Statement from New College on ongoing acts of voyeurism

Arrest made: Voyeurism update

March 19, 2024

As you may have seen in media coverage, on Saturday, March 16, Toronto Police Service arrested and charged an individual in connection with the most recent report of voyeurism in a New College residence. The investigation into other incidents of voyeurism in the residence is ongoing and Toronto Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-5200 (or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477 or via www.222tips.com).

At New College, we are continuing to take steps to protect students, staff, librarians and faculty, and to increase safety and security. In a situation like this, the university carefully considers and implements all available actions, such as trespass orders, additional security patrols, increased video surveillance in public spaces, physical alterations to the affected spaces, signage and more.

Still, we encourage all members of our community to exercise vigilance and report any behaviour of concern to security on patrol, by calling Campus Safety at 416-978-2222, or through the U of T Campus Safety App.

We will share information on these matters and safety and security measures as it becomes available.

Voyeurism is sexual violence. The Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre is there to help – by being understanding, helping to access and navigate supports, and explaining reporting options. As before, we encourage our students, staff, librarians and faculty to access the various supports that are available. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions and feedback at nc.principal@utoronto.ca.

Sincerely,

Prof. Dickson Eyoh
Interim Principal, New College

Update – New voyeurism incident reported

March 15, 2024

Earlier this week, an act of voyeurism was reported in Wilson Hall residence at New College. In this case, on March 12, an unknown individual held a cellphone over a shower stall in the fourth-floor women’s washroom. Campus Safety and Toronto Police Service are investigating this crime, which was committed in the early morning hours.

Residents at New College were informed by Campus Safety and Residence staff, who went door-to-door on the directly impacted floors to inform students and provide support. A Campus Safety Community Alert was posted in all residence elevators and on all washroom doors, and an email with the alert and information about safety measures and supports was sent to all New College residents. Security patrols on residence floors (which require a key to access) have been continuing, 24/7.

Voyeurism is sexual violence, treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency by New College and Campus Safety. We encourage all members of our community to exercise vigilance and to report any behaviour of concern to security on patrol, by calling Campus Safety at 416-978-2222, or through the U of T Campus Safety App.

As shared in previous updates on February 21 and February 23 in this space, steps to increase the safety and security are ongoing:

New College

• Additional security cameras have been installed at permitted doors, along with signage that indicates public areas are being monitored. 

Residence-specific:

• As an additional privacy measure in individual shower stalls that have a glass partition separating the shower and change area, shower curtains have been installed to provide floor-to-ceiling privacy at the point of entry into the shower. Though curtains are generally used to block water, these are specifically for privacy and we are encouraging students to use them.
• Access-control (fob locks) are on order for all residence washrooms.
• Retrofits giving floor-to-ceiling privacy for showers on the third floor are being assessed for necessary airflow.

We are continuing to work closely with Campus Safety as the investigation continues. Again, we encourage our students, staff, librarians and faculty to access the various supports that are available. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions and feedback at nc.principal@utoronto.ca.

Sincerely,

Prof. Dickson Eyoh
Interim Principal, New College

Statement from New College Interim Principal on ongoing acts of voyeurism

February 23, 2024

As outlined in a Feb. 21 statement, New College has been the target of criminal behaviour that unfortunately did not come to an end with last month’s arrest of an individual for multiple acts of voyeurism. The safety and security of our community are of utmost importance. We are committed to finding a swift resolution to these matters. University staff are working diligently with Campus Safety to respond to these incidents, and the joint Toronto Police Service/Campus Safety investigation is ongoing.

In the meantime, due to the repeated, persistent nature of these incidents, we have undertaken a number of short- and long-term changes to reduce risk and hopefully deter people from committing acts of voyeurism in our residence and New College’s publicly accessible spaces. Earlier this week, we outlined those changes, and today we are providing an update on the status of those safety measures and informing you of a new one introduced this week.

NEW

Two new fob locks were available sooner than expected and more are on order for installation on all residence-floor washrooms. Over reading week, fob locks were installed on Wilson Hall washroom #3071 on the third floor and activated for use on Friday, Feb. 23. Students impacted by this change were informed directly, and provided with instruction on how to update their keys to access that washroom. (Out of an abundance of caution, students were also encouraged to refrain from holding the door open for the person behind them.)  

Now that the fob locks on that washroom are operational, security presence positioned outside that door throughout reading week will cease. We hope that the uniformed security presence positioned there provided a measure of security and support in the interim.

UPDATES

Campus Safety:

The joint investigation by Campus Safety and Toronto Police Service is ongoing. Campus Safety will continue to patrol in residence and in the publicly accessible parts of New College, to provide protection and support as needed. We continue to encourage all members of our community to exercise vigilance and to report any behaviour of concern to security on patrol, by calling Campus Safety at 416-978-2222, or through the U of T Campus Safety App.

Showers:

By the end of the day today (Feb. 23), all of the shower stalls in Wilson Hall washroom #3071 and on the third floor of Wetmore Hall will have been retrofitted with eye-proofing to ensure floor-to-ceiling privacy.

As noted before, if these remediation efforts succeed in increasing privacy while maintaining necessary airflow in the shared washrooms, they will be rolled out to all washroom shower stalls at New College. We will continue to provide updates on timing, and encourage feedback.

Additional supports are still available for students who may wish to use them. Along with one single-access washroom available for showering on a sign-out basis, residents were informed that individual safety plans for showering could be requested as needed or desired.

Signage:

We have posted signage where incidents of voyeurism occurred – in both residence and publicly accessible washroom spaces. Signage also indicates where, in publicly accessible space, surveillance cameras are in use. Other signage dissuades the practice of tailgating, and cellphone use in washrooms (which are a shared space).

ONGOING

Additional security cameras will be installed at every New College perimeter door alongside signage that indicates public areas are being monitored. We will provide updates on timelines as information becomes available.

FEEDBACK & SUPPORT

We hope that the short- and long-term safety measures being taken will succeed in increasing security and deterring criminal behaviour. We continue to make it our priority to enhance the safety of our community, and once again encourage our students, staff, librarians and faculty to access the various supports that are available (see the list below). As always, we welcome your suggestions and feedback at nc.principal@utoronto.ca.

Sincerely,

Prof. Dickson Eyoh
Interim Principal, New College

Statement from New College Acting Principal on ongoing acts of voyeurism

February 21, 2024

In the past eight months, multiple acts of voyeurism have been perpetrated on members of our New College community in both publicly accessible washrooms and residence space that is only accessible to keyholders. We are profoundly disappointed to inform our community that despite an arrest in early January, on Thursday, Feb. 15 an act of voyeurism was reported: an unknown individual held an iPhone over an occupied shower stall in a Wilson Hall Residence washroom (a key is required to access the residence). The person behind this incident may not be the same individual in these photographs shared after the Feb. 7 voyeurism incident that occurred in a publicly accessible women’s washroom on the ground floor of Wilson Hall. Another incident occurred in Wilson Hall Residence on Jan. 9.

Voyeurism is sexual violence, and is treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency. Campus Safety and Toronto Police Service are conducting a joint investigation into these latest crimes. We hope that the individual(s) responsible for these criminal acts will be swiftly identified, apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent under the Criminal Code of Canada and, if student(s), face all relevant university repercussions under the Code of Student Conduct.

Due to the repeated, persistent nature of these incidents, we have taken a number of unprecedented steps to increase safety and security for our community.

Immediate safety measures include:

• Increased security patrols in locked residence and publicly accessible spaces
• To provide support to residents and increase safety, security guard presence on residence floors 24/7 and, as an added precaution, a security presence outside the Wilson Hall residence washroom where the most recent incidents occurred
• Immediate availability of a single-use, private washroom with shower on a sign-out basis
• Immediate retrofitting of at least one shower stall in each building with floor-to-ceiling eye-proofing
• Addition of shower curtains inside stalls that have a glass divider between the change and shower spaces
• Signage to alert our community to spots where voyeurism occurred
• Signage encouraging vigilance and discouraging cellphone use in washrooms
• Signage alerting people to the presence of security cameras
• Signage reminding people not to allow tailgating into the residence (allowing someone to enter residence behind you without using their own key)

This week:

• A pilot project to eye-proof shower stalls from floor to ceiling in Wilson Hall washroom 3071 and all third-floor washrooms in Wetmore Hall – due to be installed by Friday, Feb. 23 (barring supply chain delays). If successful, this project will be extended to all washroom shower stalls in all three buildings.

Longer-term:

• Access-control (fob locks) have been ordered for installation on all residence floor washrooms on recommendation of the Residence Student Council and Campus Safety
• Additional security cameras are being assessed for installation at every New College perimeter door (along with signage to indicate public areas are being monitored)

These safety measures are being treated with the greatest urgency as Campus Safety and Toronto Police work to identify and apprehend those responsible for violating the privacy, safety and security of our community. We will provide progress updates to our community in this space.

In the meantime, we are informing our community about these crimes, available supports and measures to improve security through various means including: Campus Safety Community Alerts that are posted on washroom doors, distributed in person and slipped under bedroom doors; emails from the Office of Residence & Student Life; and now signage as well. We encourage members of our community to exercise vigilance and to contact Campus Safety at 416-978-2222 as quickly as possible if they observe suspicious behaviour on campus grounds.

Unfortunately, last month’s arrest did not put an end to criminal behaviour targeting our community. Until those responsible for these acts of voyeurism are apprehended, we will continue to take all possible steps in our power to enhance the safety of our community. Crimes of this nature can be distressing. Please know that various supports are available to our students, staff, librarians and faculty, and we encourage them to access these resources as needed (see list at the bottom of this statement). We welcome your suggestions and feedback at nc.principal@utoronto.ca.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Guerson
Acting Principal, New College