Sexual Violence policy now open for comments

This notice is from the archives of The Notice Board. Information contained in this notice was accurate at the time of publication but may no longer be so.

After a year of review, the revised draft of the Sexual Violence policy was approved for consultation on May 1.

Feedback will be collected until Wednesday, May 22 at 9 a.m. and can be submitted to policy@uleth.ca. If approved by the Board of Governors at its June meeting, the policies will come into effect on June 14.

The following major changes have been incorporated into the policy:

• Sexual harassment has been removed from the Harassment & Discrimination (H&D) Policy and included in the Sexual Violence (SV) Policy

• Reference to the importance of trauma-informed approaches is included in both policies

• The scope of the Sexual Violence policy has been narrowed slightly; uLethbridge has no direct influence over non-university contexts in terms of sanctions (although we will continue to emphasize the provision of supports in those cases)

• There is no timeline for making a complaint under the Sexual Violence Policy or under the Harassment and Discrimination Policy (complainants previously had 12 months to submit a complaint)

• Consistent procedures and timelines for Complaints and Investigations are embedded within the appendices of both policies (H&D and SV)]

• A Complaint Review Team has now been established to review cases. The proposed authority of this team will extend from shortly after intake to the determination of policy breaches, sanctions (including suspension and expulsion of students), and the communication of outcomes. Training is required for participation on this team

• Division of duties regarding complaints is now reflected in both policies (SV and H&D). The AVP Student Affairs will take responsibility for student complaints; the AVP Human Resources will take responsibility for employee complaints

• Investigators will now be required to provide a rationale for their investigative finding and conclusion

• Due to changes in Occupational Health & Safety legislation, the University may now be required to or may choose to investigate misconduct even though an individual has chosen not to file a complaint or does not wish to initiate an investigation process

• Qualifications of investigators are now specified

• The provision for appeals has been added

• Decisions regarding suspension and expulsion have been moved from the Calendar’s non-academic review process to the Complaint Review Team.

The Sexual Violence Policy Working Group—comprised of Kathleen Massey (AVP Students), Ariane Tennant (AVP Human Resources), Doug Mackie (Chief Safety Officer), Scott Harling (Privacy Officer and Counsel), Jodie Gallais (Director, University Secretariat), and Mark Slomp, (Executive Director, Student Services)—would like to thank all who have contributed to the

development of this policy. The Working Group would especially like to recognize past and present members of the Preventing Sexual Violence Action Committee for their tireless work and advocacy.

Additional information and resources can be found online at the U of L’s Sexual Violence Support & Education website.


Contact:

caroline.zentner | caroline.zentner@uleth.ca