FSA Statement: Recent Allegations against BCIT Students
The Faculty and Staff Association stands with BCIT in actively promoting the development and maintenance of a safe and respectful working and learning environment. Recent events in the news regarding allegations of inappropriate conduct by BCIT students highlight the challenges and the importance of developing a strong culture of respect. These events also bring attention to our need to support members of our community who are injured, threatened, or intimidated by inappropriate or even violent conduct.
BCIT has been a constructive partner in the FSA’s attempts to improve respectful workplace training on campus. Through the co-operation of the union and the Institute, we have attempted to make training available to all employees, including auxiliary employees. Along with the other unions on campus and the Student Association, we have agreed on updates to relevant policies and are committed to their further improvement.
As concerns about the incidents recently in the news arose, BCIT’s leadership team has advised and consulted with the FSA leadership. BCIT has readily acknowledged areas in which the Institute needs to improve and is seeking our participation in making those improvements. We remain committed to working with BCIT toward ensuring the safety, security, and the protection of the rights of faculty, staff, and students.
When incidents of inappropriate activity arise, we look at how the Institute, the union, its members, and our students respond and how we can learn from these painful events to strengthen our community. We will continue to look to BCIT to support members of our community who are subject to mistreatment, to support fair and effective policies for addressing incidents quickly and with sensitivity, and to educate and cultivate an atmosphere of respect across BCIT.
Leave a reply →