UBC has a communication plan on the anvil to spread awareness about its retaliation protection policy among the student body.
The Retaliation, Safe Disclosure, and Reporting Policy, which seeks to protect people who come forward with complaints of misconduct, was approved by the Board of Governors on April 20, 2020. But in a recent Board meeting, VP HR Marcia Buchholz said that this policy still remains unfamiliar among the students — which is a matter of concern — and that VP Students Ainsley Carry should come up with a suitable communication plan to address this problem.
In a written statement to The Ubyssey, Matthew Ramsey, director of university affairs at UBC Media Relations, said that student knowledge of the Retaliation Policy was important.
“Students are a vital part of our community and we are always working to ensure their experience on campus is exceptional. Providing students with the knowledge of their rights while on campus is crucial,” he wrote.
Ramsey attributed the policy’s obscurity to COVID-19 significant impact on university operations.
“The work of the university was focussed on ensuring the health and safety of its community and shifting to online course delivery,” he wrote.
The policy is intended to encourage individuals to report known or suspected improper conduct by ensuring a safe environment for an individual (a Discloser) who reports the alleged improper conduct and provides a mechanism for that individual to report instances of retaliation.
After an allegation is made, a Designated Recipient will investigate the claims. If proven, they will report the finding to the appropriate authority for consideration of disciplinary measures. Annual reports on cases of retaliation are made publicly available on the Human Resources website every year for reference.
From the first annual report produced for the year 2020-2021, there were four cases of retaliation allegations reported. There was a finding of no retaliation in one case and the other three cases are still under investigation. Since the policy has existed only for one year, a meaning from the reports of allegations that have been gathered is said to be difficult to extract, Ramsey said.
Ramsey said that a communications plan is expected after the start of classes in September.
“As awareness of the Retaliation Policy improves over the next few years, the expectation is that the number of retaliation allegations will increase,” he wrote.