Safety and wellbeing of the Laurier community

Dear Laurier undergraduate and graduate students –

As you return to classes after a well-deserved fall reading week, we recognize that the war unfolding in Israel and Gaza weighs heavily on each of you in different ways.

Amid the continued violence and its devastating impact on civilians – as well as our own Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim students – I want to personally ask each of you to treat each other with kindness, respect and compassion.

Universities are spaces where people from all backgrounds come together to learn and grow. We know difficult conversations may happen in the coming days across our campuses. Please keep in mind that many in our community have personal ties to the region and are impacted by the war and its devastation. Be kind to one another during this very difficult time for our community.

Laurier is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all of our students and have zero tolerance for hate speech and/or violence in any form.

We take any reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, intimidation, threats, harassment or violence very seriously.

We encourage anyone who feels unsafe, or needs help and support to reach out to the variety of university supports and spaces available:

• Student Wellness Centres:
  • Waterloo: 548.889.3239 or wellness@wlu.ca
  • Brantford: 519.756.8228 x5803 or lbwellnesscentre@wlu.ca
• Dean of Students’ Office:
  • Waterloo: deanofstudentswl@wlu.ca
  • Brantford: deanofstudentsbr@wlu.ca
• Multi-faith Chaplains
• Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CSEDI)
• Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management:
  • 548.889.3517
  • humanrights@wlu.ca​
• International Student Support:
  • laurierinternational@wlu.ca
• Here 24/7: 1.844.437.3247
• Delton Glebe Counselling Centre:
  • 519.884.3305 or glebecentre@wlu.ca

• Contact Laurier's Special Constable Service:
  • Waterloo: 519.885.3333
  • Brantford: 519.770.3778
• Download the SAFEHawk app for Apple or Android for time-sensitive emergency alerts information.
  • Enable notifications for the app in your phone settings.
  • Select the appropriate location(s) for alerts from the “Campus Alert Settings” button. Note: to receive notifications for all locations, select the button beside each location individually.
  • Keep your operating system up to date to ensure timely notification delivery.
• Become familiar with standard emergency response procedures

I hope you all draw strength from each other and the Laurier community during these difficult times.

Ivan Joseph
Vice-President: Student Affairs