Capilano University has passed a policy making it explicit the school has a zero-tolerance attitude towards sexual violence on campus.
Cap’s policy, passed by the board of governors Tuesday, doesn’t take the place of the criminal justice or civil court system, but instead governs how the school will treat students, employees and volunteers at the university who report being victims of, or are accused of sexual violence or misconduct.
In May 2016, the province passed legislation mandating all universities and colleges adopt policies to confront sexual violence within one year. It followed a number of high-profile assaults on the University of British Columbia campus and complaints from victims the school was sluggish in responding.
Under the policy, the school must provide “confidential assistance and support, referrals and information” to victims as well as investigate and “take necessary and appropriate action to protect the safety and welfare of the campus community.”
The language used in the policy, which has been in development since the summer of 2016, indicates a fundamental shift in thinking in how the school treats sexual violence, said Capilano president Paul Dangerfield.
“We spent a lot of the discussion talking about consent and the newer approach to how that it is – that it is freely given and that it can never be assumed. That’s very different from the past. In the past, it was ‘No means no.’ Now it’s a whole new look around how we approach that,” he said.
Also noteworthy is the policy’s direction for how the school treats those who come forward, referring to them as “survivors,” rather than complainants or alleged victims. “We will treat every individual coming forward as a survivor and with respect and never put them in question and allow them to make sure they have the services and the support mechanisms to either report or at least look for support,” Dangerfield said.
The standard of proof the school will use in investigating reports is the balance of probabilities, rather than beyond a reasonable doubt. That’s also intended to weight the system in favour of those wronged, which are the “vast, vast majority of the cases,” Dangerfield said.
“We flipped the whole process around so we could care for the individuals, which was the advice we were getting. And I think that’s really helped us in this and certainly our community has embraced that. We haven’t had any challenges with that,” he said.
Dangerfield said he is aware of two instances of sexual violence connected to the campus within the last five years.
Emily Solomon, the Capilano Students’ Union women’s student liaison and a fourth-year business student, said she was proud of the policy and the level of buy-in it’s had in development.
“We had all the voices there and everyone took it so very seriously. For me, as a student, that was itself really promising,” she said. “I’m hoping that students will find it accessible and that they’ll feel supported and that it will contribute to their success and their academic career. I’m very proud of it.”
On another level, Dangerfield said he hopes the policy is a step towards addressing the larger cultural problems that cause so many women to feel at risk in the places where they’re supposed to be focused on student life.
“I asked my daughters what precautions they take and I was alarmed at how careful they are with everything. From attending a party and never ever putting their drinks down, right on through to getting into taxi cabs and the teamwork they do as a group of girls to look after each other. It was quite surprising,” he said. “I’d like to take it beyond just that this is a safe place. I’d like to take it to the point where employees and students who pass through the gates of Capilano University … are now advocates and spokespersons and are going to their communities and actually changing the culture that you see not just on campus on in Canada and in society in general.”
The policy should be a first step towards that, if it’s followed up with appropriate resources and education on campus, Solomon said.
“Having it in place, I think, will make it feel like a safer campus. I think it also just shifts the culture. It’s a statement of university’s commitment that there’s zero tolerance for it,” she said.
