A police investigation into a sexual assault that allegedly took place at a York University residence earlier this month has revealed that the incident did not occur on the campus.
York University today replaced campus safety alerts, which had been warning students of the alleged sexual assault that supposedly occurred in the Founders College residences on Jan 11, with a statement stating that the alleged assault did not happen on the campus.
“The Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit, in cooperation with York University Security Services, has completed its investigation in relation to the alleged sexual assault that was reported to have occurred on Friday, January 11, 2008 at Founders College Residence, York University. It has been determined that the sexual assault did not occur at York University,” the statement reads.
Two sexual assaults occurred on the York University campus in September, and this most recent allegation prompted heightened media attention, and a firestorm of allegations against the university by activist groups.
The students union demanded the university conduct an immediate safety audit. “It is clear from this incident that the York administration needs to do more to address the systemic issues of sexual assault and violence on this campus,” said Gilary Massa, a vice-president of the York Federation of Students (YFS) immediately following the accusation being made public.
Last week, after racist graffiti was discovered at York, student activists pounced on the university again, arguing that safety on the campus was a major concern. They also claimed that not enough was done to address campus safety issues following the alleged sexual assault.
The YFS was unavailable to comment on the findings of the police investigation
Last Thursday, the university announced they will be hiring a third-party to conduct a full safety audit of the campus.