Yunchan Jung
Policy vs. Perception: How Ontario Universities Respond to Violent Incidents on Campus
Biography
Yunchan Jung is a fourth-year student at Toronto Metropolitan University, majoring in Professional Communication with a minor in Public Relations. With a strong interest in crisis communication and public safety, his work focuses on how institutions respond to high-stakes situations, particularly within educational settings.
He brings real-world experience to his academic research through his role as a part-time campus security guard, where he engages directly with the challenges of creating safe, supportive environments. Yunchan is also actively involved in event planning and serves on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee, where he has contributed accessibility guidelines for TMU’s Signify research showcase.
His capstone research explores how six Ontario universities respond to violent incidents on campus, analyzing official policies alongside student and public perceptions gathered from social media and student journalism. His goal is to highlight gaps in communication and response, and to advocate for more transparent, community-centered approaches to campus safety.
Details of Project
In the wake of several violent incidents on Ontario campuses, concerns about student safety have become increasingly urgent. While universities often emphasize their commitment to safety through formal policies and public messaging, there remains a gap between institutional responses and how these are perceived by students, faculty, and the wider community. This research examines how six Ontario universities—TMU, U of T, York, Brock, Lakehead, and Trent—respond to violent incidents on campus, focusing on the actual emergency protocols in place and how effectively they are communicated.
By comparing official procedures with public perception gathered from Reddit, student newspapers, and social media, the research reveals a pattern of delayed communication, inconsistent enforcement, and varied levels of campus security authority—from contracted guards to sworn special constables. Students frequently express frustration over the lack of timely alerts and visible security presence, highlighting a disconnect between policy and lived experience.
Ultimately, this research sheds light on how uneven response strategies and communication failures can undermine trust in institutional safety measures. As violence and safety concerns persist, universities must re-evaluate their crisis response systems—not just in terms of infrastructure, but in rebuilding community confidence.