This page contains information for members of the University who wish to make a complaint under the Student Code of Conduct Policy.
If you have witnessed or been a victim of disruptive, inappropriate, threatening, discriminatory or violent behaviour by a student, the University encourages you to report it to the Office of Student Affairs by contacting studentconduct@capilanou.ca.
If it is an emergency situation
If you are involved in, or witness, an emergency situation, please call 9-1-1 or contact Campus Security at 604 984 1763. Student Affairs does not offer emergency or crisis response services.
The student conduct process requires at least a week if the report is informal and three or more weeks if a formal report and investigation is initiated, unless reported behaviour is dangerous, puts others at risk or requires immediate intervention.
If you require additional crisis response services, please see CapU’s 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Supports page.
Informal reports and resolutions
The University encourages direct and informal student conduct resolution between parties when appropriate. The Student Rights and Responsibilities Advisor (SRRA) at Student Affairs can help provide guidance on informal reporting and resolution options.
Making a formal report
If an informal report and resolution are unsafe or not appropriate, then a report can be made to the Office of Student Affairs. They will assess the available information to determine if the incident falls within the scope of the Student Code of Conduct policy.
To assist with this process, we ask that you share as much information as possible, including:
- The time and date of the incident(s);
- 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.
We may ask you to attend additional meetings and/or complete a written statement to assist with this initial assessment.
In assessing whether a formal report can move forward, we will consider:
- Whether the subject(s) of the complaint is a current Capilano University student (or was a student at the time of the incident);
- Whether the behaviour was a violation of the Student Code of Conduct 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 to proceed.
The Student Rights and Responsibilities Advisor (SRRA) will assess potential safety concerns, scope and jurisdiction and explore informal and formal options to address the issue.
The SRRA may reach out to you for further information or may reach out to the student(s) causing harm, and the student(s) who is affected.
Your rights as a complainant
As a complainant in a university process, your rights are the following:
- Right to be heard: You will be given a fair opportunity to submit a complaint, present your evidence and share your account of events without fear of retaliation.
- Right to an unbiased process: You have a right to an impartial investigator and decision maker.
- Right to have a support person: You have a right to bring a support person of your choice to any meetings with the investigator or decision makers. The role of the support person is to provide emotional support for you. They won’t be able to speak on your behalf.
- Right to due process: The process will be conducted in a fair and timely manner in alignment with the associated university procedures.
- Right to be informed of the outcome: Complainants have a right to know the outcome of the process they initiated, though the details of the outcome, including any sanctions that may have been applied, may not be shared due to privacy considerations.
- Right to appeal: If you have any procedural fairness concerns, you have a right to appeal the process or the outcome of a process.
Formal investigation and subsequent processes
If your complaint proceeds to a formal investigation, you may be asked to provide further information. Investigations typically take at least three weeks and up to two or three months to complete.
Please note that, due to privacy legislation, the Office of Student Affairs can share limited information about the outcome or sanctioning related to your complaint.
A note on confidentiality
While we value and protect your confidentiality as a complainant, we are required to share your name and report with the respondent if a report you make leads to an investigation.