On Friday, Dec. 1, the Lassonde School of Engineering hosted a ceremony to commemorate the lives of the 14 female victims of the Dec 6, 1989 massacre at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.
91ÑÇÉ« President and Vice Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton shared the University’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity both on and off-campus. To read her remarks, clickÂ
Interim Dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering Richard Hornsey was unable to attend the ceremony, but shared his support and commitment towards ending gendered violence. Click here to see the video.
Special guest Kate Allen, Science and Technology journalist at the Toronto Star, was invited to speak to the 91ÑÇÉ« community at the ceremony about the history of the National Day of Remembrance, and Canada’s current state of affairs on gender equity in science and technology. Allen's speech can be found .
The national campaign associated with the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is . The Government of Canada is encouraging everyone to take action and commit to end gender-based violence, now and throughout the year. The  partnered with 91ÑÇÉ« students to create a moving video to encourage students, faculty and staff at 91ÑÇÉ« to take action.
To conclude the ceremony, Marisa Sterling, assistant dean of inclusivity and diversity at the Lassonde School of Engineering, shared a special announcement for 91ÑÇÉ« students. The engineering school has developed a new project that takes actions to end violence and aggressions toward women and marginalized people. It is called the #MYActionsMatter Project. The project will address two challenges:Â What is micro-aggressive behaviour and what can you do to stop it? And, how can all people be allies to marginalized, racialized and underrepresented people including women in STEM?
Students will be given a chance to sign-up to design and facilitate a workshop on each challenge in a way to build knowledge on the topics.
More details can be found.
The University community remembers the young women who lost their lives on Dec. 6, 1989. They are:
- Geneviève Bergeron
- Hélène Colgan
- Nathalie Croteau
- Barbara Daigneault
- Anne-Marie Edward
- Maud Haviernick
- Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz
- Maryse Laganière
- Maryse Leclair
- Anne-Marie Lemay
- Sonia Pelletier
- Michèle Richard
- Annie St-Arneault
- Annie Turcotte