Sexual Harassment Policy
1. Policy Application
The Policy applies to all members of Springfield College of Healthcare, Management & Technology (SCHMT) including students, staff, faculty, administrators, contract service providers, contractors, officers, directors and individuals who are directly connected to any of SCHMT’s initiatives, volunteers and visitors.
2. The Scope
The Policy applies to complaints of sexual violence or sexual harassment that have occurred on Springfield College of Healthcare, Management & Technology campus or at a SCHMT event and involve members of the career college community as defined in paragraph one, the Policy Application.
3. Purpose and Intent
All members of SCHMT have a right to study and work in an environment free of sexual violence and sexual harassment. This document sets out our policy on sexual violence and sexual harassment, defines the prohibited behaviours, and outlines our investigative processes for sexual violence and sexual harassment.
5. Policy Objectives
Springfield College of Healthcare, Management & Technology (SCHMT) is committed to providing an educational environment free from sexual violence and sexual harassment and treating those individuals who report incidents of sexual violence or sexual harassment with dignity and respect. To that end SCHMT will educate and train faculty, staff and students about this Policy and how to identify situations that involve, or could progress into sexual violence or sexual harassment and how to reduce these forms of prohibited behaviours. Where a complaint has been made, under this Policy, of sexual violence or sexual harassment SCHMT will take all reasonable steps to investigate it, including as follows:
- responding promptly to any complaint and providing reasonable updates to the complainant and the respondent about the status of the investigation;
- assisting those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment in obtaining counselling and medical care;
- providing those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment with appropriate academic and other accommodation;
- providing those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment with information about reporting options; and
- providing on-campus investigation procedures for sexual violence and sexual harassment complaints
5. Definition of Sexual Violence
This Policy prohibits sexual violence which means any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without the person’s consent, and includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual exploitation.
Sexual Violence, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes:
- responding promptly to any complaint and providing reasonable updates to the complainant and the respondent about the status of the investigation;
- assisting those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment in obtaining counselling and medical care;
- providing those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment with appropriate academic and other accommodation;
- providing those who have experienced sexual violence or sexual harassment with information about reporting options; and
- providing on-campus investigation procedures for sexual violence and sexual harassment complaints
Sexual Harassment, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes:
- Any course of vexatious comment or conduct of a sexual nature that is known or ought reasonably to have been known to be unwelcome, including:
- offensive jokes or comments of a sexual nature;
- displaying of pornographic or sexist pictures or materials, including online;
- suggestive or offensive remarks;
- unwelcome language related to gender;
- remarks, jokes, innuendoes, propositions, or taunting about a person’s body, attire, sex or sexual orientation;
- leering or inappropriate staring ;
- bragging about sexual prowess;
- physical contact such as touching, patting, or pinching, with an underlying sexual connotation; and
- sexual solicitation or advance made by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the person where the person making the solicitation or advance knows or ought reasonably to know that it is unwelcome
6. Reporting and Responding to Sexual Violence
All members of our career college community will take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual violence on our career college campus or events and report immediately to the SCHMT Campus Administrator (Campus Director) if they are subject to, witness or have knowledge of sexual violence, or have reason to believe that sexual violence has occurred or may occur. Subject to paragraph 7 below, to the extent it is possible, SCHMT’s Campus Administrator will attempt to keep all information disclosed confidential except in those circumstances it believes an individual is at imminent risk of self-harm, or of harming another, or there are reasonable grounds to believe that others in the our community are at risk. SCHMT recognizes the right of the complainant to determine how her or his complaint will be dealt with. However, in certain circumstances, SCHMT may be required by law or its internal policies to initiate an internal investigation and/or inform police without the complainant’s consent, if it believes the safety of members of its career college community is at risk. At all times, campus administrator / directorwill do its best to approximately accommodate the needs of students affected by sexual violence at no cost to the student. In addition, SCHMT members should be aware that a formal report of an incident of sexual violence is not necessary to access supports, services, or accommodations.A complainant seeking accommodation should contact Campus Director / administrator.
7. Investigating Reports of Sexual Violence
A complaint of sexual violence may be filed under this Policy, by any student of our career college, to the Campus Director / administrator in writing.
A complainant may ask another person to be present during the investigation.
Upon a complaint of alleged sexual violence being made, the Campus Director / administrator will initiate an investigation, including as follows:
- determining whether the incident should be referred immediately to police;
- determining what interim measures, if any, need to be taken during the investigation;
- meeting with the complainant to determine the date and time of the incident, the persons involved, the names of any person who witnessed the incident and a complete description of what occurred;
- interviewing the complainant, any person involved in the incident and any identified witnesses;
- interviewing any other person who may have knowledge of incidents related to the complaint or any other similar incidents;
- informing the respondent of the complaint, providing details of the allegations and giving the respondent an opportunity to respond to those allegations;
- providing reasonable updates to the complainant and the respondent about the status of the investigation; and
- determining what disciplinary action, if any, should be taken.
8. Disciplinary Measures
If it is determined by SCHMT that a student of our career college has been involved in sexual violence, immediate disciplinary or corrective action will be taken up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff or expulsion of a student.
In cases where criminal proceedings are initiated, SCHMT will assist police agencies, lawyers, insurance companies, and courts to the fullest extent.
Where criminal and/or civil proceedings are commenced in respect of allegations of sexual violence SCHMT may conduct its own independent investigation and make its own determination in accordance with its own policies and procedures.
9. Making False Statements
It is a violation of this Policy for anyone to knowingly make a false complaint of sexual violence or to provide false information about a complaint. Individuals who violate this Policy are subject to disciplinary and / or corrective action, up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff or expulsion of a student.
10. Reprisal
It is a violation of this Policy to retaliate or threaten to retaliate against a complainant who has brought forward a complaint of sexual violence, provided information related to a complaint, or otherwise been involved in the complaint investigation process.
11. Review
This policy will be reviewed 3 years after it is first implemented.
12. Collection of Student Data
SCHMT shall collect and be prepared to provide upon request by the Superintendent of Ontario Career Colleges such data and information as required according to Subsections 32. 3 (8), (9) and (10) of Schedule 5 of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 as amended.
13. Resources
Appendix 1 lists provincial sexual violence and harassment centers which could be provided as resources.
Appendix A
SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRES (ONTARIO)
Other Resources and Supports Available to You
Good to Talk
Post-Secondary Student Helpline– Free 24/7/365 professional, anonymous support for students 1-866-925-5454
Student Lifeline
Professional support for maintaining a healthy balance between school, work and everyday lift. Confidential consultations, counselling, community referrals, resources (articles, CD’s, booklets), and online tools (blogs, podcasts, Depression and Stop Smoking Centres)
1-877-418-1537
Tty/tdd 1-877-371-9978
LifeWorks.com
Pour le support francophone aux femmes victimes d’agression sexuelle:
CALACS (Francophone Sexual Assault Centres) in Ontario
Centre Passerelle pour femmes: CALACS du Nord de l’Ontario
http://www.centrepasserelle.ca/
C.P. 849 Timmins (Ontario) P4N 7G7
705 360-5657
Centre francophone d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel d’Ottawa
http://www.calacs.ca/
40, rue Cobourg
Ottawa (Ontario) K1N 8Z6
613 789-8096
calacs@calacs.ca
Centre Novas : Centre francophone d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel de Prescott-Russell
www.centrenovas.ca
C.P. 410
Casselman (ON) K0A 1M0
613 764-5700
1 866 772-9922 poste 221
administration@centrenovas.ca
Carrefour des femmes du Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario: CALACS de la région du Sud-Ouest
www.carrefourfemmes.on.ca
Casier Postal 774, London (ON) N6A 4Y8
519 858-0954
1 888 858-0954
bienvenue@carrefourfemmes.on.ca
Centre Victoria pour femmes
www.centrevictoria.ca
C.P. 308
Sudbury (ON) P3E 4P2
705 670-2517
info@centrevictoria.ca
Centr’Elles, centre des Femmes Francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario
www.centrelles.com
P.O. Box 26058
Thunder Bay (Ontario)
P7B 0B2
807 684-1955
1 888 415-4156
admin@centrelles.com
Oasis Centre des femmes
www.oasisfemmes.org
465 Yonge Street PO Box 73022 Wood Street PO Toronto ON M4Y 2W5
Toronto
416 591-6565
services@oasisfemmes.org
Colibri – Centre des femmes francophones du comté de Simcoe
www.centrecolibri.ca
80, rue Bradford, bureau 340
Barrie (ON) L4N 6S7
Barrie
705 797-2060
1 877 797-2050
admin@centrecolibri.ca
Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara – Espace entre Elles
www.centredesantecommunautaire.com
1320 rue Barton Est
Hamilton (Ontario) L8H 2W1
905 528-0163
1 866 437-7606
cschn@cschn.ca
Pour le support francophone aux femmes victimes d’agression sexuelle, se il vous plaît visitez (for French-language support to women victims of sexual assault, please also visit): Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes.
Acknowledgements:
A number of resources contributed to the development of this document, including the sexual assault policies and procedures from several colleges and universities in Ontario, notably, Durham College, University of Guelph and Lakehead University. The Ontario Women’s Directorate resource, “Developing a Response to Sexual Violence: A Resource Guide for Ontario’s Colleges and Universities” served as a reference. In addition, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres provided a list of sexual assault centres in Ontario and their hotline numbers.
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