Information for Complainants

If you have witnessed or been a victim of disruptive or threatening behaviour by a student, the University encourages you to report it to the Office of Student Affairs by contacting: studentconduct@capilanou.ca

The University also encourages informal resolution between parties, when appropriate. The Conflict Resolution Advisor is available to assist in these cases by provided coaching, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution.

Making a complaint

When a complaint is made to the Office of Student Affairs, the available information will be assessed to determine if an investigation can move forward. To assist with this process, we ask that you have the following information ready to share (where applicable and possible):

• the time and date of the incident(s) in question;
• the names or descriptions of all those involved including witnesses;
• contact information for key witnesses (if available);
• your best account of the incident(s) (who, what, when, where); and
• any supplemental evidence related to the incident that may be available.
• The Office of Student Affairs may ask that you attend additional meetings and/or complete a written statement to assist with this initial assessment.

In assessing whether a complaint is able to move forward, the Office of Student Affairs will consider the following:

• whether the subject(s) of the complaint is a current Capilano University student (or was a current student at the time of the incident);
• whether the available information regarding the incident indicates that the behaviour was a possible violation of the policy;
• whether the complainant is a member of the University community;
• whether the incident occurred on campus or is related to the activities of the University and its community members; and
• whether there is enough information available to proceed.

Formal investigation and subsequent processes

Should your complaint proceed to a formal investigation, you may be asked to attend additional meetings and/or Student Conduct Board hearings to provide further information. This may also include any appeals process or legal review that occurs after the conclusion of the investigation.

Please note that, due to privacy legislation, the Office of Student Affairs may not be able to share some information related to the outcome or sanctioning related to your complaint.

A note on confidentiality

While we value and protect your confidentiality as a complainant in this process, you should be aware that we are required to share your name and testimony with the respondent in the event that a complaint made by you leads to a formal investigation.

See also:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy (pdf)