Thompson Rivers University is waiting to review its sexual misconduct policy as the provincial government looks to make changes to the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act.
The act was passed in 2016 and requires post-secondary institutions in B.C. to implement a sexual misconduct policy and review it once every three years.
The Ministry of Advanced Education and Future Skills is undertaking consultations on possible changes to the legislation, which has prompted TRU to wait before conducting its triennial review.
“The ministry is going out with a consultation on the act itself to stakeholders and most of that will be done going into this fall,” said Christine Adam, associate vice-president and dean of students at TRU, told the university's board of governors Friday.
“So rather than bringing forward revisions of our own to you this year, and then another set next year, we decided that we're actually in pretty good stance with the policy as it sits now."
Adam said that the board may see proposed changes to TRU’s sexual violence policy in the coming year, following potential changes made to legislature.
“It's consistent with what my colleagues have been telling me is the approach that other institutions in the province are doing,” said Adam.
Adam said that the board previously approved revisions to TRU’s policy in 2020.
The ministry’s consultation on the act will see various stakeholders.
“There are folks like our managers of sexualized violence prevention response, they'll be a stakeholder group. Students themselves are a stakeholder group as well,” Adam said.
Adam said she doesn't expect the changes to be significant.
“There are just some minor changes that will be made to the regulations,” she said.
“Just clarify the order of some events following the submission of an investigation report to the president and it just cleans up the language there.”
TRU’s Office of Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response will present its annual report to the board of governors in June.
TRU recently revealed the redacted results of a lengthy $1 million investigation into 55 allegations of serious workplace misconduct — including some allegations of sexual harassment.
