Students at Dalhousie University are discussing rape culture, which they say very much exists on campus today.

Backhouse and Beyond was a forum created by the university’s students’ union and the gender and women studies program. It was named after professor Constance Backhouse, who tabled a report with 39 recommendations for Dalhousie University.

“It's a continuation of a conversation that the dentistry ordeal started,” said Dalhousie gender and women’s studies professor Margaret Denike. “We know it's not just Dal. We know there's toxic masculinity throughout our society.”

The plan Tuesday was to discuss the university’s progress – and the work that still needs to be done.

“We think it's very important for students to be able to participate in the dialogue that currently exists around rape culture on campus – it's absolutely a student issue,” said Kathleen Reid of the Dalhousie Student Union.

More people than ever before have signed up for a gender studies class this year.

“I know people personally affected through the issue through the dentistry school last year, and I think these avenues and channels of discussion and getting people talking about these issues is really important to have,” said fourth-year student Parker Muzzerall.

Denike says the Backhouse report is a required reading in her gender studies class, but one of the panelists is calling on all students to read it.

“The report is a good stepping stone for the institution to realize that we need change,” said Reid.

But it's clear Dalhousie will still need time to fully put the scandal behind it. 

“My parents were like, 'Are you sure you still want to go there?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I think it's really important,'” said first-year student Scout Simard. “They got a first-hand view of the issue and I'm kind of glad that it happened here because they have to deal with it, while other schools just get to put it in their back pocket.”

With nearly 200 in attendance and speakers committed to change, the campus conversation is very much continuing. 

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.