The University of Northern BC is taking steps to tackle sexual violence on campus.
A task force on the topic created in the Spring of 2014, presented a final report to UNBC President Daniel Weeks earlier this month, which include several recommendations. The report was likely spurred forward by the Provincial Government who passed Bill 23 this year, which requires all postsecondary institutions to develop a comprehensive sexual misconduct policy.
UNBC Undergraduate Student Society President Arctica Cunningham says they will start by trying to get a handle on just how prevalent the problem is on campus.
“Our current reporting structure makes it very difficult to determine numbers, beyond that it’s also difficult to determine numbers because we know across all campuses everywhere in our society; there are people who are victimized who don’t report.”
But Cunningham says some students do report, which shows the issue exists, “if one person is being victimized, that’s one too many.”
She says many of the groups on campus have students best interests in heart, but many are not working together and would benefit from an overarching policy on sexual misconduct.
University President Dr Daniel Weeks says he doesn’t envision a single reporting channel, and that giving students several different ways to report is key.
“It’s really a community response, but at the same time it’s good to have those things coordinated in some fashion.”
The report’s first recommendation calls for the school to “develop a seamless protocol” within a year. To achieve that, both Cunningham and Weeks say there will be plenty on student engagement to determine what works, and what doesn’t
“This is a societal issue, there is no one form of education or enlightenment here that’s going to change that – this is response that’s required from all levels of our community.” Weeks says
The report also asks for the school to develop a “student-centred education risk reduction and prevention program that focuses on empowerment, not fear”. Notably, is calls for the development of a “re-education program” for perpetrators.
Cunningham says she is “a bit weary” of the re-education program, but is looking forward to hearing more during the student outreach process.
“I think that as a place of higher learning, universities have a duty to society to try to tackle these tough issues, To just say that we are going to criminally charge someone, or that we are going to expel them from the school or something like that – it could be a little bit blind in some circumstances.”
To move this to the next step, the school has created a steering committee that will work with the University’s senior administration team and other community members. It includes faculty member Dr. Gary Wilson, Assistant Director Student Affairs Brenda Slomka, Northern Women’s Centre Executive Director Sarah Boyd, and Human Resources Manager Kerry Roberts.
All the reports recommendations can be found below;
Determining the Occurrence of Sexual Violence
· Within a year, UNBC develop a seamless protocol for receiving both confidential and non-confidential disclosures of sexual violence and how to then report that a disclosure has been received.
· UNBC provide trauma-informed training to university community members who are likely to receive reports of disclosures.
Identify the Personal and Academic Implications of Sexual Violence
· UNBC create an accessible environment for initiating disclosures of sexual violence towards students by providing a clearly communicated reporting and support system.
· Develop protocols for providing reasonable academic accommodations (e.g., academic scheduling, deferrals, etc.) and protocols for providing reasonable student support accommodations (e.g., housing room changes, extended counselling sessions, etc.).
Review of Current Policies and Procedures
· Utilize UNBC’s “Student Conduct Statement of Principles” procedures to investigate disclosures and where a student’s behaviour is deemed to have breached the policies of student standards of conduct. Recommendations of any appropriate penalty must follow the procedures outlined in the “Student Conduct Statement of Principles”.
· The steering committee ensures revisions to the current UNBC “Student Statement on Conduct Principles” policy, and to ensure the current policy will refer out to a new stand-alone policy on sexual violence.
· The steering committee ensures that UNBC adapts the Ministry’s Sexual Violence Guidelines for the UNBC context, and develops a stand-alone Sexual Violence policy.
Identify Faculty and Staff Responsibilities for Supporting Students
· Develop and deliver a plan to educate and train UNBC employees on how to provide initial supports for students who make a confidential disclosure, and what actions need to be taken by UNBC employees when the report is provided confidentially.
· Develop and deliver a plan to educate and train both UNBC students and employees on how to formally report disclosures of sexual violence, or how to support a student in seeking to formally report disclosures of sexual violence.
Review how Reported Cases are Managed
· UNBC should investigate software that can allow for multiple units to notify a single office when a report of a disclosure has been received, and to track the stages of support and investigations. A report should be produced outlining the benefits and costs of such software, and recommending UNBC’s next steps.
· That all UNBC employees who have some responsibility for supporting students who disclose incidents of sexual violence receive and be trained in utilizing communication protocols for responding to all reports.
Identify Educational Strategies for Pro-actively Creating a Nurturing Campus
· UNBC develop a coordinated, student-centred education risk reduction and prevention program that focuses on empowerment, not fear, and healthy interpersonal relationships for prospective student victims and perpetrators. Such programming must be research-based, and be accessible to students on all of our campuses. As an institution of higher learning, the development of a “re-education program” for perpetrators is also critical to a holistic education program.
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