Context and Purpose
The college is committed to providing all members of the college community with a safe environment. This policy outlines the requirements and processes for handling the respectful and fair treatment of all students.
Requirements
- The college adheres to the following guidelines for the respectful of fair treatment of students:
a. This policy follows the BC’s Human Rights Code, which prohibits discrimination and harassment based on: the race, color, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, or age of a person, a group, or class of persons.
b. It is the responsibility of the entire college community to create and maintain a positive working and learning environment that is free from discrimination and
harassment.
c. The college does not condone and will not tolerate any behavior that is deemed discriminatory and or harassing.
d. Any member of the college community being found to have harassed or been discriminatory towards others will be disciplined.
e. This policy is not intended to interfere with the natural course of education and is not meant to infringe upon the right of the college community to discuss
controversial and/or sensitive topics, such as religion, age, race, sex, gender, and sexual orientation, in an academic manner.
f. This policy does not include complaints made against the college or its employees for issues other than discrimination and harassment (see instead
Dispute Resolution Policy).
Processes - The college adheres to the following procedures for the respectful of fair treatment of students:
a. The college encourages any individual who may have been discriminated against to contact the Campus Director.
b. The college understands the importance of confidentiality.
c. The college will respect the rights of the accused and the complainant and will keep all proceedings private.
d. The college will, however, divulge information to the appropriate authorities when legally obliged to do so.
e. If the complainant would like to bring forth witnesses, the complainant will be asked to sign a release form.
f. The college encourages anyone who feels harassed or discriminated against to talk to the alleged harasser and to tell the person that the behavior is inappropriate and that he/she wants the person to stop this behavior.
g. If the complainant does not feel comfortable doing this, the complainant may seek advice from a school counsellor and/or the Campus Director without filing
a formal report.
i. The school counsellor and/or Campus Director will counsel the complainant and suggest some informal options for resolving the situation.
h. A formal process would occur under the following circumstances:
i. The complainant decides after the initial meeting to pursue a formal complaint
ii. The school counsellor and/or the Campus Director feels that the nature of the harassment deems a formal complaint
i. The formal complaint process will follow these steps:
i. The complainant will be asked to provide the Campus Director with a written statement providing as many factual details as possible.
ii. The Campus Director will meet with the complainant, the accused and any witnesses. The accused will have an opportunity to provide his/her interpretation of the situation; all discussions will be documented.
iii. The Campus Director will make and submit a decision in writing to the parties involved.
iv. If the accused is found to have harassed or discriminated against the complainant, disciplinary action will be taken including but not limited to
suspension or dismissal; the level of disciplinary action will be determined on the merits of each individual case.
v. If the complainant or accused is not satisfied with the results of the internal investigation, a third-party arbitrator may be elected.
vi. If it is determined that the harassment or discrimination requires more severe sanctions, the Campus Director will notify the appropriate authorities who will be asked to conduct their own investigation.
j. At any point during the formal process, the Campus Director and the parties involved may decide to resolve the situation informally.
k. If the Campus Director is either the complainant or the accused, the college will find a suitable proxy in all of the aforementioned steps.