Sexualized Violence Academic Consultation Role

Sexualized Violence Academic Consultation Role Direct Supervisor : Anjali Seshadri, DSU President Term : November 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027 Award : $500 honorarium, Union letter of recognition About The Dalhousie Student Union (“the Union”) is a democratic union that represents and organizes the 20,000+ students at Dalhousie University. The Union (1) directs its advocacy priorities to fight for student interests, (2) supports and empowers student leaders to make change in their environment, and (3) provides services and grants to support students in their academic and social lives. In pursuit of these objectives, the Union has a governance structure consisting of a Council of elected representatives from different University faculties and student communities, plus 4 executive officers that coordinate the execution of the Union’s responsibilities to students and its day-to-day operations. An area requiring further development within the Union is forming an Issues Policy on Sexualized Violence. An Issues Policy is a document that explicates the Union’s stance on an issue important to students, informed by research and consultation. The first step in adopting an Issues Policy is to create a research paper that gives recommendations on what that policy should include. This research paper is the overall objective of this role, but the criterion for fulfilling this role is specific to completing consultations within academic spaces. The role’s work involves sitting and reporting on a committee which includes two related roles; the Research Role, and the Community Consultation Role. Role Requirements This requirements of this role are considered fully satisfied if you have completed a portion of the overall research paper that includes the following information: A review on the potential for sexualized violence in academic settings (hereby referred to “academic sexualized violence”); Consultation sessions completed with individuals from at least 6 different faculty-level societies; Consultation sessions completed with individuals from at least 6 different constituent societies from at least 4 different faculties; and A review of commonalities and differences between information collected from the academic consultations. Additionally, you may be asked to complete some action items on the research paper from time to time which do not fit neatly within the above requirements. A meeting with an individual or group is considered a valid “consultation” if it uses a pre-defined template to gather information on at least: Their views on whether sexualized violence is distinct from other forms of violence, and why. The observed frequency and severity of sexualized violence within their program/school/faculty. Their suggested approach on mitigations to prevent the incidence of academic sexualized violence. Their suggested approach on restitution after an incidence of academic sexualized violence. This template would be agreed upon at the first meeting of the committee. Awards Successful completion of the project will result in being awarded $500 at the end of the project timeline, receiving a letter of recognition from the Union for your service to students, and potential opportunities to be involved further in the Union’s work. Partial completion of the role requirements may result in only a partial amount of the honorarium being awarded. Reporting An initial briefing will be conducted with the role’s direct supervisor (Anjali) and the DSU’s Policy and Governance Coordinator to get trained and up to speed. Your supervisor is also available for assistance by request; you should expect to be supported by the Union in your work! The running reporting obligations are to give regular updates at committee meetings about progress on your section. The committee meetings happen at least once a month but may be more frequent if necessary. A final debrief will occur with the direct supervisor after the completion of the project, to gather feedback and discuss any further opportunities available at the Union. You will have the option to present your research paper to Council yourself. For further information on the role , please email with the subject line “Commissioner Role Interest”.