https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/62030/archive/files/f87d694592afb76ea6d953e8cfe5d847.pdf?Expires=1785369600&Signature=dElemJleTLdA2gptUcTJCoczVHPc8ngOr-J05DKW1KfPhdNpFLzixhmzruPA7mEyRHQWsKlFvIBzJZoi895FFxFy1LiOQvpxulQ5RwVslUY54456lb6WntFWBeO00wSSuGtd5Ed%7E%7EoonyDxec1S2BEPSanghq5jV8R3-XF-Ktw96SBFLihM-H%7EEy-ww6QiKhN8zT2-FeblkRKGymofldHcBQZjuxkNwdjIxxNBaXqvXYIPw7cgcnf2H2Df7si30v7kd66OEK29gOn0jQp-YNy1vzqzX-1MhGaPbbQqJPXnbcZBXBX8zt7eA-UsVw6VVZY2xnlBPw3IlCzGUgFCZcRA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 53046a585e6800d3cffadfad199499f2 PDF Text Text 10 Commentary March 24, 2014 The McGill Daily | www.mcgilldaily.com When Tinder fails to spark Dating apps, advertising, and unsafe spaces Lily Chapnik Commentary Writer T he messages appear in a few places around McGill’s campus, peppy but not overstated. Scrawled around the mirrors in bathrooms, in neon pink marker, are hashtags endorsing the popular networking app Tinder, urging the viewer to #takeaselfie. The bottom of each mirror features the ubiquitous tear-drop flame that serves as the company’s logo. While this is a creative technique for spreading the word about a service pertinent to many members of the student population, the fact remains that the message propagated is one that imposes an inappropriately normative view of sexuality upon the student population. The numbers show that as a service and a company, Tinder must be doing something right. It boasts over one billion matches, mostly among young millennials hoping to ‘swipe right’ on their smartphone screens to find social and romantic connections. In an email to The Daily, Justin Mateen, Tinder’s co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, enthusiastically claimed, “Our goal is to make the process of meeting people more efficient, whether it be in the context of friendship, dating, or even business.” He followed this with the O slightly enigmatic claim that, “As the product evolves it will move in the direction of social discovery in general,” thus expressing his desire for the type of communication Tinder champions – quick, instinctive, and perfunctory – to become normative. The product that Tinder offers is not under fire here. While its modus operandi may be based on a superficial judgment of attraction, its high number of users and ratings show that the company is meeting a demand for such a service. It is their methods of advertising on campuses that are contentious, and they should be reconsidered if they are to appeal to students in a respectful manner. The most troubling issue with Tinder’s campaign on McGill’s campus is that when a person looks into a mirror that features the campaign, their face is framed by the words endorsing the product, and they become an unwitting mascot for Tinder. Regardless of whether this person uses the app, or even knows what it entails, the image of their face within the frame is unofficially ‘claimed’ by Tinder as a potential user, solely by virtue of looking in the bathroom mirror. In the bathroom, which can be a vulnerable space for many people, a person should be free of the danger of being fetishized as a consumer. Tamim Sujat | The McGill Daily The campaign also lacks respect for those for whom the advertisements might act as a trigger. An individual who is a survivor of sexual violence may not want their image implicitly sexualized when they glance into a mirror at school. Somebody who is avoiding certain expressions of sexuality for religious or other lifestyle reasons may resent being automatically placed in a stereotypical category of “experimental college kids” who are gung-ho about casual dating and sex. A person who is anxious about their own physical appearance might feel excluded from the superficiality which characterizes the app. Nobody should be made to feel that their choices, or their lifestyle, are sidelined, just by entering a school bathroom. In light of these considerations, the public relations representatives at Tinder who are responsible for these advertisements should receive the following message. For some people, it is clear that your product enriches lives, however, it does not seem appropriate that individuals on college campuses should be associated with it simply by virtue of looking into a mirror. The social and sexual lives of students do not need your endorsement. Now stay out of our bathroom. Lily Chapnik is a U2 student in Jewish Studies and Music. Lily can be reached at lily.chapnik@mail.mcgill.ca. An open letter on the sexual assault policy n February 26, 2014, the McGill administration hosted a Forum on Consent, where student panelists introduced a Sexual Assault Policy Proposal that the undersigned campus groups have endorsed. While we recognize the recent efforts by the administration to begin addressing rape culture and sexual assault on campus, we call upon you to carefully consider our recommendations regarding a Sexual Assault Policy and a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator position as outlined below. Furthermore, we ask that you include the undersigned in ongoing consultation in order to have a campusbased approach to the issue of campus-based sexual violence, and to treat this issue with the sense of urgency it deserves. This open letter and Policy Proposal is a call to action in the aftermath of the highly publicized response to allegations of sexual assault made against three varsity football players at McGill University. Considering this case and oth- ers at McGill (for example, the 2005 hazing), and in conjunction with ongoing cases and administrative responses on campuses across the continent, it is clear that rape culture and sexual assault on our campus warrant a stronger response. We envision the McGill administration having a crucial role in enacting change on our campus. We are encouraged by the McGill administration’s increasing attention to issues of sexual assault on campus, and the ongoing hiring process for the Harm Reduction Coordinator, a new position that will aim to improve services relating to sexual violence on campus. In an article in the McGill Reporter, Dean of Students André Costopoulos stated that many aspects of our Sexual Assault Policy Proposal “exist already in various sections of McGill policies and codes of conduct.” Nevertheless, until comprehensive, concrete services for survivors and a formal Sexual Assault Policy have been formalized, the administration’s commitment to improvements will remain an empty promise. We are also disappointed by the lack of consultation with relevant campus groups, who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to tackling the prevalence of sexual violence and rape culture in our community. This ongoing work has equipped our groups with expertise in survivor support and in the development of pro-survivor policies regarding sexual violence on university campuses. We therefore submit a Sexual Assault Policy Proposal as a proactive step toward being heard regarding initiatives to create a safer campus. In light of the publicly expressed commitments made by Costopoulos and Ollivier Dyens, Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning), we urge the McGill administration to adopt our Policy Proposal and to incorporate our continuous input in developing a university-wide Sexual Assault Policy. Our main recommendations include: • Developing a comprehensive, accessible, pro-survivor Sexual Assault Policy that takes a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the problem of sexual assault and rape culture on campus. • Hiring a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator who will work closely with the signing parties, provide safety measures and listening support for survivors, and advocate for them. The Coordinator will also serve the community through policy development and campaigns targeting rape culture on campus. • Ensuring that the Policy applies to all members of the McGill community; students, administration, faculty, and all other employees. • Including clearly articulated safety measures for building a safer space on campus for survivors and the community at large. Given that, according to a study by Students Active For Ending Rape, and V-day, an activist movement to end violence against girls and women, 83 per cent of the 299 universities surveyed had clearly outlined disciplinary procedures regarding sexual assault, and given the current climate across Canadian campuses pertaining to sexual assault, it is imperative that McGill promptly address its lack of a sexual assault policy and of institutionalized survivor services. Let us be at the forefront of universities worldwide, not only in academia, but also in building safer campus communities. Community groups and members at large are invited to endorse this policy at www.ipetitions.com/ petition/mcgill-community-for-asexual-assault-policy. Signed, The Students’ Society of McGill University Executive, The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society, The Union for Gender Empowerment, Queer McGill, The Students’ Society of McGill University Equity Committee, The Feminist Collective at McGill Law, Women and the Criminal Law, Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill. This open letter was previously published online at www.sexualassaultpolicyatmcgill.com. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Statements, open letters, and petitions Description An account of the resource Open letters, petitions, and widely circulated statements released by student groups are a key form of campus activism, enabling students to rally support, build activist networks, and speak directly to university administrators. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Paper Volume 103 Issue 24 Page Number(s) 10 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource An open letter on the sexual assault policy Description An account of the resource An open letter written by various student groups on campus regarding the administration's efforts to address rape culture and sexual violence on campus. The letter demands more student consultation and outlines recommendations regarding a stand-alone sexual assault policy and the hiring of a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Executive, The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE), Queer McGill, The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Equity Committee, The Feminist Collective at McGill Law, Women and the Criminal Law, Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill (QPIRG-McGill) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The McGill Daily Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014/03/24 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Admin open letter policy QPIRG Queer McGill Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students' Society (SACOMSS) sexual violence Sexual Violence Policy SSMU SSMU Equity Committee Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE)