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theotherpress.ca

University of Ottawa student resigns position
over sexual harassment allegations

» IPPSSA exec accused of inappropriate comment during first week of semester

Nadia Drissi El-Bouzaidi
The Fulcrum

Yor Bisaillon, vice
president of university
affairs of the International,
Political and Policy Studies
Student Association (IPPSSA)

at the University of Ottawa, has

resigned following allegations
of sexual harassment during
101 Week—an introduction
week for new students—in
September.

IPPSSA wrote ina
Facebook post they became
aware on November 5 of,
“serious allegations of sexual
harassment made to one of our

executive members during 101
Week.”

Bisaillon published a
Facebook post on November 6,
in which he publicly apologized
to his accuser and announced
his resignation.

“J just wanted to say that I
feel very victimized by the tone
and the framing of the message
Yaneric has put on Facebook,”
said Arezoo, a first-year
political science student, who
said Bisaillon sexually harassed
her. She does not want her last

 

name published.

“He said, ‘I’m going to

choke you in my bed, while
members, by one of the IPPSSA_ : looking right through my eyes
: and holding my shoulders in

: the middle of the dance floor,”
: she said. “I shouted so that the
; people around us would hear

: ... that he threatened me with

: sexual assault.”

Arezoo said a close friend

and another 101 Week leader
: witnessed the scene. She said
: Bisaillon replied by saying, “I

: was joking, it was just my tone.” :
: J & } y : Bourassa, “I remember I even

: laughed too, because that’s his
: sense of humour, and it was

: just funny, and we changed

: subjects right after.”

In Bisaillon’s Facebook,

he explained what he believes
: happened.

“I made an awful joke to

: a female and I deeply regret

: it,” he wrote. “In response to

: acomment made to me from

: a student who trusted me asa

: leader, I replied with what I felt
: at the time was a joke saying: ‘I
: will choke you.

mm”

“I then laughed as sign of ‘I

: was sarcastic; and we all moved
: on. In hindsight, I realize

: how violent and hurtful my

: words are,” he wrote. “I realize

: how choking can be present

: in sexual and other physical

: abuse, but I did not mean that

: in asexual way at all.”

“In the following days, I

: will be taking the appropriate
: steps to make sure that

: everyone feels comfortable

: around me, and to ensure that
: I become a better person,” he

: wrote.

Camille Bourassa, a first-

: year social sciences student

: said she witnessed the incident
: and she doesn’t believe it

: was sexual harassment. She

: said Bisaillon said, “I want to

: choke you in my bed.”

“It was a joke,” said

Arezoo said she did not

: feel comfortable talking about
: the incident immediately :
: afterwards because she was new :
: to the university and unaware
: of the resources available.

Arezoo posted a tweet

: on November 5, after hearing
: the news of the two Liberal

: Members of Parliament

: who were fired due to sexual
: harassment charges.

“The man who made

: sexually abusive comments
: towards me happens [to be]
: running for NDP nomination.
: Will I name him? yes. Will I :
: make it partisan? No,” her tweet :
: read.

Bisaillon said he drew

out of the race before the
: allegations came to light.

“T had said on Facebook

: that I was going to run, but I

: was never approved, and the

: NDP never endorsed me. I told
: them today that I was off the

: list,” he wrote to the Fulcrum.

Stephane Mukunzi,

: president of the IPPSSA,
: reached out to Arezoo after
: reading her tweet.

“After this happened, I

tried to reach the specific
: individual, Yaneric, and I
: didn’t. It was almost impossible

: to have a conversation,”
: Mukunzi said.

The IPPSSA executive
team held a private meeting,

: according to Mukunzi, where “a
: consensus (was) reached” that
: Bisaillon should resign.

“He took the measures that

he decided were adequate given
: the allegation against him,” he
: said.

“We cannot stress

: enough that the IPPSSA does
: not condone any form of

: harassment,” read the IPPSSA
: statement.

The student federation
announced plans to conduct an

: internal review.

“The last thing I want is

: to hide,” Bisaillon wrote to

: the Fulcrum. “I do believe

: that what I did is not sexual

: harassment, and although

: absolutely wrong, I don’t want
: to go down for this. I hope that
: people can hear both stories.”

“It’s clear in the statement

: that he made (on Facebook)

: that he doesn’t really see the

: point in why his comments

: were sexually abusive,’ Arezoo
: said. “It [sexual harassment]

: has to stop on our campus, it

: has to stop on Parliament Hill,
: it has to stop everywhere.”

 

Freedom Tower welcomes first tenants

» The World Trade Center reopens after 13 years

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Reporter

n November 3, the One

World Trade Center, also
known as the Freedom Tower,
opened its doors after eight
years of construction.

Publishing company
Condé Nast, owners of print
media such as the New Yorker
and Vanity Fair will work out
of floors 20 through 44 of the
tower. While 200 staff currently
occupy the building, Condé
Nast’s workforce within the
building is expected to move to
3,400 by next year, according to
the Morning Call.

At this time, the building
has leased 60 per cent of its
space to companies like KiDS
Creative, Legends Hospitality,
BMB Group, and Servcorp.

also signed up to reserve parts
of the building, such as the

and China Centre.

The new skyscrapers

: are surrounded by the

: September 11 memorial,

: which opened on the 10th

: anniversary of the attacks.

: Twin pools symbolizing the

: original towers sit within

: the memorial; the pools are

: surrounded by the names of

: those who were lost during

: the September u attacks, as

: well as those lost during the

: 1993 bombing. There is also

: the nearby Memorial Museum,
: which serves to educate future
: generations about the events of :
: September 11.

Maryanne Casey, a legal

: affiliate working for Condé

: Nast, spoke to the Morning

: Call on her experiences since

: working in the original World

: Trade Centre. “It’s a great

: tribute to America to see this,”

Government organizations have Casey said. I'm very proud to :
: work here.” Casey’s brother was :

: reportedly a first responder on

General Services Administration : the day the towers fell.

In an interview with the

: Wall Street Journal, Casey also
: stated, “Considering what

: went on here 13 years ago, it

: was very tragic, but we are

: going forward and I think

: it’s wonderful to have this

: Opportunity to work in the

: [Freedom Tower]

”

New York State Governor

: Andrew Cuomo released

: a public statement on the

: opening of the Freedom Tower:
: “Today, as we open its doors

: for the first time, we remember
: that strength and courage

will always conquer weakness

: and cowardice, and that the

: American spirit, defended by
: proud New Yorkers, will not

: be defeated. That lesson and

: that example live on today as

: powerful as they were 13 years
: ago. This is a tremendous day
: for all New Yorkers, proving

: once again that the spirit of

resurgence and community

: lives on stronger than ever
: before.”