In the wake of a string of sexual assaults on or near campus, Ryerson University's student union held the first of two emergency meetings Wednesday.

“I think that we heard a lot of concerns aired and it was just the beginning of a much larger conversation,” said union executive member Marwa Hamad, 22. Organizers asked the media to not report on anything said in the meeting due to the topic's sensitive nature.

Police said Wednesday they have received five reports of sexual assault on or near campus since the beginning of September. Of those, one has been classified as “unfounded,” meaning there is no evidence to support a charge, said police spokesman Const. Tony Vella.

“We'll do everything possible to identify the offenders,” said Vella, who urged people to report any incidents to police.

Hamad said she doesn't necessarily think there's been a marked hike in sexual assaults.

“It's a case of more people feeling comfortable about reporting incidences of sexual assaults and even recognizing sexual assault when it happens,” she said. “We're on our way to breaking that culture of shame and silence and blame that so often surrounds sexual assault.”

According to the university's online “security watch,” one sexual assault took place Sept. 4 near Mutual and Gould Sts. A man sexually assaulted a woman and then fled when she screamed. A short time later, he sexually assaulted her again.

On Sept. 5, two female students reported being sexually assaulted near campus, when a man walking on Dundas St. grabbed their buttocks. The man is described as being in his 40s with a dark complexion, about 5”6, a heavy build and wearing a blue t-shirt and baseball cap.

On Sept. 8, a woman was walking on Gould St. when a man lifted up her skirt and grabbed her buttocks. The description of the man is similar to the reported Sept. 4 assault. He is described as being in his early 20s, having a dark complexion, 5”8 to 6 feet with a medium build and wearing a black hooded sweater with white letters.

On Sept. 15, a student at the Ram and the Rye Pub reported that she was sexually assaulted by a man who allegedly pushed her onto the dance floor and touched her under her clothing. A few days after that, security were made aware of a series of sexual assaults that took place at the pub at the beginning of the month when a man reportedly grabbed the buttocks of several women, according to the website.

A second meeting will be held at Ryerson’s student union on Thursday at 4 p.m.

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