for our community here at Laurier,” she wrote. “We are here to support our UW colleagues at this time. While information is still coming in about this event, the apparent targeting of a gender issues class is very troubling.”
MacLatchy added that university campuses should be places where people feel safe coming together to learn and share knowledge.
She said systems are in place to prevent and respond to any incidents of violence, including special constables who regularly patrol the campuses and are available on-call.
University of Guelph President and Vice Chancellor Charlotte Yates shared a similar message Thursday.
Yesterday, two students and a professor were stabbed in a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo. Our thoughts and our compassion go out to the victims and all those affected by this reprehensible tragedy.
Read more: https://t.co/4nH8srk5Np
— Dr. Charlotte Yates (@UofGPresident) June 29, 2023
“I am shocked and saddened by this hateful act of violence and I can only imagine how those inside the classroom felt yesterday,” she said in the letter. “Classrooms should be spaces where faculty, teachers, and students feel safe, supported, and valued.”
She added that University of Guelph stands with the survivors, the UW community and anyone else impacted.
“And we continue to stand against gender-based violence and all forms of hate,” she said. “We have spent this past Pride Month celebrating the progress we have made towards inclusion and equality for all. But tragedies like this remind us more needs to be done.”
Yates noted that University of Guelph’s campus safety office performs regular campus patrols and surveillance, and that the school has a critical incident notification system and the SafeGryphon App.
