UTSC gathers to honour Shivank Avasthi as students call for better safety on campus

Several of Avasthi’s close friends spoke at the memorial — sharing personal memories — describing him as kind, supportive and deeply connected to the UTSC community.

Friends and students at Shivank Avasthi’s commemoration on Jan. 22, 2026 to celebrate his life and recall fond moments. (Photo By: Omotayo Ayorinde // The Underground)

The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) held a memorial honouring the life of Shivank Avasthi at the Meeting Place on Jan. 22 — bringing together students, faculty and staff across the campus. 

Avasthi was a third-year Life Sciences student who was fatally shot in an incident in the Highland Creek Valley on Dec. 23. The Toronto police made an arrest in the investigation and the accused was identified as Babatunde Afuwape, 28. 

The student-led commemoration was organized in a collaborative effort by the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU) and the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) Cheerleading Team, which Avasthi was a part of. 

Several of Avasthi’s close friends spoke at the memorial, sharing personal memories and described him as kind, supportive and deeply connected to the UTSC community.

“He was always looking forward to the next day,” said Alex, Avasthi’s former teammate at the UTSC Cheerleading Team. “He always tried to put on a smile even when things didn’t go his way.”

Lalitha, a close friend, reflected on Avasthi’s passion for things he enjoyed. “Powerlifting was one of them,” she said.

Kienna, who is also a member of the UTSC Cheerleading team, said Avasthi  made a special group handshake with her, and she would never forget how she felt in those moments. “We will bring his memory on stage every time. I hope he’s proud of the team we become,” she said.

Tables were set up with cards for community members to reflect on their bond with Avasthi and write down their fondest memories which the victim’s friends wish to share with the bereaved family as a way of remembrance.

Emeka Okolo, the Vice-President Campus Life for SCSU, read an original poem honoring Avasthi’s life. Towards the end of his speech, he mentioned that UTSC will be building a bench in honour of Shivank outside the new medical school currently under construction.

“It will be a place of reflection and inspiration of Shivank’s life and aspiration,” said Okolo. The incident has brought forward concerns and demands for reform from students around the safety on campus. 

A fourth-year computer Sciences student, Amaan Ali started a petition for better safety on campus. The petition has gathered strong support from the community with over 7,500 

 signatures since its launch on Dec. 25, 2025.

“Safety should be the number one priority,” said Ali, “T-Card (Student ID) scanners should be implemented or there should be a lot more cameras and security.”

Ali said one of his friends had once admitted to installing fake security cameras in the valley because they were “scared of getting robbed,” due to the area’s isolated nature.

“I was at Stanford once and they had scanners everywhere,” said Ali.

Students and faculty members at the commemoration (Photo By: Omotayo Ayorinde // The Underground)

A number of Canadian universities and colleges implement campus safety strategies that include emergency help lines, all-day campus patrol, safe-walk services available to students, faculty, and guests, specialized safety training workshops, emergency call stations, and safety apps, amongst others. 

While these strategies currently exist at UTSC, there is greater demand for higher security measures that ensure students feel safe and protected on campus.

Yale University increased campus security by mandating students and faculty members to carry their university-issued ID at all times. This was after a shooting incident that took place in December 2025. 

Other universities, like Columbia University and Harvard University, took a similar approach of requiring IDs to access campus buildings after another shooting incident at Brown University. 

The petition added , “The lack of security cameras and surveillance in certain parts of the campus not only increases the risk of criminal activity but also creates an unsettling environment in which students feel vulnerable.”

The Underground reached out to UTSC for comments but was re-directed to previous emails from the university highlighting existing measures and the possibility of adding safety resources in the future.

“We are continuing with increased patrols in the area and working to identify any additional measures that may be needed to ensure the safety of our campus communities,” wrote UTSC’s principal, President Melanie Woodin, prior to her leave.

Acting principal, Alison Mountz, mentioned the current services available to the community in an email sent on the day of the commemoration. 

“Community members are encouraged to make use of safety resources, including Travel Safer (walk-safe campus escort service on-campus), UTSC’s Lone Worker program and mobile Bluelight. Please ensure you download the Campus Safety mobile app and the UTAlert app,” she wrote.

There were rooms for decompression and counselors present at the memorial. It was a solemn evening where tears were shed and sniffles echoed in the room. Everyone came together to honour and commemorate the life of Shivank Avasthi.