News and Updates

News and updates from Office of the University Counsel

If you wish to subscribe to our News and Updates, please email university.counsel@ubc.ca

December 13, 2024

LEGAL COUNSEL (INVESTIGATIONS AND DISPUTES)

The OUC is seeking a highly qualified individual to serve as Legal Counsel. This individual will provide legal advice and services to UBC, focusing primarily on those areas of the law relating to investigations and disputes. The application period is open until January 26, 2025. More information is available here.

Full job description and application link available here.

December 5, 2024

AMENDMENTS TO REPORTING AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER BOARD POLICIES

On December 5, 2024 the Board of Governors (the “Board”) approved amendments to four Board Policies and their Associated Procedures (the “Policies”). The amendments address requirements to make submissions to the Board for information and approval. The four amended Policies are:

The amended Policies were published in the Official Repository on the web site of the Office of the University Counsel on December 5, 2024, and are effective as of that date.

Copies of the approved Policies are available at the links above.

The information package that was provided to the Board regarding the proposed amendments to the above-referenced Policies is available at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/11/4.1_2024_11_Streamlining-of-Board-Policy-Requirements-Deferred-Policies.pdf.

November 29, 2024

APPROVAL OF PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE POLICY (SC19)

The provincial Public Interest Disclosure Act (the “Act”) was enacted on May 17, 2018 and came into force on December 1, 2019. It has been progressively implemented across the broader public sector over the past five years. It became applicable to post-secondary institutions other than the research-intensive universities on June 1, 2024, and will become applicable to the research-intensive universities, including UBC, on December 1, 2024.

The Act establishes a statutory framework through which current and former employees of government bodies may disclose serious wrongdoing to their supervisor, a designated officer of their organization, or to the BC Ombudsperson. The Act also makes it an offence to retaliate against an employee or former employee for reporting wrongdoing, seeking advice, or participating in an investigation under the Act.

In order to meet its obligations under the Act, UBC has developed a new Public Interest Disclosure Policy (SC19). The new Policy, as well as consequential amendments to the Investigations Policy (SC8) and the Retaliation Policy (SC18), were approved by the Board of Governors on June 27, 2024. The new Policy and the amendments to the existing Policies will come into effect on December 1, 2024.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed Public Interest Disclosure Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/06/5.2_2024_06_Proposed-New-Policy-Public-Interest-Disclosure-Policy-SC19.pdf.

The Repository of Board of Governors Policies, Procedures, Rules and Guidelines will be updated to include these new and updated Policies when they come into effect.

Further information on the Public Interest Disclosure Policy for UBC employees will be available soon at io.ubc.ca, and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Carly Stanhope, Director of Investigations.

November 26, 2024

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS POLICY (SC15)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the proposed amendments to the Financial Investigations Policy (SC15) (the “Policy”).

The Internal Audit Policy was first approved in 1977 and last substantively revised in 2014, when the Internal Audit Policy was amalgamated with the Whistleblower Policy to create the Internal Audit, Investigations, and Financial Whistleblower Policy (SC15).

A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop proposed amendments and has prepared a draft proposal. The primary objectives of the proposed amendments are to align the Policy with best practices and ensure consistency with other Board of Governors’ policies.

More specifically, the Committee’s most notable proposed amendments to the Policy are:

Scope Expansion: The proposed Policy broadens the scope to include not just UBC employees and students but also volunteers, service providers, contractors, and those with emeritus status. The scope has been broadened to capture anyone who can affect money, assets, or resources that belong to UBC or that are administered by UBC on behalf of third parties.
Internal Assurance Charter: The Internal Assurance Charter was approved by the Board of Governors in March 2024 and the proposed Policy is aligned with and incorporates references to the Internal Assurance Charter.
Definition and Evaluation of Financial Misconduct: The proposed Policy introduces the “reasonable person test” to assess Financial Misconduct. This test considers what a reasonable person would have understood in similar circumstances, recognizing the fine line between incompetence, carelessness, and negligence, on the one hand, and intentional misconduct on the other. The degree of intent may be considered as a factor when determining consequences.
Investigative Authority: The proposed Policy grants Internal Assurance more explicit powers to conduct investigations, with authority to access all relevant UBC records and authority to interview UBC Members. If an investigation is required, Internal Assurance will conduct the investigation, unless the CARO and the relevant Administrative Head of Unit agree that the Administrative Head of Unit will conduct the investigation. The Investigator will collaborate with relevant UBC units, such as Human Resources, the Office of the University Counsel, and Safety and Risk Services, and those units will provide advice and support as appropriate.
Creation of Rules: The proposed Policy allows the Responsible Executive to issue and maintain Rules to regulate the prevention and detection of Financial Misconduct. The Responsible Executive must establish an advisory committee and solicit public feedback before finalizing any Rules. Internal Assurance is responsible for monitoring compliance with the Rules and reporting back to the Audit Committee.
Post-Investigation Process and Internal Controls: The proposed Policy makes it explicit that Internal Assurance may issue recommendations following investigations, including recommendations for remediation measures and steps to improve internal controls. This creates a formal post-investigation follow-up process aimed at preventing future instances of misconduct.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/11/3_2024_11_Proposed-Amendments-to-Financial-Investigations-Policy-SC15.pdf

The proposed amendments are now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by February 19, 2025.

Feedback received by the Office of the University Counsel from the UBC community will be provided to the members of the Committee for review and consideration. The Committee does not provide individual responses to persons submitting feedback. However, the feedback received will be summarized, along with the Committee’s response, in a Community Consultation Summary that will be included in the submission materials that are generally shared in open sessions of meetings of the responsible Board committee and the Board of Governors.

November 25, 2024

LAUNCH OF UBC’S NEW “INTRODUCTION TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST” TRAINING COURSE

If you want to better understand Conflict of Interest (COI) and Conflict of Commitment (COC) in a university setting, explore the new Introduction to Conflict of Interest training course for more information. To start exploring, click here.

November 22, 2024

AMENDMENTS TO THE NAMING POLICY (GA6)

Amendments to the Naming Policy, which is a joint policy of the Board of Governors (the “Board”) and Senates, were approved by the Board on September 25, 2024, by the Vancouver Senate on November 20, 2024, and by the Okanagan Senate on November 21, 2024.

The amendments are part of the group of amendments addressing requirements to make submissions to the Board for information and approval that were approved by the Board on September 25, 2024. The amendments provide that the Naming of Places requires the recommendation of the Naming Committee and the approval of the President and are effective November 22, 2024.

A copy of the Naming Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/naming-policy/.

The information packages that were provided to the Senates and Board are available at:

Okanagan Senate: https://scs-senate-2021.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/20241121-Okanagan-Senate-Materials.pdf (docket pages 21-59)
Vancouver Senate: https://scs-senate-2021.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/20241120-Vancouver-Senate-Materials.pdf (docket pages 45-83)
Board of Governors:https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/09/2.1_2024.09_Streamlining-of-Board-Policy-Requirements-No-Feedback-Requiring-Discussion.pdf

October 2, 2024

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE KILLAM PROFESSORS POLICY (LR6)

The Procedures associated with the Killam Professors Policy were updated effective October 2, 2024 to provide that the Chancellor will chair the Advisory Committee, or, if the Chancellor is absent or unable to act, or otherwise at the discretion of the Chancellor, the Vice-President, Research & Innovation will chair the Advisory Committee.

A copy of the Killam Professors Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/killam-professors-policy/.

October 1, 2024

APPROVAL OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY (SC17)

A proposal to amend the Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC17) was presented to the People, Community & International Committee of the Board of Governors on March 13, 2024. The proposal was then published for community consultation from March 18, 2024 to April 30, 2024. On September 25, 2024, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Sexual Misconduct Policy and its associated Procedures, effective as of October 1, 2024, provided however that investigations or other proceedings arising from reports made before October 1, 2024, will continue to be governed by the current Sexual Misconduct Policy.

A copy of the approved Sexual Misconduct Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/sexual-misconduct-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Sexual Misconduct Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/09/6.1_2024.09_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Sexual-Misconduct-Policy-SC17.pdf.

September 27, 2024

AMENDMENTS TO REPORTING AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER BOARD POLICIES

On September 25, 2024 the Board of Governors (the “Board”) approved amendments to twelve Board Policies and their Associated Procedures (the “Policies”). The amendments address requirements to make submissions to the Board for information and approval. The twelve amended Policies are:

The amended Policies were published in the Official Repository on the web site of the Office of the University Counsel on September 27, 2024, and are effective as of that date.

Copies of the approved Policies are available at the links above.

The information packages that were provided to the Board regarding the proposed amendments to the above-referenced Policies are available at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/09/2.1_2024.09_Streamlining-of-Board-Policy-Requirements-No-Feedback-Requiring-Discussion.pdf and https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/09/2.2_2024.09_Streamlining-of-Board-Policy-Requirements-Feedback-for-Discussion.pdf

RETIRED FACULTY APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP1)

A proposal to amend the Retired Faculty Appointment Policy (AP1) was presented to the People, Community & International Committee of the Board of Governors on June 10, 2024. The proposal was then published for community consultation from June 10, 2024, until July 22, 2024. On September 25, 2024, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Retired Faculty Appointment Policy, including an expansion of the definition of “retired Faculty Member” to include individuals with Emeritus status under Vancouver Senate Policy V-250.2 and Okanagan Senate Policy O-250. Amendments are effective September 27, 2024.

A copy of the approved Retired Faculty Appointment Policy is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/retired-faculty-appointment-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Retired Faculty Appointment Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/08/4_2024_09_Proposed-amendment-Retired-Faculty-Appointment-Policy-AP1.pdf.

September 17, 2024

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AVPs POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures associated with the Administrative AVPs Policy were updated effective September 17, 2024 to change the administrative reporting line for the position of the Chief Assurance and Risk Officer (“CARO”). The CARO previously reported to the President and now reports administratively to the Vice-President, Finance & Operations and continues to report functionally to the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors. The CARO provides vision, strategic leadership, and direction for internal assurance and enterprise risk management, and supports the Board of Governors in fulfilling their risk oversight responsibilities.

A copy of the Administrative AVPs Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

July 2, 2024

ADMINISTRATIVE VPs POLICY (AP14)

A proposal to amend the Administrative VPs Policy was published for community consultation from December 15, 2023 until January 31, 2024. The amendments to the Administrative VPs Policy were approved by the Board of Governors on June 27, 2024, and are effective as of July 2, 2024.

A copy of the approved Administrative VPs Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/administrative-vps-policy/

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Administrative VPs Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/06/7.1_2024.06_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Administrative-Vice-Presidents-Policy-AP14.pdf

June 10, 2024

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE RETIRED FACULTY APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP1)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the proposed amendments to the Retired Faculty Appointment Policy (AP1) (the “Policy”).

The proposed amendments serve to expand the definition of “retired Faculty Member”. More specifically, the proposed definition would be expanded beyond just “a UBC tenure-stream faculty, librarian or program director retired from the University” to also include “any other person who holds Emeritus status under Vancouver Senate Policy V-250.2: Emeritus Status or Okanagan Senate Policy O-250: Emeritus Status, as those Senate policies may be amended from time to time”.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/05/3_2024_06_Policy-Amendment-Retired-Faculty-Appointment-Policy-AP1.pdf

Feedback received by the Office of the University Counsel from the UBC community will be provided to the members of the Policy Development Committee for review and consideration. The Policy Development Committee does not provide individual responses to persons submitting feedback. However, the feedback received will be summarized, along with the Policy Development Committee’s response, in a Community Consultation Summary that will be included in the submission materials that are generally shared in open sessions of meetings of the responsible Board committee and the Board.

May 6, 2024

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE HONORIFICS POLICY (LR1)

The Procedures associated with the Honorifics Policy were updated effective May 6, 2024 to remove the mandatory five-year period for the conferral of chair and professorship honorifics and to provide the Responsible Executives with the flexibility to confer chair and professorship honorifics for periods up to a maximum of five years, which may be extended by up to one year in accordance with the Procedures.

A copy of the Honorifics Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

April 2, 2024

APPROVAL OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY (SC3)

A proposal to amend the Conflict of Interest Policy (SC3) was presented to the Employee Relations Committee of the Board of Governors on November 20, 2023. The proposal was then published for community consultation from November 21, 2023 to January 21, 2024. On March 27, 2024, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Conflict of Interest Policy and its associated Procedures, effective as of April 2, 2024, provided however that any investigation or disciplinary proceedings for any alleged or actual breaches of the current COI Policy commenced prior to the Effective Date will continue to be governed under the current COI Policy.

A copy of the approved Conflict of Interest Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/coi-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Conflict of Interest Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/03/4.1_2024_03_Conflict-of-Interest-Policy-SC3.pdf.

March 18, 2024

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY (SC17)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the proposed amendments to the Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC17) and its associated Procedures (together referred to as the “Policy”). The Policy has been in place since 2017 and last underwent a review and revision in 2020. A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop proposed amendments and has prepared a draft proposal. The proposed amendments:

clarify when UBC will have jurisdiction to investigate under the Policy;
modify the process for making third party and anonymous reports in order increase transparency of the process and ensure that all individuals have access to necessary and appropriate supports;
clarify the timelines for various steps within the investigation process;
explicitly provide investigators and the Investigations Office with powers and tools to help them conduct and conclude investigations in a timely and efficient manner;
increase transparency around the possible disciplinary outcomes for students and employees;
clarify what information a complainant is entitled to if a respondent is successful in an appeal; and
improve readability.

More specifically, the proposed amendments to the Policy include:

a new statement that UBC is committed to creating a non-judgmental and supportive environment for disclosing and reporting sexual misconduct as well as a statement recognizing that individuals may be hesitant to disclose or report sexual misconduct in various circumstances (Section 1.10 of the Policy);
amendments to the provisions on jurisdiction to investigate under the Policy which clarify that: an investigation under the Policy is dependent on UBC having jurisdiction to investigate; UBC will not lose jurisdiction to investigate if the respondent stops being a member of the UBC Community; and UBC’s jurisdiction to investigate extends to allegations of prohibited relationships (and is not limited to allegations of “sexual misconduct”) (Sections 3.1 to 3.3 of the Policy);
revisions to the provisions on third party and anonymous reporting which are designed to encourage third parties and those wishing to remain anonymous to consult with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office before actually making an anonymous or third-party report to the Investigations Office (Sections 8 and 10 of the Policy);
a new provision on timelines to set out the timelines for investigations in a single provision (instead of in multiple spread out provisions) and also to highlight that, for a variety of reasons, it may sometimes be necessary and appropriate for an investigator to adjust the timelines (Section 2 of the Procedures);
an increase in the timeline for an investigator to complete their investigation from 60 days to 90 days to bring the timeline in step with other university investigations (which are 90 days long) and to make the timeline more realistic (given the complexity of investigations under this Policy) (Section 2.2.2 of the Procedures);
an amendment to the provision on what information is provided to a respondent when a report of sexual misconduct is referred to an investigation so that the respondent receives a fulsome summary of the report rather than the report itself (Section 4.5.2 of the Procedures);
a new provision to explicitly recognize an investigator’s power to set deadlines for completion of individual steps in the investigation so that investigators have the ability to keep their investigations moving along (Section 6.3.6 of the Procedures);
a new provision to explicitly recognize that, if the complainant, the respondent, or both the complainant and the respondent decline to participate in an investigation, the investigator may nonetheless complete their investigation or the Director of Investigations may terminate the investigation if it is not practical for the investigation to continue (Section 6.5 of the Procedures);
amendments to the provisions on possible disciplinary outcomes for students and employees to provide more information on what the possible range of disciplinary outcomes is (Sections 7.4 and 7.5 of the Procedures);
a new provision to clarify what information a complainant is entitled to if a respondent is successful in an appeal (Section 9.2 of the Procedures).

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/02/4_2024_03_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Sexual-Misconduct-Policy-SC17.pdf

Feedback received by the Office of the University Counsel from the UBC community will be provided to the members of the Committee for review and consideration. The Committee does not provide individual responses to persons submitting feedback. However, the feedback received will be summarized, along with the Committee’s response, in a Community Consultation Summary that will be included in the submission materials that will be shared with the responsible Board committee and the Board.

March 13, 2024

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED NEW POLICY – PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE POLICY (SC19)

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to create a new Public Interest Disclosure Policy (the “PIDA Policy”). The Public Interest Disclosure Act (“PIDA”) is provincial legislation that was enacted on December 1, 2019 and which is expected to apply to research universities, including UBC, starting on December 1, 2024. PIDA provides a new option for employees and former employees to disclose serious wrongdoing to their supervisor, a designated officer of the organization, or the Ombudsperson appointed under the Ombudsperson Act, and makes it an offence to retaliate against an employee or former employee for reporting wrongdoing, seeking advice under PIDA, or participating in a PIDA investigation.

A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop a proposal for a new Board of Governors’ Policy to implement the requirements of PIDA at UBC.

The proposed PIDA Policy recognizes that UBC already has robust rules to deal with improper conduct within the UBC community, including the Sexual Misconduct Policy, the Scholarly Integrity Policy, and the Financial Investigations Policy, and those who become aware of improper conduct are encouraged to submit reports in accordance with those Policies. However, as contemplated by PIDA, if an Employee (as defined in the PIDA Policy proposal) wishes to report conduct that the Employee believes to be Wrongdoing (as defined in the PIDA Policy proposal), and does not wish to do so under other applicable Policies, then the Employee may do so under the PIDA Policy.

The PIDA Policy proposal:

a) substantially mirrors the language and requirements of PIDA;

b) creates an option for Employees to seek advice and make disclosures of alleged Wrongdoing;

c) sets out the designated officers at UBC;

d) establishes procedures to manage requests for advice and disclosures of Wrongdoing; and

e) sets out the information that is required to be included in annual reports to be issued regarding disclosures and investigations of Wrongdoing.

The PIDA Policy proposal is now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by April 30, 2024.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2024/02/4_2024_03_Proposed-New-Policy-Public-Interest-Disclosure-Policy-SC19.pdf.

January 24, 2024

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AVPS POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures associated with the Administrative AVPs Policy were updated effective January 24, 2024 to replace reference to the “AVP Career Services” in section 1.1 with “AVP, Students (UBC Vancouver)”. The role of AVP Career Services is no longer needed and the vacant position has been dissolved and replaced with the role of AVP, Students (UBC Vancouver). This role provides a UBC Vancouver parallel for the role of AVP, Students (UBC Okanagan) that has long been in place at the Okanagan campus. The amendment results in no net change to the total number of AVP positions.

A copy of the Administrative AVPs Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

January 2, 2024

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAND USE POLICY (UP12)

The Procedures associated with the Land Use Policy were updated effective January 2, 2024 to replace an outdated map of the UBC Okanagan campus with a current version.

A copy of the Land Use Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

December 15, 2023

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE VPs POLICY (AP14)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the Administrative VPs Policy (AP14) and its associated Procedures (together referred to as the “Policy”). A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop proposed amendments and has prepared a draft proposal. The proposed amendments:

remove fixed term lengths for Administrative Vice Presidents (“Administrative VPs”);
add provisions codifying the practice of ongoing annual performance reviews of each Administrative VP as well as provisions requiring comprehensive institutional reviews of each Administrative VP’s portfolio on a five-year basis; and
amend the composition of the Advisory Committees by (i) adding the Vice-President, Human Resources (except when the Vice-President, Human Resources position is the subject of the search), and (ii) removing members of the Board of Governors (the “Board”).

Term Limit Removal and Requirements for Performance Reviews

Under the current Policy, Administrative VPs may be appointed for a term up to five years and the term can be extended but an Administrative VP cannot normally serve more than 10 consecutive years. This results in a number of potential negative consequences. For example:

qualified candidates may be dissuaded from applying if their appointment is time-limited; senior administrative positions are fundamentally different from senior academic administrator positions – Senior Academic Administrators have a tenured appointment as a faculty member at UBC that they can step into when their administrative position ends; Administrative VPs do not hold appointments as faculty members and will have to search for a new position at the end of their term; this alone may be reason enough for some qualified individuals to prefer positions at institutions that do not have terms/term limits;
legacy knowledge is lost each time an Administrative VP is required to leave UBC;
vacancies in Administrative VP positions can cause instability in the applicable portfolio and to UBC in general;
term limits increase the frequency of search processes being undertaken for Administrative VPs; and
each search is expensive and requires UBC to divert resources from other UBC activities.

Terms and term limits in respect of Administrative VP positions are unnecessary and the potential benefits they may offer are outweighed by the disadvantages set out above. In addition, UBC’s current Policy is an outlier with respect to terms and term limits compared to the other U15 institutions and the proposed amendments would bring it in line. None of the other U15 institutions have term limits and only a minority have fixed terms at all.

To ensure that performance is managed appropriately, the proposed amendments add explicit requirements that the performance of Administrative VPs is reviewed annually and also that the President undertake a full administrative and leadership review of the portfolios every five years.

Amendments to Advisory Committee Composition

The President convenes Advisory Committees to provide the President with advice on candidates for Administrative VP positions. The President considers the advice of the Advisory Committee and then decides on the candidate to recommend to the Board for appointment. The Board considers the President’s recommended appointment and determines whether to approve that appointment. The proposed amendments add the Vice-President, Human Resources to the Advisory Committees to ensure that the Advisory Committees have the benefit of valuable subject-matter expertise around selection processes, the efficient utilization of search consultations, the evaluation of candidates, negotiation of terms and conditions of employment with candidates, and finalization of the form of employment contract.

Given that the Board already exercises oversight over Administrative VP appointments through its role as final approver, the proposed amendments remove Board members from the Advisory Committees. This removal would not preclude the President from nonetheless consulting with the Board Chair or other Board members in circumstances in which the President believes that such input would be appropriate and beneficial.

Feedback received by the Office of the University Counsel from the UBC community will be provided to the members of the Committee for review and consideration. The Committee does not provide individual responses to persons submitting feedback. However, the feedback received will be summarized, along with the Committee’s response, in a Community Consultation Summary that will be included in the submission materials that will be shared with the responsible Board committee and the Board.

December 7, 2023

EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS POLICY (SC5)

A proposal to amend the Snow Policy (SC5) was presented to the People, Community & International Committee of the Board of Governors on June 14, 2023. The proposal was then published for community consultation from June 15, 2023 until September 25, 2023. On December 5, 2023, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Snow Policy, including a change to its short title to the “Extreme Environmental Conditions Policy”, with the amendments being effective December 7, 2023.

A copy of the approved Extreme Environmental Conditions Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/snow-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Extreme Environmental Conditions Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2023/11/6_2023_11_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Snow-Policy-SC5.pdf

November 21, 2023

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE COI POLICY (SC3)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the COI Policy (SC3) and its associated Procedures (together referred to as the “Policy”). The Policy has been in place since 1992 and last underwent a comprehensive review and revision in 2005. A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop proposed amendments to the Policy and has prepared a draft proposal. The proposed amendments:

add a requirement and process for administrative staff with specific management responsibilities to submit Conflict of Interest disclosures on an annual basis through Workday to reflect practices that were implemented in 2018 at the request of the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors;
broaden the Policy, which was strongly focused on the academy, to include more information about scenarios applicable to Administrative Staff;
clarify that the Policy applies to students only to the extent that they are carrying out UBC research;
streamline and enhance the process for addressing and investigating Conflict of Interest complaints and concerns brought before the Conflict of Interest Manager and Conflict of Interest Committee;
update the Policy language (i.e., enhanced definitions, gender neutral language, etc.);
enable the establishment of Rules and Guidelines as contemplated by the Regulatory Framework Policy (GA2); and
improve readability (e.g. consolidated content and corresponding subject matter headings).

More specifically, the proposed amendments to the Policy include:

adding a requirement to disclose Conflicts of Interest and Conflicts of Commitment by Faculty, Staff, and other UBC Persons in (Section 3. Required Disclosures) in the Procedures;
a new section within the Policy (Section 4. Reporting Complaints or Concerns) that consolidates information set forth under the various sections throughout the current version of the Policy, addressing this topic in a more coherent manner;
a new section within the Procedures (Section 9. Referral of Complaints or Concerns to the COI Committee) that clearly outlines the steps involved in the COI Committee investigating any complaints or concerns brought to its attention;
revisions to the Procedures (Section 7. Role of the COI Committee) to more accurately reflect the responsibilities of the COI Committee;
language outlining the ability of the Initial Reviewer to escalate the review of a disclosure up one level in Section 4.4 of the Procedures;
a new section within the Procedures (Section 10. Outcomes Resulting from Breaches) that enhances and clarifies the actions that may be taken when a breach of the Policy or any associated Procedures or Rules has occurred;
moving sections, including Definitions, Role of Initial Reviewer and Role of the COI Committee, from the current Policy to the Procedures to provide clearer direction to UBC Members by consolidating the operational applications of the Policy into the Procedures (This enables the Policy sections to be principle‐based, rather than operational.);
a new section within the Procedures (Section 11. Establishing Guidelines and Rules) that articulates the role of the Responsible Executive in establishing, amending, and repealing Rules and Guidelines (This Section replaces Sections 5 and 6 in the current Policy.);
simplifying the Background & Purposes and General sections, moving pertinent information to other sections of the Policy where relevant;
combining and consolidating all sections related to Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment so that each is addressed in a more logical order starting with Identifying Conflicts and moving through Disclosing Conflicts, Assessing Conflicts and Managing Conflicts;
explicitly defining the role and responsibilities of the COI Manager in Section 6 in the Procedures; and
a new section within the Procedures (Section 8. Appeals) that consolidates the various sections from the current Policy that address this topic.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2023/11/4_2023_11_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Conflict-of-Interest-Policy-SC3.pdf

The proposed amendments are now being published for community consultation and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by January 21, 2024.

October 17, 2023

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AVPS POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures associated with the Administrative AVPs Policy were updated effective October 17, 2023 to replace reference to the “Provost and Vice-President, Academic” in section 1.1 with “Provost and Vice President, Academic (UBC Vancouver)” with respect to the reporting line of the Chief Information Officer, and to replace reference to the “Chief Information Officer and AVP” in section 1.1 with “AVP Information Technology and Chief Information Officer”. These amendments are clerical in nature and (i) reflect that the Chief Information Officer reports to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan and the Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Vancouver), and (ii) include the full title of this AVP and match the format of the other AVP titles in the chart in section 1.1 of the Procedures.

A copy of the Administrative AVPs Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

September 25, 2023

WELCOME TO LEANNE MONSMA

We are very pleased to announce that Leanne Monsma is joining the Office of the University Counsel as Legal Counsel.

Leanne earned her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Alberta and her Masters of Law at University College London. She clerked with the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench (now the Alberta Court of King’s Bench) and practiced law, first with Field LLP in Edmonton and then with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin in Vancouver. At both law firms, she provided advice to a broad range of clients, including post-secondary institutions.

Leanne provides pro bono legal services through Access Pro Bono and was a member of the University College London Public International Law Pro Bono Project team. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Human Rights Law section of the Canadian Bar Association. She is delighted to now be joining the Office of the University Counsel, where she looks forward to combining her professional experience and her commitment to service.

August 14, 2023

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP12) AND THE ACADEMIC ADMINSTRATORS EXTENSION POLICY (AP6)

The Procedures associated with the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy and the Academic Administrators Extension Policy were updated effective August 9, 2023 to replace the language in the Advisory Committee composition tables for certain Academic Associate Vice-Presidents to reflect that the Chair of these Committees is the person to whom the Academic Associate Vice-President will report, who may or may not be an Academic Vice-President. The Procedures associated with the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy were also amended to include language to address the scenario where the position of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (UBC Okanagan) and the position of the Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation are to be held by the same person. The language mirrors existing language in the Procedures to the Academic Administrators Extension Policy.

A copy of the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

A copy of the Academic Administrators Extension Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

July 7, 2023

NAMING POLICY (GA6)

A proposal to amend the Naming Policy was presented to the People, Community & International Committee of the Board of Governors on November 17, 2022, the Vancouver Senate Academic Policy Committee, on November 21, 2022, and the Okanagan Senate Academic Policy Committee on December 2, 2022. The proposal was then published for community consultation from December 19, 2022 until February 15, 2023. The amendments to the Naming Policy were approved by the Vancouver Senate on May 17, 2023, the Okanagan Senate on May 18, 2023, and the Board of Governors on June 29, 2023.

A copy of the approved Naming Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/naming-policy/

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Naming Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2023/06/7_2023_06_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Naming-Policy-GA6.pdf

June 15, 2023

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE SNOW POLICY (SC5)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the Snow Policy (SC5) and its associated Procedures (together referred to as the “Policy”). The Policy has been in place since May 1994 and no substantive changes have been made since the initial approval. A Policy Development Committee (the “Committee”) has been convened to develop proposed amendments and has prepared a draft proposal. The primary objectives of the proposed amendments are to:

a) expand the scope of the Policy to address extreme environmental conditions more broadly;

b) provide greater clarity regarding employees whose roles and responsibilities require them to work on UBC’s campuses during extreme environmental conditions;

c) include information regarding remote work arrangements during extreme environmental conditions; and

d) confirm that the Policy does not restrict the ability to move cancelled in-person learning activities to online learning activities.

More specifically, the proposed amendments to the Policy include amendments to:

expand the scope of the Policy to apply in the event of any adverse environmental conditions such as snow, storms, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, or floods;
update the long title and short title of the Policy to reflect the broader scope;
clarify that the Policy applies with respect to in-person operations on UBC’s Point Grey campus and UBC’s Okanagan campus and that it does not apply with respect to other UBC spaces such as UBC’s Robson Square facility, space administered by UBC within the teaching hospitals, UBC’s research forests, or other areas outside of the boundaries described in the Policy proposal;
include a comprehensive definition of “Learning Activities”;
set out that, where feasible, UBC will make and communicate decisions to curtail, cancel, or re-schedule: (i) in-person Learning Activities by 6:00am for morning and afternoon Learning Activities and by 3:00pm for evening Learning Activities, and (ii) other operations by 6:00am;
require that, where decisions to curtail, cancel, or re-schedule in-person operations have to be made or updated at other times throughout the day in response to changing conditions, UBC communicate such decisions as soon as it reasonably can;
provide information about which services are necessary during extreme environmental conditions, being such activities, operations, and services that are: (i) required to comply with applicable laws; (ii) required to comply with applicable UBC policies, procedures, rules, or regulations; or (iii) UBC deems necessary to maintain safe and ongoing operations at UBC, such as animal care, snow removal, emergency repair and maintenance, health, and student residence services;
set out a definition for “Necessary Employees” that allows flexibility to determine, based on the circumstances, which employees are required to perform their duties in order to maintain the necessary services; and
clarify work arrangements during extreme environmental conditions.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2023/06/5_2023_06_Proposed-Amendments-to-the-Snow-Policy-SC5.pdf.

June 1, 2023

LEGAL COUNSEL (INVESTIGATIONS AND DISPUTES)

The OUC is seeking a highly qualified individual to serve as Legal Counsel. This individual will provide legal advice and services to UBC, focusing primarily on those areas of the law relating to investigations and disputes. Applications are being accepted until July 7, 2023, for more information, please click here.

May 5, 2023

CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR PRESIDENT’S NON-ACADEMIC AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEES

The University Counsel invites interested students to submit expressions of interest to serve on:

the President’s UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Non-Academic Misconduct Committees (“NAMCs”); and
the UBC President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSDs”).

NAMCs:

The NAMCs serve a very important role. They assist the President by investigating allegations of non-academic misconduct made against UBC students under the Student Code of Conduct, and reporting their findings to the President (the NAMCs do not investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, as those allegations are investigated under UBC Board of Governors Policy SC17, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the process set out under that Policy). Apart from the Chairs, who are normally senior faculty or staff members, all members of the NAMCs are students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the NAMCs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 8 new students will be selected for the Okanagan NAMC and 5 new students for the Vancouver NAMC. Quorum for meetings of the NAMCs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable NAMC, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan NAMC has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver NAMC has held approximately 3 meetings annually. For more information about the NAMCs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/non-academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the NAMCs at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2012/02/Rules-for-the-Presidents-Non-Acad-Misconduct-Committees.pdf.

PACSDs:

The PACSDs assist the President by investigating allegations of academic misconduct made against UBC students and reporting their findings to the President. The PACSD Chair is a senior faculty member and the other PACSD members consist of both senior UBC faculty members and UBC students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the PACSDs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 2 new students will be selected for the Okanagan PACSD and 2 new students for the Vancouver PACSD. Quorum for meetings of the PACSDs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable PACSD, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan PACSD has held approximately 10 meetings and the Vancouver PACSD has held approximately 90 meetings annually. For more information about the PACSDs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the PACSDs at: https://universitycounsel-2015.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/09/PACSD_Rules.pdf.

Scheduling of NAMC and PACSD Meetings:

Meetings are normally set between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Meetings will be scheduled to fit the needs of the members involved in each case. Training opportunities for members will be provided by the Office of the University Counsel.

How to Submit Your Expression of Interest:

To ensure that a broad range of students are represented on the committees described above, the University Counsel is inviting students who are interested in serving on them to submit their names for consideration. If you wish to be considered, you should provide the following information via email by Friday, July 28, 2023 to student.conduct@ubc.ca:

your first and last name;
your student number;
the name of your Faculty;
your telephone number;
your e-mail address;
your mailing address;
the name of the committee in which you are interested; and
a concise written statement explaining your interest in joining the committee.

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence and the development of an open and inclusive community. We encourage applications from individuals from communities that have been underrepresented or marginalized. If you wish, please feel free to indicate in your expression of interest how your personal experience may assist you in participating on the committees, including any experience working in diverse communities.

Students who are selected to serve on a NAMC or a PACSD will be contacted by the Office of the University Counsel in early August and will receive a formal letter appointing them to the relevant committee.

April 7, 2023

APPROVAL OF SPACE MANAGEMENT POLICY (UP13)

On March 31, 2023, the Board of Governors approved the Space Management Policy and associated Procedures, effective April 7, 2023.

The Space Management Policy establishes overarching principles within a flexible framework to enable decision makers to optimize use of the varied spaces under the control of UBC. There is no expectation of changes to existing practices, and current practices at UBC Okanagan and UBC Vancouver are in compliance with the Space Management Policy.

A copy of the approved Space Management Policy and its associated Procedures is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/space-management-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed Space Management Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2023/03/7_2023.03_Management-of-UBC-Controlled-Land-Buildings-Infrastructure-Policy.pdf

April 1, 2023

INVESTIGATIONS POLICY (SC8)

A proposal to amend the Investigations Policy was presented to the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors on June 20, 2022. The proposal was then published for community consultation from June 27, 2022 until October 2, 2022. On December 5, 2022, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Investigations Policy, effective April 1, 2023.

A copy of the approved Investigations Policy and its associated Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/investigations-policy/.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the proposed amendments to the Investigations Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/11/3_2022.11_Proposed-Amendments-to-the-Investigations-Policy-SC8.pdf.

December 19, 2022

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE NAMING POLICY (GA6)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to the Naming Policy (GA6) (the “Policy”).

The Policy was first approved by the Board of Governors (“Board”) in March 1998, and was revised with the addition of procedures in September 2009. In 2020, it was determined that the Policy should be updated to ensure it remains current, and a Policy Development Committee (“Committee”) was convened to develop proposed amendments. The Committee has prepared a draft proposal. The proposed amended Policy is to be a joint policy of the Board, the Vancouver Senate and the Okanagan Senate.

The proposed amendments expand the scope of the Policy to cover all naming at UBC. The amendments recognize the integral importance of names in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at UBC and to advancing Indigenous reconciliation. Among the proposed amendments are:

a principle-based Policy that articulates the foundational principles that define UBC and the role those principles play in guiding naming decisions, and the factors to be considered;
a requirement that UBC strive for an appropriate balance between all the roles that naming plays at UBC and all the benefits that it can bring;
a requirement that, through engagement with Indigenous Nations, UBC explore naming opportunities to use words from the languages of the Indigenous Nations upon whose traditional, ancestral territories UBC’s places or spaces are located, where that use is supported by the applicable Indigenous Nation;
expansion of the scope of the Policy to all naming at UBC, and setting out specific decision making procedures for UBC’s places, spaces, other physical assets, academic units, awards, honorifics, and activities; as well as the prominent display of a name or likeness of an honouree in UBC’s campus environments;
specific processes for removing or changing a name, including a process for a proposal to remove a name where the name undermines a welcoming and inclusive environment at UBC;
providing that the President may appoint one or more members of faculty or staff to the Naming Committee whose role involves advancing inclusive excellence, Indigenous reconciliation or other strategic priorities.

The proposed amendments include feedback from the Academic Policy Committees of each Senate and the People, Community & International Committee of the Board. For more information, please see the information package provided to the Board at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/11/5_2022.11_Proposed-Amendments-to-the-Naming-Policy-GA6.pdf (this includes the latest presentation to the People, Community & International Committee and links to prior packages provided to this Committee).

The proposed amendments are now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by February 15, 2023.

December 6, 2022

REPEAL OF GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING POLICY (AP7)

A proposal to repeal the Graduate Student Teaching Policy (AP7) was presented to the Employee Relations Committee of the Board of Governors on June 16, 2022. The proposal was then published for community consultation from June 27, 2022 until October 2, 2022. On December 5, 2022, the Board of Governors approved the repeal of the Graduate Student Teaching Policy, effective December 6, 2022.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors, which includes a summary of the feedback received during the consultation period, is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/11/6_2022.11_Proposed-Policy-Repeal-of-Graduate-Student-Teaching-Policy-AP7.pdf.

INVESTIGATIONS POLICY (SC8)

A proposal to amend the Investigations Policy (SC8) was presented to the Audit Committee of the Board of Governors on June 20, 2022. The proposal was then published for community consultation from June 27, 2022 until October 2, 2022. On December 5, 2022, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Investigations Policy, effective April 1, 2023.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors, which includes a copy of the approved amended Policy and a summary of the feedback received during the consultation period, is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/11/3_2022.11_Proposed-Amendments-to-the-Investigations-Policy-SC8.pdf.

November 1, 2022

WELCOME TO MATTHEW MURRAY

We are pleased to announce that Matthew Murray has joined the Office of the University Counsel as Legal Counsel. Matthew knows UBC well, having worked in the University – Industry Liaison Office and in Senate and Curriculum Services, and also obtaining his law degree from Peter A. Allard School of Law. He looks forward to leveraging his extensive knowledge of UBC in his new role as Legal Counsel. Matthew can be reached by e-mail at matthew.murray@ubc.ca or by telephone at 604-827-4421.

October 5, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE REGISTRAR/LIBRARIANS EXTENSION POLICY (AP13)

The Procedures associated with the Registrar/Librarians Extension Policy were updated effective October 5, 2022 to replace an out of date reference in section 2.2 of the Procedures. This section sets out the composition of the Advisory Committee for the extension of the University Librarian. The amendment replaces an out of date reference in this section to the “Associate Vice-President, Learning Services (UBC Okanagan)”, which position does not currently exist at UBC Okanagan, with a reference to “Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Okanagan) or such person’s delegate”.

A copy of the Registrar/Librarians Extension Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

September 21, 2022

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED MANAGEMENT OF UBC-CONTROLLED LAND, BUILDINGS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY (UP13)

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to create a policy to manage UBC-controlled land, buildings, and infrastructure to be known as the Space Management Policy (the “Proposed Policy”).

The Proposed Policy recognizes that space is a valuable, shared, and limited resource and articulates the principle that space must be allocated for its highest and best use in accordance with UBC’s mission, purpose, and strategic plan.

It also recognizes that many of UBC’s spaces are located upon the traditional, ancestral territories of Indigenous nations and that UBC will work with those nations to explore opportunities to enrich those spaces with a stronger Indigenous presence.

Decisions regarding the allocation of space are to be made locally at each campus. For administrative space, decisions are to be made by the appropriate AVPs and for academic space, decisions are to be made by the relevant Provost. Where space has been allocated to a Faculty, the Dean of the Faculty is responsible for allocation within the Faculty and may create a committee to advise on such allocations.

The Proposed Policy also establishes mechanisms for the allocation of costs to academic and administrative units that occupy UBC space.

The Proposed Policy is now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by December 2, 2022.

For further information about the Proposed Policy, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/09/6_2022.09_Proposed-New-Space-Management-Policy-UP13.pdf.

September 13, 2022

AMENDMENTS TO THE VANCOUVER AND OKANAGAN ACADEMIC CALENDARS’ “DISCIPLINE FOR ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT” REGULATION

The President has approved amendments to the academic misconduct regulation found in the UBC Okanagan and UBC Vancouver Academic Calendars. (UBC Okanagan Calendar and UBC Vancouver Calendar).

The revisions continue the substance of the President’s existing academic misconduct process but add a new diversion mechanism for Faculties and students within the existing academic misconduct system. This mechanism is available to the Faculty’s Dean’s Office (the Dean or Dean’s delegate in matters of student conduct) and students in certain prescribed situations.

The new diversion mechanism is intended to support learning and personal awareness. It is appropriate where a student recognizes that they have made a mistake, regrets that error, and wishes to make appropriate amends and learn from the experience. Diversion provides an opportunity for students to do so without being required to participate in a potentially stressful and inconvenient formal hearing before the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSD”) that may not add to their learning.

Therefore, this diversion mechanism will only be available where:

the student has freely admitted to having committed the academic misconduct;
the student does not have a previous academic misconduct record;
the Dean’s Office (represented by the Dean or Dean’s delegate in matters of student conduct) is of the view that the matter may be appropriately addressed as a learning opportunity rather than resorting to the formal student discipline process; and
the student and Dean’s Office mutually agree upon an “Integrity Plan”. The Integrity Plan will be in writing and include descriptions of the academic misconduct and any mitigating or aggravating factors or extenuating circumstances, as well as the agreed upon outcome(s).

Integrity Plans must be mutually agreed upon by the student and the Dean’s Office. If they do not agree, then no Integrity Plan will be put into place. In the absence of an Integrity Plan, the Dean’s office may address the matter as it does under the existing system, with the option to issue a warning letter or refer the matter to the PACSD.

At UBC Vancouver, the Vancouver Provost Office’s newly created “Academic Integrity Hub” will play a facilitative role in the development of Integrity Plans, and the diversion mechanism will be progressively rolled out, initially for cases arising out of courses offered by the Faculty of Science. The intention is that further Vancouver Faculties will be added through a staged roll out with the benefit and experience of the initial roll-out with the Faculty of Science.

At UBC Okanagan the diversion option is available immediately to all UBC Okanagan Faculties and the students taking their courses, with the support of centralized information and resources from the UBC Okanagan Provost Office, including information and resources on the academic integrity website and the established Academic Integrity Matters (AIM) program.

Further information as to the implementation of, and resources for students and staff around, the diversion option at each of the Okanagan and Vancouver campuses, can be found on the Provost Office’s campus-wide academic integrity website (https://academicintegrity.ubc.ca/). The website also provides information and resources for both students and Faculty as to academic integrity generally.

August 3, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE AVPs POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures associated with the Administrative AVPs Policy (AP15) were updated effective July 21, 2022 to:

(a) reflect an update in title from “Chief Audit and Risk Officer” to “Chief Assurance and Risk Officer”;

(b) designate the Chief Student Health Officer as an Administrative AVP position, reporting to the Vice-President, Students;

(d) designate the AVP, University Relations as an Administrative AVP position, reporting to the Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (UBC Okanagan);

(e) update the reporting line for the AVP Equity & Inclusion to reflect the elimination of the Vice-President, Students and the Vice-President, Human Resources (such that the reporting line will be to the two Provosts only); and

(f) clean up the formatting of the titles in the table listing the AVPs.

A copy of the Administrative AVPs Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

August 2, 2022

OUC SEEKING FOI ASSISTANT

UBC is seeking an experienced and motivated individual to join the Office of the University Counsel as Freedom of Information Assistant. Reporting to the Freedom of Information Manager, the successful candidate will be expected to provide administrative and clerical support in relation to information requests made to UBC under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOI requests). This is a full time, permanent position with a salary range of $44,458 – $54,322.

This posting closes on September 6, 2022. For more information please click here.

June 27, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP12) AND THE ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS EXTENSION POLICY (AP6)

The Procedures associated with the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy (AP12) and the Procedures associated with the Academic Administrators Extension Policy (AP6) were updated on June 27, 2022 to add a new position, titled Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning, to the list of positions designated as Academic Associate Vice-Presidents.

A copy of the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy and its associated Procedures is available here and a copy of the Academic Administrators Extension Policy and its associated Procedures is available here.

June 24, 2022

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE INVESTIGATIONS POLICY (SC8)

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to amend the Investigations Policy (SC8) to expand its scope and to create a framework for the potential consolidation of formal investigation or hearing processes in circumstances in which a single individual is alleged to have breached multiple UBC rules.

The objectives of such a framework are to:

(a) limit multiplicity of proceedings;

(b) reduce the need for witnesses and other participants to provide potentially traumatic testimonies multiple times;

(d) address findings of misconduct in an appropriate manner (for example, breach of one UBC policy may warrant lesser discipline compared to breaches of multiple policies);

(e) provide the decision-maker with a complete set of findings, thereby facilitating the ability to impose consistent and appropriate discipline where multiple instances of misconduct are found to have occurred; and

(f) use UBC resources effectively and efficiently.

The proposed amendments to the Investigations Policy are intended to provide flexibility to consolidate formal processes where feasible and appropriate. The proposal enables consolidation but does not mandate it. Agreement from all applicable Designated Persons is required for consolidation, and if there are special requirements (for example, the composition of the committee or the use of a committee for the formal process), those factors would be discussed and considered when determining whether to utilize a Consolidated Investigation. The existing requirement that Investigations be conducted in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness in the university context would also apply to Consolidated Investigations, and, for greater certainty, the proposed amendments to the Investigations Policy also include the requirement that, where the Respondent is a UBC employee, Investigations be conducted in accordance with employment law and any applicable agreements with unions and employee associations.

More specifically, the proposed amendments to the Investigations Policy include:

adding a framework to determine if a Consolidated Investigation should be undertaken as described in the proposed set of Procedures to be associated with the Investigations Policy;
a revised scope such that the Investigations Policy will be triggered when (i) a Designated Person determines that an Investigation is to be undertaken and there is no Existing Formal Process, or (ii) an individual is alleged to have engaged in multiple instances of Misconduct that would normally engage Proposed Amendment of Investigations Policy separate Investigations or separate Existing Formal Processes and the applicable Designated Persons determine that a Consolidated Investigation should be undertaken;
language confirming the continuing importance of supervisors engaging in normal dispute resolution and management of the work environment without necessarily undertaking formal processes;
new defined terms for “Consolidated Investigation” and “Existing Formal Process”;
an updated definition for “Investigation” to expand and clarify its scope;
a simplified and broader definition of “Misconduct” stating that Misconduct is any conduct that, in the view of UBC, breaches acceptable standards of conduct, including, but not limited to, UBC rules, regulations, or policies, and additional language clarifying that normally Investigations will not be undertaken where the alleged Misconduct individually or in combination with other conduct is not of a sufficiently substantive or material nature as to warrant discipline, restrictions on movements or activities, or any other limitation of the Respondent’s privileges, entitlements, right, or obligations;
a more detailed definition of “Respondent” clarifying that Respondents must be members of UBC (i.e., students, registrants, employees, or appointees of UBC); and
a list of Designated Persons who normally determine if an Investigation or Existing Formal Process is to be undertaken with respect to an allegation of Misconduct and who would, under the proposed framework, be required to provide an Investigation Notice to the Legal Counsel, Information and Privacy if they determine that they will proceed with an Investigation or Existing Formal Process.

For further information about the proposed amendments, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/06/3_2022.06_Report-on-Proposed-Policy-Amendment-re-the-Investigations-Policy-SC8.pdf.

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED REPEAL OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT TEACHING POLICY (AP7)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the proposed repeal of the Graduate Student Teaching Policy (AP7).

The Graduate Student Teaching Policy was created in 1992 and revised in February 2012 to simplify and articulate more clearly the conditions and approvals that apply to all teaching appointments of graduate students requiring a Board of Governors appointment. No further substantive revisions have been made since 2012. The Graduate Student Teaching Policy sets out a number of conditions regarding graduate student teaching. There are a number of concerns with this Policy:

The Policy was created many years ago when there was a UBC Graduate School policy that limited the weekly hours that graduate students were allowed to work outside their studies, which was consistent with a Tri-Agency scholarship policy. Both the UBC Graduate School policy and the Tri-Agency scholarship policy have since been rescinded.
There has been a shift in culture and, while universities have a role to play in ensuring that graduate students make adequate progress through their programs, it is no longer seen as appropriate for universities to direct or manage the hours that students work outside of their studies.
Other U15 members do not appear to have similar Board policies restricting student access to sessional lectureships or requiring graduate school approval for their hiring.
There are no policies at UBC mandating the weekly hours required for graduate students to make adequate progress in their programs, nor are there policies restricting in any way what they can do in their time not spent on their studies. In particular, there are no policies requiring approval from the FGPS Dean or the COGS Dean for graduate students to obtain any other forms of employment at UBC.
An analysis of recent UBC doctoral student data has not indicated any problematic outcomes for students employed as sessional lecturers (for example, no attrition has been observed and the average time for program completion is only slightly higher than average), so the repeal of the Graduate Student Teaching Policy is unlikely to have a negative impact on academic outcomes.
Currently, very few students are teaching the maximum allowable credits so the removal of total credit restrictions would not have a significant impact.

In view of the foregoing, it has been recommended that the Graduate Student Teaching Policy be repealed. If the Graduate Student Teaching Policy is repealed, the hiring of graduate students to teach will continue to be at the discretion of the applicable department, and the departments will continue to ensure that, like all teaching staff, they have the appropriate credentials and are not placed in situations with conflicting interests.

The proposed repeal of the Graduate Student Teaching Policy is now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by October 2, 2022.

For further information about this policy proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/06/4_2022.06_Proposed-Policy-Repeal-Graduate-Student-Teaching-Policy-AP7.pdf.

CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR PRESIDENT’S NON-ACADEMIC AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEES

The University Counsel invites interested students to submit expressions of interest to serve on:

the President’s UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Non-Academic Misconduct Committees (“NAMCs”); and
the UBC President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSDs”).

NAMCs:

The NAMCs serve a very important role. They assist the President by investigating allegations of non-academic misconduct made against UBC students under the Student Code of Conduct, and reporting their findings to the President (the NAMCs do not investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, as those allegations are investigated under UBC Board of Governors Policy SC17, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the process set out under that Policy). Apart from the Chairs, who are normally senior faculty or staff members, all members of the NAMCs are students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the NAMCs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 5 new students will be selected for the Okanagan NAMC and 5 new students for the Vancouver NAMC. Quorum for meetings of the NAMCs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable NAMC, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan NAMC has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver NAMC has held approximately 3 meetings annually. For more information about the NAMCs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/non-academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the NAMCs at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2012/02/Rules-for-the-Presidents-Non-Acad-Misconduct-Committees.pdf.

PACSDs:

The PACSDs assist the President by investigating allegations of academic misconduct made against UBC students and reporting their findings to the President. The PACSD Chair is a senior faculty member and the other PACSD members consist of both senior UBC faculty members and UBC students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the PACSDs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 2 new students will be selected for the Okanagan PACSD and 2 new students for the Vancouver PACSD. Quorum for meetings of the PACSDs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable PACSD, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan PACSD has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver PACSD has held approximately 50 meetings annually. For more information about the PACSDs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the PACSDs at: https://universitycounsel-2015.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/09/PACSD_Rules.pdf.

Scheduling of NAMC and PACSD Meetings:

How to Submit Your Expression of Interest:

your first and last name;
your student number;
the name of your Faculty;
your telephone number;
your e-mail address;
your mailing address;
the name of the committee in which you are interested; and
a concise written statement explaining your interest in joining the committee.

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

June 17, 2022

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATION POLICY (HR13)

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to create a workplace accommodation policy for UBC employees to be known as the “Workplace Accommodation Policy” (the “Proposed Policy”).

The Proposed Policy underscores UBC’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace which supports the full participation and engagement of all UBC employees. Its purposes are:

a) to outline UBC’s responsibilities under the British Columbia Human Rights Code;

b) to document UBC processes for requesting, assessing, implementing, and managing accommodations; and

c) to identify the roles and shared responsibilities of UBC, the employee, and any applicable bargaining agent throughout the accommodation process.

Key elements to the Proposed Policy are as follows:

Applicability to Student Employees: The Proposed Policy applies to student employees. The Disability Accommodation Policy (LR7) excludes requests for accommodations related to a student’s employment at UBC. The Policy Development Committee would welcome input from the UBC community on the preferred pathway to meet the needs of student employees.
Statement of Responsibilities: The Proposed Policy sets out the responsibilities of UBC and its employees. It also provides general guidance on expectations for bargaining agents while recognizing that collective agreements vary and the language in the collective agreement will prevail if there is any inconsistency. In addition to individual responsibilities, all parties share responsibility for participation and collaboration throughout the accommodation process.
Unit-Level Decision Making with Human Resources Support: Decisions are made by supervisors within their operational units. The proposed procedures set out the process for an employee to make a request and provides guidance to supervisors in assessing requests and as to when Human Resources should be consulted. As with the current process, decision makers are empowered to approve accommodation requests. However, a notable change to the existing process is that supervisors will need to consult with Human Resources prior to deciding not to approve an accommodation request.
Appeals: Employees who are unhappy with an accommodation decision and represented by a bargaining agent have access to the grievance procedures set out in their collective agreements. The proposed procedures provide an appeal mechanism for those employees who are not represented by a bargaining agent.

For further information about the Proposed Policy, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/06/3_2022.06_Proposed-Workplace-Accommodation-Policy-HR13.pdf

May 2, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES TO THE TECHNOLOGY EQUITY POLICY (LR8)

The President approved amendments to the Procedures of the Technology Equity Policy to replace an out of date reference to “UBC signing resolution #8 Research” in section 7.2. As this resolution no longer exists as a UBC Signing Resolution, the updated Procedures provide that the authority to exercise all voting shares and other shareholder rights set out in section 7.1 of the Procedures does not apply to the execution of agreements and any agreements must be executed in accordance with UBC’s Signing Resolutions. This ensures that various types of agreements must be signed in accordance with the applicable Signing Resolution. In addition, minor amendments were made to some sections of the Procedures for grammar purposes and to refer to the “Technology Equity Policy and these Procedures” instead of “this policy”.

April 1, 2022

DEANS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP5)

Effective April 1, 2022, amendments to the Deans Appointment Policy came into effect. These were approved by the Vancouver Senate, the Okanagan Senate, and the Board of Governors on February 9, 2022, February 24, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively. The amendments include:

the requirement of a confidential forum for decanal searches, pursuant to which the final candidates for the position of a Dean will be requested to participate in a confidential forum to which members of the applicable Faculty will be invited;
confidentiality provisions setting out that the identity of the finalists will be disclosed to forum participants at the forum and that while forum participants will not be required to sign written confidentiality agreements, they are required to respect, safeguard, and maintain the privacy of the candidates in accordance with the Deans Appointment Policy, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and any other requirements respecting confidentiality that may be set by the Board or the President from time to time; and
language providing that where feasible and appropriate, and with the appropriate safeguards, the Advisory Committees may make recordings of the fora available for viewing by the individuals who would be eligible to attend such fora in person.

A copy of the approved Deans Appointment Policy and its Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2022/04/Deans-Appointment-Policy_AP5.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the Deans Appointment Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2022/03/4_2022.03_Proposed-Policy-Amendment-Deans-Appointment-Policy-AP5.pdf.

AMENDED BUSINESS EXPENSES POLICY (FM8)
AND
REPEAL OF POLICIES #79 (TRAVEL ASSISTANCE OF GRADUATE STUDENTS), #80 (TRAVEL EXPENSES – RECIPIENTS OF HONORARY DEGREES), #84 (ENTERTAINMENT), and #115 (GIFTS), AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES

Effective April 1, 2022, amendments to the Business Expenses Policy and its Procedures came into effect. The revised Business Expenses Policy updates, consolidates, and creates a principle-based policy to govern the incurring of expenses on behalf of UBC and claims for reimbursement of such expenses and sets out high-level guiding principles regarding expenses incurred for purposes of travel, entertainment, gifts, and business-related work tools. The common theme in the updated Business Expenses Policy is that expenses incurred on behalf of UBC must be appropriate, reasonable, and financially prudent. The updated Procedures to the Business Expenses Policy establish approval requirements, the process for submitting claims for reimbursement, audit rights of UBC in respect of business-related expenses incurred on behalf of UBC, and a process to create formal rules.

In accordance with the updated Business Expenses Policy, the Vice-President, Finance and Operations has issued Rules governing the incurring of business-related expenses.

Further, effective April 1, 2022, the following Policies and their Procedures are repealed: #79 (Travel Assistance of Graduate Students), #80 (Travel Expenses – Recipients of Honorary Degrees), #84 (Entertainment), and #115 (Gifts).

A copy of the approved Business Expenses Policy and its Procedures is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2022/04/Business-Expenses-Policy_FM8.pdf.

A copy of the approved Business Expenses Rules is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2022/04/Business-Expenses-Rules.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the Business Expenses Policy, is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/03/9_2019.03_Policy-83.pdf.

February 14, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES – ENDOWMENT POLICY (FM5)

Amendments to the Procedures to the Endowment Policy were approved by the President on February 10, 2022. The amendments address three main areas:

1. Refinements to the adjustment mechanisms to enable the Board to make spending rate decisions for the Main Endowment Pool while enabling the Vice-President, Finance and Operations to manage individual endowment funds where circumstances warrant.
2. Updates to reflect the transfer of the Sustainable Future Pool assets into the Main Endowment Pool as approved by the Board of Governors in September 2021.
3. Clarification of the language regarding endowment capital to remove ambiguity in the alignment between the Endowment Policy and UBC’s financial statements.

Finally a few additional housekeeping changes were made:

1. Acknowledgement that substantially all endowments are invested in endowment pools, with clarification that there are a small number of endowments subject to special trust requirements.
2. Removal of the transitional provisions that were introduced in 2009 in response to the then market crisis.
3. Enhanced reporting to the Board regarding stabilization accounts (as an indicator of financial health) coupled with a reduction in the frequency of routine reporting to the Board.

A copy of the Endowment Policy and its amended Procedures is available here.

January 31, 2022

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES – FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIONS POLICY (SC15)

The Procedures to the Financial Investigations Policy (SC15) were updated on January 27, 2022 to correct the contact information for reporting allegations of improper financial activity in Section 1.1 of the Procedures.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures for SC15 is available here.

December 20, 2021

REPEAL OF VACATIONS POLICY (HR5)

On December 5, 2021, the Board of Governors approved the repeal of the Vacations Policy (HR5) effective February 1, 2022.

The Vacations Policy was first ratified in March 1979, and set out specific vacation entitlements for certain categories of UBC employees.

Significant portions of the Vacations Policy were out of date, having been superseded by a variety of collective and other agreements. Subsequent to due diligence by Human Resources, it was recommended to the Board of Governors to repeal the Vacations Policy effective February 1, 2022. For information about vacation entitlements, please visit the following link: https://hr.ubc.ca/benefits/benefit-plan-details/vacation-leaves

September 27, 2021

DEANS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP5)
REGISTRAR/LIBRARIANS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP11)
ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP12)

Effective September 27, 2021, amendments to the Deans Appointment Policy, the Registrar/Librarians Appointment Policy, and the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy and their associated Procedures came into effect. These were approved by the Board of Governors, the Vancouver Senate, and the Okanagan Senate on June 24, 2021, September 22, 2021 and September 23, 2021, respectively. The amendments are focused in nature and include:

amendments to address the creation of the position of Vice-President, Health;
additional language to provide that in making appointments to Advisory Committees, the Chair of the Advisory Committee will consider equity and will seek to include a diverse range of perspectives and experiences, such as from underrepresented stakeholder communities;
clarification that the Elections Committee of the Council of Senates or its delegate determines the procedures and timelines for nominations and elections of student members and faculty members of Advisory Committees;
clarification that if no individual is elected by the end of an election process, the Chair of the Advisory Committee may appoint the requisite number of members from the applicable constituency which allows Advisory Committees to be created without undue delay or restrictions in circumstances where, for example, no nominations or votes are received;
removal of the gendered pronouns “he/she” and “his or her”;
removal of the definition of, and references to, “Principals” and references to the “College of Health Disciplines” in the Deans Appointment Policy to reflect the disestablishment of the College of Health Disciplines effective July 1, 2015;
correction of out-of-date references in the Deans Appointment Policy and the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy, including updating the definitions of “Dual-Campus Faculty”, “UBC Okanagan Faculty”, and “UBC Vancouver Faculty”; and
inclusion of definitions for “AMS”, “GSS”, “UBSUO”, “UBC Okanagan Division” and “UBC Vancouver Division” in the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy.

A copy of the approved Deans Appointment Policy and its Procedures is available here.
A copy of the approved Registrar/Librarians Appointment Policy and its Procedures is available here.
A copy of the approved Academic Administrators Appointment Policy and its Procedures is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the Deans Appointment Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/06/3_2021.06_Deans-Principals-Appointment-Policy-AP5-Amendment.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors regarding the Registrar/Librarians Appointment Policy and the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/06/7_2021.06_Policy-AP11-and-AP12-Amendments.pdf.

June 28, 2021

ACADEMIC HEADS POLICY (APPOINTMENTS AND EXTENSION OF APPOINTMENTS FOR HEADS OF ACADEMIC UNITS – AP9)

On June 24, 2021, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Academic Heads Policy and associated Procedures, effective June 28, 2021. The amendments include:

additional language providing that in making appointments to Advisory Committees, the Dean will consider equity and will seek to include a diverse range of perspectives and experiences, such as from various academic disciplines and underrepresented stakeholder communities;
replacement of references to “his/her” and “his or her” with references to the specific person doing the action;
additional language clarifying that if no individual is elected by the end of an election process, the Dean may appoint the requisite number of members from the applicable constituency which allows Advisory Committees to be created without undue delay or restrictions in circumstances where, for example, no nominations or votes are received; and
amendments to correct out-of-date references including updating the definitions of “Dual-Campus Faculty”, “UBC Okanagan Faculty”, and “UBC Vancouver Faculty” and including definitions for the “UBC Okanagan Division” and the “UBC Vancouver Division”

A copy of the approved Academic Heads Policy and its Procedures is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/06/4_2021.06_Academic-Heads-Policy-AP9-Amendments.pdf.

June 21, 2021

CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR PRESIDENT’S NON-ACADEMIC AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEES

The University Counsel invites interested students to submit expressions of interest to serve on:

the President’s UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Non-Academic Misconduct Committees (“NAMCs”); and
the UBC President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSDs”).

NAMCs:

The NAMCs serve a very important role. They assist the President by investigating allegations of non-academic misconduct made against UBC students under the Student Code of Conduct, and reporting their findings to the President (the NAMCs do not investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, as those allegations are investigated under UBC Board of Governors Policy SC17, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the process set out under that Policy). Apart from the Chairs, who are normally senior faculty or staff members, all members of the NAMCs are students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the NAMCs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 6 new students will be selected for the Okanagan NAMC and 3 new students for the Vancouver NAMC. Quorum for meetings of the NAMCs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable NAMC, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan NAMC has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver NAMC has held approximately 3 meetings annually. For more information about the NAMCs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/non-academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the NAMCs at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2012/02/Rules-for-the-Presidents-Non-Acad-Misconduct-Committees.pdf.

PACSDs:

The PACSDs assist the President by investigating allegations of academic misconduct made against UBC students and reporting their findings to the President. The PACSD Chair is a senior faculty member and the other PACSD members consist of both senior UBC faculty members and UBC students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the PACSDs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 2 new students will be selected for the Okanagan PACSD and 2 new students for the Vancouver PACSD. Quorum for meetings of the PACSDs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable PACSD, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan PACSD has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver PACSD has held approximately 40 meetings annually. For more information about the PACSDs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the PACSDs at: https://universitycounsel-2015.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/09/PACSD_Rules.pdf.

Scheduling of NAMC and PACSD Meetings:

How to Submit Your Expression of Interest:

your first and last name;
your student number;
the name of your Faculty;
your telephone number;
your e-mail address;
your mailing address;
the name of the committee in which you are interested; and
a concise written statement explaining your interest in joining the committee.

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

April 30, 2021

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES – CAPITAL PROJECTS POLICY (FM11)

The Procedures to the Capital Projects Policy (FM11) were updated on April 30, 2021 to correct a typographical error and to update the name of a UBC unit in section 5.6 of these Procedures.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures for FM11 is available here.

April 9, 2021

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES – ADMINISTRATIVE AVPs POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures to the Administrative AVPs Policy (AP15) were updated on April 7, 2021 to reflect a title change within the Vice-President, Human Resources portfolio. The previous title was “Associate Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, Programs, and Operations, Human Resources”. The new title is “Associate Vice-President, Communities of Expertise, Human Resources”.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures for AP15 is available here.

March 11, 2021

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES – ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS APPOINTMENT POLICY (AP12) AND ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS EXTENSION POLICY (AP6)

The Procedures to the Academic Administrators Appointment Policy (AP12) and the Procedures to the Academic Administrators Extension Policy (AP6) were updated on March 8, 2021 to reflect a title change within the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Vancouver). The previous title was “Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Enrolment and Academic Facilities”. The new title is “Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Faculty Planning”.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures for AP12 is available here and for AP6 is available here.

January 18, 2021

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE AVPs POLICY (AP15)

The Procedures to the Administrative AVPs Policy (AP15) were updated on January 11, 2021 to reflect the addition of section 3.1.3 and section 7 to include specific reference to faculty, staff and/or students, as appropriate, in the appointment and review processes.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures is available here.

December 7, 2020

ADMINISTRATIVE AVPs POLICY (AP15)

On December 3, 2020, the Board of Governors approved the Administrative AVPs Policy and its associated Procedures, which comes into effect on December 7, 2020.

This Policy and its Procedures establish the process for the appointment and review of administrative Associate Vice-Presidents. Highlights of the Administrative AVPs Policy are as follows:

Delegation of authority: The Employee Relations Committee is responsible for the review and approval of the Associate Vice-President Salary Administration Framework and Guidelines. The President is responsible for the approval of the contractual terms of administrative AVP appointments, including compensation. The President will report appointments to the Board at least annually.
No term limits: The Policy does not limit the length of appointments for administrative AVPs. There is no reappointment or extension process for these types of appointments.
Regularized reviews: In addition to the normal annual reviews, the Policy includes a full leadership and portfolio review every five years. This allows the administration to address performance concerns as they arise and provide periodic feedback. The Vice-President, Human Resources will be responsible for providing guidance on the evaluation process to allow flexibility to enable performance reviews to incorporate industry best practices at the time of review and be appropriate to the portfolio under review. The Vice-President, Human Resources will provide regular updates to the Board highlighting the outcomes of the 5-year reviews.
Advisory Committee Composition: The advisory committee for appointments will include individuals to whom the candidates will report directly and indirectly.

In conjunction with the approval of the Administrative AVPs Policy, the Board has approved consequential amendments to the Board Employee Relations Committee Terms of Reference and the Board’s Non-Union Compensation Policy (HR12) to align them with the new Policy.

A copy of the approved Administrative AVPs Policy is available here.
A copy of the approved Employee Relations Committee Terms of Reference will be available on the UBC Board of Governors website.
A copy of the approved Non-Union Compensation Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available here.

October 5, 2020

AMENDMENT OF PROCEDURES TO THE KILLAM PROFESSORS POLICY (LR6)

The Procedures to the Killam Professors Policy (LR6) were updated on October 2, 2020 to reflect a change to section 3.1 to increase the potential recipients of the designation of “University Killam Professor” from three to six recipients in an academic year.

A copy of the policy and the amended procedures is available here.

September 10, 2020

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED POLICY AP15 (ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE VICE-PRESIDENTS APPOINTMENT AND REVIEW POLICY )

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to create a policy governing the appointment and review of administrative associate vice-presidents. The proposed Administrative AVPs Policy documents the existing practice for the appointment of administrative AVPs in alignment with the Board’s Academic Administrator Policy, except with respect to the following changes approved by the Board:

the elimination of terms on contracts for administrative AVPs; and
the implementation of formal, five-year leadership and portfolio reviews for administrative AVPs.

Key elements to the proposed policy are as follows:

Delegation of authority: The Employee Relations Committee will be responsible for review and approval of Associate Vice-President Salary Administration Framework and Guidelines. The Board will delegate to the President responsibility for approval of the contractual terms of administrative AVP appointments, including compensation. This allows the Employee Relations Committee to perform its strategic oversight role while delegating the operational management function to the President. The proposed policy includes a requirement that appointments made by the President will be reported to the Board at least annually.
No term limits: Consistent with the changes approved by the Board, the proposed policy does not limit the length of appointments for administrative AVPs. Academic AVPs typically return to their academic appointments after the end of the academic AVP position and their employment with UBC does not end.
Regularized reviews: In addition to the normal annual reviews, the proposed policy includes a full leadership and portfolio review every five years. This allows the administration to address performance concerns as they arise and provide periodic feedback. The Vice-President, Human Resources will be responsible for providing guidance on the evaluation process to allow flexibility to enable performance reviews to incorporate industry best practices at the time of review and be appropriate to the portfolio under review. The administration will report the results of the performance evaluations to the Board.

The proposed Administrative AVPs Policy is now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by October 13, 2020. For further information about the proposed Administrative AVPs Policy, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/09/4_2020.09_Proposed-New-Policy-Administrative-AVP-Appointment-and-Review.pdf.

July 17, 2020

WELCOME TO EVELYN HO

We are very pleased to announce that Evelyn Ho has rejoined the Office of the University Counsel in the role of Freedom of Information Assistant.

Evelyn has worked in the Office of the University Counsel in several capacities since 2018. Most recently, she spent 12 months covering a legal administrative assistant position. Evelyn has a BA in Sociology from UBC. She can be reached at evelyn.ho@ubc.ca.

We would also like to thank Cassandra Gilliam, who has been filling in for the role for us since January. We were fortunate to have Cassandra join us through Hiring Solutions, and she has done a great job in the position while we looked for a permanent replacement.

June 23, 2020

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATORS EXTENSION POLICY (AP6)
DEANS EXTENSION POLICY (AP8)
REGISTRAR/LIBRARIANS EXTENSION POLICY (AP13)

On June 16, 2020, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Academic Administrators Extension Policy, the Deans Extension Policy, and the Registrar/Librarians Extension Policy and their associated Procedures, which amendments came into effect on June 22, 2020.

These Policies and their Procedures establish the procedures for considering the extension of appointments of certain senior academic administrators, Deans, the Registrar, and Librarians.

The amendments are focused in nature and include the following:

amendments to address the positions of Vice-President, Health and Associate Vice-President, Health in the Academic Administrators Extension Policy;
clarification and streamlining of the process for electing members of Advisory Committees which expressly provides that the Registrar is responsible for the conduct of elections (except in the case of the Registrar’s extension, where the Co-Chairs of the Advisory Committees will be responsible);
clarification that if no individual is elected by the end of an election process, the Chair(s) of the applicable Advisory Committees may appoint the requisite number of members from the applicable constituency, thereby allowing Advisory Committees to be created without undue delay or restrictions;
correction of out-of-date references in the Academic Administrators Extension Policy;
requirement in the Academic Administrators Extension Policy and the Registrar/Librarians Extension Policy that the Chairs of Advisory Committees seek to include a diverse range of perspectives and experiences on the Advisory Committees, such as from Indigenous and other underrepresented stakeholder communities;
requirement in the Deans Extension Policy that Chairs of Advisory Committees seek to include a diverse range of perspectives and experiences on the Advisory Committees, such as from various academic disciplines and underrepresented stakeholder communities; and
requirement that the Chair of each Advisory Committee established under the Academic Administrators Extension Policy consult with the Board Chair, the Vancouver Senate, the Okanagan Senate, the Alma Mater Society, the Students’ Union Okanagan, and the Graduate Students Society in appointing Governors, Vancouver Senate members, Okanagan Senate members, students from UBC Vancouver, and students from UBC Okanagan, respectively.

A copy of the approved Academic Administrators Extension Policy is available here.
A copy of the approved Deans Extension Policy is available here.
A copy of the approved Registrar/Librarians Extension Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/06/5.1_2020.06_Proposed-Policy-Amendments.pdf.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY (SC17)

On June 16, 2020, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC17) (formerly numbered Policy #131) (the “Policy”) to come into effect July 1, 2020.

The Policy was initially approved by the Board of Governors in May 2017. The Policy articulates the commitments and principles to which UBC will adhere to support members of the UBC community who are affected by sexual misconduct, to provide a central site for information regarding the resources and options available to those affected by sexual misconduct, and to provide a process to respond to and investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.

The amendments address issues or concerns identified during the initial implementation of the Policy, provide additional guidance and information to the UBC community, and make various drafting improvements. Among the amendments are:

revision to the Policy’s title to “Sexual Misconduct and Sexualized Violence Policy” and updating the definition in the Policy to include express reference to sexualized violence.
creation of an “immunity” provision to encourage good faith disclosure or reporting of alleged sexual misconduct where the incident may involve the consumption and misuse of drugs or alcohol;
creation of a category of “Prohibited Relationships” that prohibits sexual or intimate relationships between certain members of the UBC community with students, in particular, where the member has a supervisory role over the student or otherwise has influence over the student’s current or future academic activities, working conditions, or career advancement. Language has been added to clarify that engaging in a Prohibited Relationship constitutes a breach of the Policy notwithstanding that the relationship is claimed to be consensual, and it is the UBC member in the supervisory role or position of influence who faces potential disciplinary action, and not the student;
addition of language to clarify and set out for the purposes of this policy, the “trauma informed approach” taken under the Policy by UBC, including by the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (“SVPRO”) and the Investigations Office in carrying out their responsibilities. The language will provide a better understanding of UBC’s approach for individuals engaging with UBC under the Policy and for those administering the Policy;
revision to the language relating to SVPRO and the provision of support services to individuals who have Disclosed to delete reference to SVPRO being the “single” point of contact. Language has been added to recognize that individuals may also seek assistance from third party agencies external to UBC, such as the AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre, who may also make representations to UBC on behalf of the individual in matters related to sexual misconduct including with respect to seeking academic concessions and liaising with SVPRO to obtain other forms of assistance available under the Policy. This aligns with recent amendments to the Vancouver Senate Policy and Procedures on Academic Concessions;
clarification that before the Director of SVPRO makes an Institutional Report, the Director will seek the consent of the individual making the Disclosure and will only include that individual’s name in the report with express consent; and
clarifications and further guidance as to what constitutes consent, the impartial role of the Investigations Office under the direction of the Director of Investigations, alternative resolution processes, and the appropriate use of anonymous and 3^rd party reporting by members of the UBC community who have received a Disclosure (i.e., the member is to honour the wishes and autonomy of the disclosing individual).

A copy of the approved Sexual Misconduct Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/06/9.1_2020.06_Proposed-Policy-Amendments-Sexual-Misconduct-Policy.pdf.

June 17, 2020

CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR PRESIDENT’S NON-ACADEMIC AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEES, AND UBC BOARD POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEES

The University Counsel invites interested students to submit expressions of interest to serve on:

the President’s UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Non-Academic Misconduct Committees (“NAMCs”);
the UBC President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSDs”); and
Board of Governors Policy Review Committees (“Policy Committees”).

NAMCs:

PACSDs:

The PACSDs assist the President by investigating allegations of academic misconduct made against UBC students and reporting their findings to the President. The PACSD Chair is a senior faculty member and the other PACSD members consist of both senior UBC faculty members and UBC students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on the Vancouver PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the PACSDs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 2 new students will be selected for the Okanagan PACSD and 2 new students for the Vancouver PACSD. Quorum for meetings of the PACSDs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable PACSD, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan PACSD has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver PACSD has held approximately 30 meetings annually. For more information about the PACSDs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the PACSDs at: https://universitycounsel-2015.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/09/PACSD_Rules.pdf.

Scheduling of NAMC and PACSD Meetings:

Policy Committees:

The policies established by UBC’s Board of Governors (“Board Policies”) are principle-based documents developed to regulate matters that are within the jurisdiction of the Board of Governors. A complete list of current Board Policies may be found here: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/.

The Office of the University Counsel coordinates the development of proposals for the consideration of the Board of Governors regarding the establishment, amendment or repeal of Board Policies. This includes striking committees to consider Board Policies and recommend new Board Policies or changes to existing Board Policies (“Policy Committees”). The input from Policy Committees drives the content of the proposals that go to the community for further consultation and that ultimately go to the Board of Governors for approval. Policy Committees normally include students, staff, and faculty members. The composition of any particular Policy Committee will be based upon the subject matter of the Board Policy and ideally will: include individuals with the subject matter expertise and knowledge of UBC necessary to support the development of an effective proposal; individuals who are representatives of units responsible for the implementation of the Board Policy; and individuals from the primary constituencies within UBC that would be impacted by the proposal. To the extent feasible, the composition of Policy Committees will represent the diversity of the UBC community.

How to Submit Your Expression of Interest:

To ensure that a broad range of students are represented on the various committees described above, the University Counsel is inviting students who are interested in serving on them to submit their names for consideration. If you wish to be considered, you should provide the following information via email by Friday, July 17, 2020 to student.conduct@ubc.ca:

your first and last name;
your student number;
the name of your Faculty;
your telephone number;
your e-mail address;
your mailing address;
the name of the committee in which you are interested; and
a concise written statement explaining your interest in joining the committee.

If you are interested in serving on more than one of the committees described above, please list all of the committees in which you are interested.

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence and the development of an open and inclusive community. We encourage applications from individuals that have been underrepresented or marginalized. If you wish, please feel free to indicate in your expression of interest how your personal experience may assist you in participating on the committees, including any experience working in diverse communities.

Students who are selected to serve on a NAMC or a PACSD will be contacted by the Office of the University Counsel in late July or early August and will receive a formal letter appointing them to the relevant committee.

Since Policy Committees are struck at various times throughout the year, students who are selected to serve on a Policy Committee may be contacted by the Office of the University Counsel at any time.

Thank you for your interest.

May 21, 2020

FAQs ON COVID-19 AND CONTRACTS

The Office of the University Counsel has published additional FAQs for those units at UBC who may have entered into contracts or booking arrangements that could be affected by COVID-19, or who are planning to enter such arrangements that may be similarly impacted. Please see Question 20 on our FAQ section here: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/homepage/faqs/

April 23, 2020

RETALIATION POLICY (RETALIATION, SAFE DISCLOSURE, AND REPORTING POLICY – SC18)

On April 16, 2020, the Board of Governors approved the Retaliation Policy and associated Procedures. The Retaliation Policy and its Procedures came into force on April 20, 2020.

The Retaliation Policy reflects UBC’s appreciation that members of the UBC community take personal risks when reporting improper conduct or participating in related investigations and that UBC wishes to create an environment where impediments to engaging in such activities in good faith are minimized. The purpose of this Policy is to encourage members of the UBC community to report known or suspected instances of improper conduct and to set out UBC’s policy regarding retaliation for those who, in good faith, report improper conduct or participate in UBC investigations. More particularly, the Retaliation Policy:

provides a mechanism for members of the UBC community who wish to report concerns that they may be subject to, or have experienced, Retaliation;
clearly sets out what prohibited behaviour falls under the meaning of “Retaliation” and what Retaliation does and does not include;
creates a consistent approach to be used in addressing Retaliation allegations;
clarifies that if an individual has a concern about improper conduct other than Retaliation, UBC already has a number of policies setting out how to disclose or report such improper conduct and that the concern should be addressed in accordance with those other policies;
provides a wayfinding map in connection with the reporting of improper conduct other than Retaliation;
provides a process through which concerns about Retaliation can be reported;
includes the ability for UBC to implement preventive measures to reduce the risk or impact of Retaliation where possible;
sets out a process to carry out investigations regarding alleged Retaliation and to address findings of Retaliation in a manner that is consistent with other UBC Board Policies; and
requires annual reporting regarding the number of reports of Retaliation received, the number of instances where anticipatory protective measures were undertaken in connection with reports of alleged Retaliation, the number of investigations of alleged Retaliation undertaken, and in the case of investigations that result in finding of Retaliation having occurred, a description of the Retaliation and any recommendations or corrective actions taken in relation to the Retaliation or the reasons why no corrective action was taken.

A copy of the approved Retaliation Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/04/8.2_2020.04_Retaliation-Policy-SC18.pdf.

AT-RISK BEHAVIOUR POLICY (RESPONSE TO AT-RISK BEHAVIOUR – SC13)

On April 16, 2020, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the At-Risk Behaviour Policy and associated Procedures which became effective on April 20, 2020.

The At-Risk Behaviour Policy (the “Policy”) governs the process followed by UBC when imposing restrictions on individuals who pose a risk to themselves, to others, to property on UBC’s premises or who disrupt lawful and legitimate activities on UBC premises. Restrictions include banning individuals from UBC premises, or parts of premises; restricting use of UBC facilities including computing facilities; and imposing no contact orders on individuals. The Policy has been updated to reflect best practices and to integrate the Policy with policies that didn’t exist or have been substantially revised since this Policy was last revised.

The updated Policy establishes an up-to-date, principled and flexible approach to addressing At-Risk-Behaviour. In particular the Policy:

Contains a statement of General Principles that provide guidance for interpreting the Policy.
Provides clearer and more concise language to describe the process of assessing At-Risk Behaviour and imposing restrictions.
Is implemented and interpreted using a trauma-informed approach without compromising administrative fairness for respondents.
Facilitates current and anticipated practices for dealing with At-Risk Behaviour on both campuses.
Provides clear guidance for Decision Makers regarding the factors to consider when imposing restrictions.
Gives Decision Makers more flexibility in addressing At-Risk Behaviour.
Clarifies the authority of Decision Makers to impose interim restrictions, subject to requirements that are intended to ensure administrative fairness.
Requires that whenever restrictions are imposed that may materially interfere with student life or a student’s studies for 21 days or more, the At-Risk Behaviour will be the subject of a formal investigation.
Provides for alternative processes for putting restrictions in place on a voluntary basis.
Provides guidance for voluntary accommodations that can be made without resorting to formal restrictions.
Ensures that jurisdiction to impose restrictions under the Policy is consistent with jurisdiction to investigate in the proposed Sexual Misconduct Policy and Discrimination Policy.

A copy of the approved At-Risk Behaviour Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2020/04/8.1_2020.04_At-Risk-Behaviour-Policy-SC13.pdf

December 12, 2019

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK POLICY (REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF BOARD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES – GA2)

On December 5, 2019, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Regulatory Framework Policy and associated Procedures.

The approved amendments provide a comprehensive framework for the establishment, review, and administration of Board of Governors (“Board”) policies and procedures (“Board Policies and Procedures”) and rules and guidelines related to Board Policies and Procedures (“Rules and Guidelines” and together with Board Policies and Procedures, “Board Policy Documents”). More particularly, the amended Regulatory Framework Policy:

confirms the purpose and nature of each category of Board Policy Documents;
sets out standards for the establishment, review, amendment, or repeal of Board Policy Documents;
confirms the development process for Board Policy Documents;
confirms authority for approval of Board Policy Documents, and for granting exceptions to Board Policy Documents;
sets out the effective dates of new, amended, or repealed Board Policy Documents;
sets out the process for communication of updates to Board Policy Documents; and
confirms the location of the official repository of Board Policy Documents.

The amended Regulatory Framework Policy enhances transparency and understanding of the method by which the Board or its delegates establish documents which provide direction to UBC members regarding a range of matters that fall within the statutory authority of the Board. The amended Regulatory Framework Policy also identifies those circumstances in which an action taken in respect of the administration of Board Policy Documents must be reported to the Board or the responsible Board committees. These reporting requirements ensure that the Board and the responsible Board committees have all necessary information for the proper management and oversight of the regulatory framework of the Board.

A copy of the approved Regulatory Framework Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/5.1_2019.11_Regulatory-Framework-Policy-GA2.pdf.

CASH HANDLING POLICY (CASH HANDLING – FM3)

On December 5, 2019, the Board of Governors approved an amendment of the Cash Handling Policy.

The approved amendment sets a maximum limit of $5,000 for any cash payment received by UBC. This restriction on receipt of cash payments over a certain threshold is intended to provide an additional mechanism to reduce the risk of money laundering. For those who need to make payments larger than $5,000, there are readily available alternatives in the form of bank drafts or electronic payments.

A copy of the approved Cash Handling Policy is available here.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/2_2019.11_Cash-Handling-Policy-FM3-1.pdf.

November 29, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICY SC17 (SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICY)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to Policy SC17 (Sexual Misconduct Policy) (formerly numbered Policy #131) (the “Policy”).

The Policy was initially approved by the Board of Governors (“Board”) in May 2017. The Policy states UBC’s commitment to review the Policy at least once every three years, in consultation with students and other members of the UBC community. The Office of the University Counsel convened a Policy Review Committee (“Committee”), which has prepared a draft proposal.

The Policy articulates the commitments and principles to which UBC will adhere to support members of the UBC community who are impacted by sexual misconduct, to provide a central site for information regarding the resources and options available to those affected by sexual misconduct, and to provide a process to respond to and investigate allegations of sexual misconduct.

The proposed amendments are intended to address areas identified during the initial implementation of the Policy, to provide additional guidance and information to the UBC community, and to make various drafting improvements. Among the proposed amendments are:

creation of an “immunity” provision to encourage good faith disclosure or reporting of alleged sexual misconduct where the incident may involve the consumption and misuse of drugs or alcohol;
creation of a category of “Prohibited Relationships” that prohibits sexual or romantic relationships between certain members of the UBC community with students, in particular, where the member of the UBC community has a supervisory role over the student or otherwise has influence over the student’s current or future academic, working or career advancement; and
clarifications and further guidance as to what constitutes consent, the impartial role of the Independent Investigations Office under the direction of the Director of Investigations, alternative resolution processes, and the appropriate use of anonymous and 3^rd party reporting by members of the UBC community whom have received a disclosure (i.e., the member is to honour the wishes and autonomy of the disclosing individual).

The proposed amendments to the Policy are now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. It is anticipated that there will also be information sessions on both campuses to provide an overview of the proposed revisions and answer related questions, with further details of those sessions forthcoming. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca or through the confidential feedback survey available here, by January 31, 2020.

For further information about this policy proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/5_2019.11_Sexual-Misconduct-Policy-SC17.pdf.

November 28, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED RETALIATION POLICY (SC18)

The UBC community is invited to comment on a proposal to create a university-wide Retaliation Policy. The proposed Retaliation Policy reflects UBC’s appreciation that UBC members take personal risks when reporting improper conduct or participating in related investigations and that UBC wishes to create an environment where impediments to engaging in such activities in good faith are minimized. More particularly, the proposed Retaliation Policy:

provides a mechanism for UBC members who wish to report concerns that they may be subject to, or have experienced, Retaliation, thereby providing security and a level of comfort to such individuals that UBC will seek to provide protective measures for such individuals and to discipline those who engage in Retaliation within reasonable means;
clearly sets out what prohibited behaviour falls under the meaning of “Retaliation” and what Retaliation does and does not include;
creates a consistent approach to be used in addressing Retaliation allegations;
clarifies that if an individual has a concern about improper conduct other than Retaliation, UBC already has a number of policies setting out how to disclose or report such improper conduct and that the concern should be addressed in accordance with those other policies;
provides a wayfinding map in connection with the reporting of improper conduct other than Retaliation;
provides a process through which a UBC member can report concerns about Retaliation;
includes the ability for UBC to implement preventive measures to reduce the risk or impact of Retaliation where possible;
sets out a process to carry out investigations regarding alleged Retaliation and to address findings of Retaliation in a manner that is consistent with other UBC Board Policies; and
requires annual reporting regarding the number of reports of Retaliation received, the number of instances where anticipatory protective measures were undertaken in connection with reports of alleged Retaliation, the number of investigations of alleged Retaliation undertaken, and in the case of investigations that result in finding of Retaliation having occurred, a description of the Retaliation and any recommendations or corrective actions taken in relation to the Retaliation or the reasons why no corrective action was taken.

The proposed Retaliation Policy is now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by January 31, 2020.

For further information about the proposed Retaliation Policy, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/6_2019.11_Retaliation-Policy-SC18.pdf.

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICY SC13 (AT-RISK BEHAVIOUR POLICY)

The UBC community is invited to comment on amendments to Policy SC13 (At-Risk Behaviour Policy) and its related procedures (the “Policy Proposal”).

The At-Risk Behaviour Policy governs the process followed by UBC when imposing restrictions on individuals who pose a risk to themselves, to others, to property on UBC’s premises or who disrupt lawful and legitimate activities on UBC premises. Restrictions include banning individuals from UBC premises, or parts of premises; restricting use of UBC facilities including computing facilities; and imposing no contact orders on individuals.

The Policy Proposal updates the current Policy to reflect best practices and to integrate the Policy with policies that didn’t exist, or have been substantially revised since this Policy was created. These include:

Proposed revisions to the Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC17)
Investigations Policy (SC8)
Discrimination Policy (SC7)
Proposed Retaliation Policy (SC18)

The Proposed Policy establishes an up-to-date, principled and flexible approach to addressing At-Risk Behaviour. More particularly, the Proposed Policy:

Contains a statement of General Principles that provide guidance for interpreting the Proposed Policy.
Is integrated with other current and proposed revisions to Board policies.
Provides clearer and more concise language to describe the process of assessing At-Risk Behaviour and imposing restrictions.
Is implemented and interpreted using a trauma-informed approach without compromising administrative fairness for respondents.
Facilitates current and anticipated practices for dealing with At-Risk Behaviour on both campuses.
Provides clear guidance for Decision Makers regarding the factors to consider when imposing restrictions.
Gives Decision Makers more flexibility in addressing At-Risk Behaviour by expanding and listing the types of restrictions that can be imposed on individuals.
Clarifies the authority of Decision Makers to impose interim restrictions, subject to requirements that are intended to ensure administrative fairness.
Requires that whenever restrictions are imposed that may materially interfere with student life or a student’s studies for 21 days or more, the At-Risk Behaviour will be the subject of a formal investigation.
Provides for alternative processes for putting restrictions in place on a voluntary basis.
Provides guidance for voluntary accommodations that can be made without resorting to formal restrictions.
Ensures that jurisdiction to impose restrictions under the Proposed Policy is consistent with jurisdiction to investigate in the proposed Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC13) and Discrimination Policy (SC7).

The most significant issues the committee considered and discussed while reviewing the Proposed Policy were the following:

What General Principles should govern the Proposed Policy.
Revisions to the definition of At-Risk Behaviour.
What limitations there should be on the jurisdiction of Decision Makers to assess At-Risk Behaviour.
What guidance do Decision Makers need when assessing At-Risk Behaviour.
What additional types of restrictions are necessary to meet the objectives of the policy.
How to ensure consistency with other policies, in particular, investigatory policies such as the Sexual Misconduct Policy (SC17) and Discrimination Policy (SC7).

The Policy Proposal is now being published and all members of UBC’s community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by January 31, 2020.

For further information about this Policy Proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/4_2019.11_At-Risk-Behaviour-Policy-SC13.pdf.

September 26, 2019

POLICY UPDATES TO REFLECT DESIGNATIONS OF RESPONSIBLE EXECUTIVES

For each Board of Governors’ policy, the President designates one or more members of the UBC Executive as having primary responsibility for the implementation and administration of the Board Policy and any associated Procedures and Rules (“Responsible Executives”). A review of these designations was recently completed, and on September 24, 2019, the Board of Governors approved changes to a number of Board policies to reflect changes identified as part of the above-noted review. In addition, the President approved changes to the Procedures related to a number of Policies, which changes were reported to the Board at its meeting on September 24, 2019. The changes include:

revisions to reflect the recent realignment of titles as between Dr. Buszard and Dr. Mukherjee Reed;
updates to names of titles of Responsible Executives (for example, replacement of references to the “Vice-President Research and International” with “Vice-President, Research and Innovation”);
consistent formatting of titles of Responsible Executives; and
removal of references to the College of Health Disciplines and the College of Interdisciplinary Studies as these Colleges no longer exist.

For more information regarding the Policies and Procedures which were amended in respect of Responsible Executive Designations, including a list of such Policies and Procedures, please refer to the Board meeting materials available here: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/5.1_2019.09_Designation-of-Responsible-Executive.pdf

POLICY GA1 (ACTING PRESIDENT)

On September 24, 2019, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Acting President Policy. The Acting President Policy designates the individual who will assume the responsibilities of the President if the President is absent or unable to act, or if there is a vacancy in that office. The amended Acting President Policy, as approved by the Board, includes the Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Okanagan) and the Vice-President, Health in the succession line for an acting President in the event that the sitting President is absent or unable to act. The succession line is the following:

Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Vancouver)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal (UBC Okanagan)
Provost and Vice-President, Academic (UBC Okanagan)
Vice-President, Research and Innovation
Vice-President, Health
Vice-President, Finance and Operations
Vice-President, Students
Vice-President, Human Resources
Vice-President, External Relations
Vice-President, Development and Alumni Engagement

A copy of the approved Acting President Policy is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/08/Acting-President-Policy_GA1.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/2_2019.09_Acting-President-Policy-GA1.pdf.

POLICY GA7 (BRAND IDENTITY)

On September 24, 2019, the Board of Governors approved the proposed amendments to Policy GA7 (Brand Identity). The Brand Identity Policy sets out the responsibilities of UBC faculties, units, departments, staff and faculty members, in ensuring that they appropriately and consistently use UBC’s logos, typeface, brand colours and other brand elements.

The proposed amendments to the Brand Identity Policy are intended to more clearly set out these responsibilities to use UBC Brand Identity Elements in a consistent manner on UBC Branded Material and in accordance with the library of resources published by the Brand and Marketing department, which will be renamed from “guidelines” to “rules” to more accurately align with the intent of the Brand Identity Policy.

The proposed amendments to the Brand Identity Policy include the addition of Procedures, which will:

clearly identify the UBC departments and/or units responsible for establishing and/or supporting UBC’s brand to enable UBC members to meet their responsibilities; and
identify the resources available to support proper adherence to and consistent use of UBC’s Brand Identity Elements by UBC members.

A copy of the approved Policy GA7 (Brand Identity) is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/Brand-Identity-Policy_GA7.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/8.2_2019.09_GA7-Visual-Identity.pdf.

POLICY AP8 (DEANS EXTENSION)

On September 24, 2019, the Board of Governors approved amendments to the Deans Extension Policy to correct out-of-date references. The amendments:

clarify the application of the Deans Extension Policy in respect of the Dean of the UBC Okanagan College of Graduate Studies, including clarifying the composition of Advisory Committees for searches of Deans of the UBC Vancouver Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies and the Dean of the UBC Okanagan College of Graduate Studies, and updating the definition of “Deans” to include the Dean of the UBC Okanagan College of Graduate Studies;
update the definitions of “Dual-Campus Faculty”, “UBC Okanagan Faculty”, and “UBC Vancouver Faculty” to reflect the establishment of the Faculty of Education as a dual-campus faculty effective July 1, 2018; and
reflect the realignment of titles as between the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UBC Okanagan, and the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Okanagan.

A copy of the approved Deans Extension Policy is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/08/Deans-Extension-Policy_AP8.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/1_2019.09_AP5-Deans-Principals-Appt-Policy-1.pdf

REPEAL OF POLICY #65 (RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS)

On September 24, 2019, the Board of Governors approved the repeal of Policy #65 (Religious Holidays).

Former Policy #65 overlapped with Policy SC7 (Discrimination) (formerly numbered Policy #3) which sets out UBC’s commitment to maintain and respect human rights and prevent discrimination on all of the grounds prohibited by the Human Rights Code, including religion, and is also addressed in collective agreements, through the Senate Policy on Academic Concessions in both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan Academic Calendars, and information available on the website of the Equity & Inclusion Office. The repeal of Policy #65 removes the redundancy and furthers UBC’s goal of enhancing the consistency and cogency of the University’s governance.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at: https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/8.1_2019.09_Policy-65-Repeal.pdf.

June 24, 2019

POLICY #16 (OWNERSHIP AND USE OF UBC EQUIPMENT AND UBC SUPPORT SERVICES)

On June 13, 2019, the Board of Governors approved amendments to Policy #16 (Non-University Use of University Services and Facilities) and repeal of Policies #109 (Ownership) and #121 (Campus Mail Services) as the subject matter of those latter policies fall within the amended Policy #16.

The approved amendments confirm that all of UBC’s equipment is owned by UBC and, consistent with UBC’s charitable status, that all such equipment and all of UBC’s support services are to be used primarily for the achievement of UBC’s academic mission and purposes.

The Policy also establishes principles about non-UBC uses of UBC’s equipment and support services, as well as the limited circumstances in which the excess capacity of equipment and support services may be used for non-UBC purposes, such as incidental personal use.

A copy of the approved Policy #16 is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/06/policy16.pdf.

The information package that was provided to the Board of Governors is available at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/06/3.2_2019.06_Policy-16.pdf.

June 14, 2019

POLICY #101 (VENDING MACHINES ON OR IN UBC SPACE)

On June 13, 2019, the Board of Governors approved proposed amendments to Policy #101 (Vending Machines on Campus). Policy #101 addresses the process by which the acquisition installation of vending machines on campus is approved and which UBC units have the responsibility for such approvals.

The proposed amendments to Policy #101 are intended to ensure that vending machines are installed with appropriate input and that any profit or commissions generated from the vending machines are received by the appropriate UBC unit or department.

A more robust set of Procedures to Policy #101 is intended to clarify:

the responsibilities for the acquisition and installation of vending machines;
the scope of which types of vending machines are covered by the Policy; and
that certain UBC stakeholders may be interested in promoting or restricting the inclusion of certain products in vending machines at UBC by including procedures for additional engagement with concerned UBC stakeholders.

A copy of the approved Policy #101 is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/06/policy101.pdf.

For the full text of the policy, please visit https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/06/4.2_2019.06_Policy-101.pdf.

June 11, 2019

CALL FOR STUDENT VOLUNTEERS FOR PRESIDENT’S NON-ACADEMIC AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT COMMITTEES, AND UBC BOARD POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEES

The University Counsel invites interested students to submit expressions of interest to serve on:

the President’s UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Non-Academic Misconduct Committees (“NAMCs”);
the UBC President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline (“PACSDs”); and
Board of Governors Policy Review Committees (“Policy Committees”).

NAMCs:

The NAMCs serve a very important role. They assist the President by investigating allegations of non-academic misconduct made against UBC students under the Student Code of Conduct, and reporting their findings to the President (the NAMCs do not investigate allegations of sexual misconduct, as those allegations are investigated under UBC Board of Governors Policy #131, Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Misconduct, and the process set out under that Policy). Apart from the Chairs, who are normally senior faculty or staff members, all members of the NAMCs are students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on Vancouver NAMC, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the NAMCs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 5 new students will be selected for the Okanagan NAMC and 2 new students for the Vancouver NAMC. Quorum for meetings of the NAMCs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable NAMC, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan NAMC has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver NAMC has held approximately 3 meetings. For more information about the NAMCs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/non-academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the NAMCs at: https://universitycounsel2.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2012/02/Rules-for-the-Presidents-Non-Acad-Misconduct-Committees.pdf.

PACSDs:

The PACSDs assist the President by investigating allegations of academic misconduct made against UBC students and reporting their findings to the President. The PACSD Chair is a senior faculty member and the other PACSD members consist of both senior UBC faculty members and UBC students. UBC Okanagan students are eligible to serve on the Okanagan PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Okanagan campus. UBC Vancouver students are eligible to serve on Vancouver PACSD, which investigates allegations of misconduct arising at UBC’s Vancouver campus. All members of the PACSDs are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Counsel and serve for a one-year term that runs from September 1 to August 30. Members may be appointed for subsequent terms. Approximately 2 new students will be selected for the Okanagan PACSD and 2 new students for the Vancouver PACSD. Quorum for meetings of the PACSDs is the Chair and at least 2 other members. Because cases are typically investigated by a subset of the applicable PACSD, the caseload is distributed amongst the members and based upon the respective members’ availability. Over the last few years, the Okanagan PACSD has held approximately 5 meetings and the Vancouver PACSD has held approximately 30 meetings. For more information about the PACSDs, please see the website of the Office of the University Counsel at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/discipline/academic-misconduct/ and the Rules for the PACSDs at: https://universitycounsel2.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2010/09/PACSD_Rules.pdf.

Scheduling of NAMC and PACSD Meetings:

Policy Committees:

How to Submit Your Expression of Interest:

your first and last name;
your student number;
the name of your Faculty;
your telephone number;
your e-mail address;
your mailing address;
the name of the committee in which you are interested; and
a concise written statement explaining your interest in joining the committee.

If you are interested in serving on more than one of the committees described above, please list all of the committees in which you are interested.

If you wish, you may also provide a reference letter from a UBC faculty member, but a reference letter is not required.

Since Policy Committees are struck at various times throughout the year, students who are selected to serve on a Policy Committee may be contacted by the Office of the University Counsel at any time.

Thank you for your interest.

June 10, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED POLICY GA2 (REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF BOARD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the Proposed Policy GA2 (Regulatory Framework for the Administration of Board Policies and Procedures) and its related procedures (collectively, the “Policy Proposal”). The Policy Proposal amends and renames existing Policy #1 (Administration of Policies). The Policy Proposal provides a comprehensive framework for the establishment, review, and administration of Board of Governors (“Board”) policies and procedures (“Board Policies and Procedures”) and rules and guidelines related to Board Policies and Procedures (“Rules and Guidelines” and together with Board Policies and Procedures, “Board Policy Documents”). More particularly, the Policy Proposal:

confirms the purpose and nature of each category of Board Policy Documents;
sets out standards for the establishment, review, amendment, or repeal of Board Policy Documents;
confirms the development process for Board Policy Documents;
confirms authority for approval of Board Policy Documents, and for granting exceptions to Board Policy Documents;
sets out the effective dates of new, amended, or repealed Board Policy Documents;
sets out the process for communication of updates to Board Policy Documents; and
confirms the location of the official repository of Board Policy Documents.

The Policy Proposal sets out four categories of Board Policy Documents as follows:

Board Policies are principle-based documents developed to regulate matters that are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Board; Board Policies are mandatory in nature; the Board has exclusive authority to establish, amend, and repeal Board Policies;
Procedures provide direction regarding the operational application of the Board Policy with which the Procedures are associated; Procedures are mandatory in nature; the Board has authority to establish, amend, and repeal Procedures but also delegates such authority to the President;
Rules are intended to set out detailed processes and requirements that are not appropriate for inclusion in the associated Board Policy or Procedures; Rules are mandatory in nature; where the establishment of associated Rules is contemplated by a Board Policy or Procedures, the Responsible Executive for the Board Policy has the authority to establish, amend, or repeal those Rules in accordance with any requirements set out in the Board Policy or Procedures for doing so; and
Guidelines are advisory publications that are intended to provide guidance as to how the associated Board Policy, Procedures, and Rules are implemented and may include illustrative examples, best practices, or recommendations; Guidelines are non-binding in nature.

The Policy Proposal enhances transparency and understanding of the method by which the Board or its delegates establish documents which provide direction to UBC members regarding a range of matters that fall within the statutory authority of the Board. The Policy Proposal also identifies those circumstances in which an action taken in respect of the administration of Board Policy Documents must be reported to the Board or the responsible Board committees. These reporting requirements ensure that the Board and the responsible Board committees have all necessary information for the proper management and oversight of the regulatory framework of the Board.

For further information about this Policy Proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board of Governors at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/3_2019.06_Policy-1-GA2.pdf.

May 10, 2019

WELCOME TO STEPHANIE MACLEOD AND SUZANNE RAIKES

We are very pleased to announce that Stephanie MacLeod and Suzanne Raikes have joined the Office of the University Counsel in the role of Freedom of Information Specialist.

Stephanie has more than seven years’ experience managing access to information requests in BC and Newfoundland. She holds an MA from Athabaska University and a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Hull, in the UK, and she is a Certified Information Access and Protection of Privacy Administrator through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Suzanne is rejoining the office, having spent five months with us last year as the interim FOI Assistant. She has had a varied career as a manager and director in the private sector, with experience in training, records management, and project management. She has a BA in Behavioural Science from La Trobe University and a Graduate Diploma in Educational Psychology from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Stephanie can be reached by email at stephanie.macleod@ubc.ca and Suzanne can be reached by email at suzanne.raikes@ubc.ca.

May 2, 2019

POLICY #92 (LAND USE, PERMITTING AND SUSTAINABILITY)

On April 18, 2019, the Board of Governors approved amendments to Policy #92 (Land Use and Permitting) and associated Procedures, and the repeal of Policy #5 (Sustainable Development).

The approved amendments integrate land use, sustainable development and sustainable operations in a cohesive policy, streamline the number of Board policies, and further strengthen the systems for managing land use and other activities, including business licensing and sustainability initiatives, on UBC’s campuses. Some of the key amendments to Policy #92 are summarized below:

includes UBC’s objectives and commitment in respect of sustainability and explicitly contemplates the creation of Land Use Rules to address sustainable operations and development;
reorganizes the sections in Current Policy #92 for improved flow and readability;
includes the broader title of “Land Use, Permitting and Sustainability” and the broader land use committee name of “Land Use and Operational Sustainability Committee” to ensure that the appropriate level of prominence is given to sustainability as a key consideration;
sets out four categories of documents governing land use at UBC and describes the nature and effect of documents in each of the categories; the four categories are: External Governance Requirements, Land Use Rules, Plans and Guidelines;
sets out the mechanisms to adopt, amend or repeal Land Use Rules, Plans and Guidelines;
contains an expanded range of matters that can be appealed; pursuant to the amended Policy #92, decisions made by a Director of Campus & Community Planning with respect to applications for permits, licenses or variances can be appealed; the decision of the Associate Vice-President, Campus & Community Planning in respect of any appeal will continue to be final;
provides clarity to the UBC community regarding the scope of application of Policy #92, including the areas and building to which the Land Use Rules, Plans and Guidelines apply;
modifies the composition of the Land Use and Operational Sustainability Committee by adding the Associate Vice-President, Facilities as a member of this committee and by allowing up to four external members; the amended Policy #92 sets out further details how the committee members will be selected; and
includes a new section providing that meetings of the Land Use and Operational Sustainability Committee will normally be conducted in open session unless the committee Chair designates that certain matters which are of a nature that requires they be handled with due and appropriate sensitivity, are to be dealt with in closed session.

A copy of the approved Policy #92 is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/05/policy92.pdf.

For the full text of Policy #92 (Land Use, Permitting and Sustainability), please visit https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/03/2_2019.04_Policy-92.pdf.

May 1, 2019

POLICY #83 (TRAVEL AND OTHER BUSINESS-RELATED EXPENSES)

On April 18, 2019, the Board of Governors approved the proposed Policy #83 (Travel and Other Business-Related Expenses) and associated Procedures and the repeal of Policies #79 (Travel Assistance for Graduate Students), #80 (Travel Expenses – Recipients of Honorary Degrees), #84 (Entertainment), and #115 (Gifts). The approved Policy #83 and the repeal of Policies #79, 80, 84, and 115 will take effect upon confirmation by the Vice-President, Finance and Operations, which confirmation is expected to occur when a set of Rules (as defined in approved Policy #83) is available for implementation.

Until such effective date is confirmed by the Vice-President, Finance and Operations, the current Policies #79 (Travel Assistance for Graduate Students), #80 (Travel Expenses – Recipients of Honorary Degrees), #83 (Travel and Related Expenses), #84 (Entertainment), and #115 (Gifts) and any associated Procedures and Directives continue to govern and remain in effect. Copies of these current Policies and applicable associated Procedures and Directives are available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/index/.

The approved Policy #83 updates, consolidates, and creates a principle-based policy to govern the incurring of expenses on behalf of UBC and claims for reimbursement of such expenses. The approved Policy #83 sets out a specific process to create formal rules governing the incurring of business-related expenses on behalf of UBC and claims for reimbursement of such expenses. The approved Policy #83 sets out the principles that apply to incurring expenses on behalf of UBC and reimbursement of such expenses, and provides high-level guiding principles regarding expenses incurred for purposes of travel, entertainment, gifts, and business-related work tools. The common theme set out in the approved Policy #83 is that expenses incurred on behalf of UBC must be appropriate, reasonable, and financially prudent. The Procedures establish approval requirements, the process for submitting claims for reimbursement, audit rights of UBC in respect of business-related expenses incurred on behalf of UBC, and a process to create the formal rules.

For the full text of Policy #83 (Travel and Other Business-Related Expenses), please visit https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/03/9_2019.03_Policy-83.pdf.

April 30, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICY #94 (VISUAL IDENTITY)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to Policy #94 (Visual Identity) (the “Policy”)

The Policy was initially approved by the Board of Governors (the “Board”) in 2003 and has not been amended since. The Office of the University Counsel convened a Policy Review Committee, which has prepared a draft proposal.

The Policy sets out the responsibilities of UBC faculties, units, departments, staff and faculty members, in ensuring that they appropriately and consistently use UBC’s logos, typeface, brand colours and other brand elements.

The proposed amendments to the Policy are intended to more clearly set out these responsibilities to use UBC Brand Identity Elements in a consistent manner on UBC Branded Material and in accordance with the library of resources published by the Brand and Marketing department, which will be renamed from “guidelines” to “rules” to more accurately align with the intent of the Policy.

The proposed amendments to the Policy include the addition of Procedures, which will:

clearly identify the UBC departments and/or units responsible for establishing and/or supporting UBC’s brand to enable UBC members to meet their responsibilities; and
identify the resources available to support proper adherence to and consistent use of UBC’s Brand Identity Elements by UBC members.

The proposed amendments to the Policy are now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by June 14, 2019.

For further information about this Policy proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/03/4_2019.04_Policy-94.pdf.

April 25, 2019

POLICY #3 (DISCRIMINATION)

On April 18, 2019, the Board of Governors approved proposed amendments to Policy #3.

Policy #3 addresses the process by which concerns relating to matters of discrimination on the grounds protected by the BC Human Rights Code (“Code”) are addressed by the University. The new Policy #3 amendments are intended to bring the policy into alignment with current practices. The most significant changes in the policy were as follows:

changing the title of the Policy from “Discrimination and Harassment” to “Discrimination” to more accurately reflect the contents of the policy;
updating names of offices and positions;
focusing the role of the Administrative Head of Unit;
clarifying the jurisdiction of the Director of Investigations to investigate complaints;
updating the privacy and confidentiality language to create consistency with other policies; and
deleting the one-year limitation period to bring a complaint

For the full text of the policy, please visit https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/04/policy3.pdf.

April 4, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED REPEAL OF POLICY #65 (RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS)

The UBC community is invited to comment on the proposed repeal of Policy #65 (Religious Holidays).

Policy #65 (Religious Holidays) was created in 1994 to articulate the basis on which students and members of faculty and staff could observe the holy days of their religion, and has never been amended.

UBC’s legal responsibility to accommodate observance of religious holidays by students, faculty and staff arises from UBC’s obligation under the Human Rights Code not to discriminate on the basis of protected grounds, including religion.

Subsequent to the establishment of Policy #65, UBC created Policy #3 (Discrimination and Harassment), which sets out UBC’s commitment to maintain and respect human rights and prevent discrimination on all of the grounds prohibited by the Human Rights Code, including religion, rendering significant parts of Policy #65 somewhat redundant.

In addition to Policy #3, UBC’s commitment and obligation to accommodate observance of religious holidays is also addressed in collective agreements, through the Senate Policy on Academic Concessions in both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan Calendars, and information available on the website of the Equity & Inclusion Office. UBC’s measures to accommodate students are appropriately addressed by the Senate, given its jurisdiction for academic governance, and the Senate is in the process of developing a new Senate Policy governing students’ observance of religious holidays (and potentially broader religious observances).

Policy #3 (which through its current review process has incorporated language adapted from Policy #65 as to relevant factors to be taken into consideration in accommodation requests) and the new Senate policy will be supported by further information providing administrative details and guidance for accommodations for students, faculty and staff on the websites of Human Resources and the Equity & Inclusion Office as well as other communication channels, bringing awareness to and allowing for flexible ways of educating those involved in making and responding to religious accommodation requests.

The committee recommends the repeal of Policy #65 as it is substantively contained within the various overlapping documents and measures above, will avoid the risk of either the Board or Senates acting in areas beyond their jurisdiction, and will reduce any conflict, confusion or redundancy between documents with no lessening of UBC’s commitment and obligations as to religious holidays.

Proposed repeal of Policy #65 is now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by May 4, 2019.

February 27, 2019

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICY #16 (NON-UNIVERSITY USE OF UNIVERSITY SERVICES AND FACILITIES)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to Policy #16 (Non-University Use of University Services and Facilities).

Policy #16 was initially approved by the Board of Governors (“Board”) in February 1981 and has not been updated since. The Office of the University Counsel convened a Policy Review Committee (“Committee”), which has prepared a draft proposal.

Policy #16 governs non-university use of University equipment and support services. As a charitable organization and responsible steward of public resources, UBC acquires equipment for the achievement of UBC’s mission and purposes. Reflecting UBC’s charitable status, the Policy establishes the principle that UBC’s equipment and support services may not be used for non-UBC purposes, such as for personal purposes and business uses, unless such use is authorized by the appropriate member of the UBC administration, who shall ensure that the University is suitably compensated for any such uses.

The proposed amendments:

(a) confirm that all of UBC’s equipment is owned by UBC, and reinforce the requirement flowing from UBC’s charitable status that all such equipment and all of UBC’s administrative support services are to be used primarily for the achievement of UBC’s academic mission and purposes;

(b) formalize a responsible approach to the use of any excess capacity of UBC’s equipment and services, whether for purposes that advance research, knowledge exchange, collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship, or incidental personal purposes;

(c) clarify the scope of the Policy and provide way-finding provisions to other related Board policies (e.g., Policy #16 excludes the use of indoor and outdoor space, which is addressed by another Board policy); and

(d) update the Policy to recognize that retention and use of revenues generated from third party (non-UBC) use of UBC equipment and related technical services are subject to the direction of the Vice-President, Finance and Operations, while reflecting the current practice that such revenue normally is retained by the unit to whom the equipment is assigned.

The Committee recommends the concomitant repeal of Policy #109 – Ownership, and Policy #121 – Campus Mail Services, with the support of those Policies’ Responsible Executives. The proposed amendments to Policy #16 incorporate the subject matter, principles and requirements of Policies #109 and #121 and, thus, render them redundant. The amendments also include changing the name of the Policy to “Ownership and Use of UBC Equipment and UBC Support Services” to reflect its scope and align with other related Board policies.

The proposed amendments to Policy #16 are now being published and all members of the UBC community are encouraged to provide their comments. Please submit feedback to the Office of the University Counsel at university.counsel@ubc.ca by April 2, 2019.

For further information about this policy proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/3_2019.02_Policy-16-Policy-109-Policy-121.pdf.

POLICY CONSULTATION – PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO POLICY #101 (VENDING MACHINES ON CAMPUS)

The UBC community is invited to comment on proposed amendments to Policy #101 (Vending Machines on Campus).

The Policy was initially approved by the Board of Governors (the “Board”) in 1977 and was most recently amended in 1993. The Office of the University Counsel convened a Policy Review Committee, which has prepared a draft proposal.

The Policy addresses the process by which the acquisition installation of vending machines on campus is approved and which UBC units have the responsibility for such approvals.

The proposed amendments to the Policy are intended to ensure that vending machines are installed with appropriate input and that any profit or commissions generated from the vending machines are received by the appropriate UBC unit or department.

A more robust set of Procedures to the Policy is proposed to clarify

the responsibilities for the acquisition and installation of vending machines;
the scope of which types of vending machines are covered by the Policy; and
that certain UBC stakeholders may be interested in promoting or restricting the inclusion of certain products in vending machines at UBC by including procedures for additional engagement with concerned UBC stakeholders.

Finally, the proposed amendments update administrative unit and position titles that have changed since the last time it was revised.

For further information about this Policy proposal, please see the information package that was provided to the Board at https://bog3.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/5_2019.02_Policy-101-Amendments.pdf.

February 15, 2019

POLICY #15 (SMOKING, VAPING, AND SALE OF TOBACCO-RELATED PRODUCTS ON CAMPUS)

On February 12, 2019, the Board of Governors approved proposed amendments to Policy #15 (Smoking and Smoking Product Promotion on Campus).

The proposed amendments are intended to ensure that Policy #15 is clear and updated in response to the federal Cannabis Act coming into effect on October 17, 2018 and legalizing the possession and sale of certain amounts and certain classes of cannabis.

Key amendments to Policy #15 that are summarized as follows:

“Vaping” has been added to the definition of “Smoking”;
Smoking or vaping of tobacco and cannabis products are explicitly treated the same;
The current smoking-permitted and smoke-free zones on both campuses will remain unchanged;
The prohibition against the sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products, such as accessories which may also be used in the smoking of cannabis, will continue; and
There will be no general prohibition on the sale of cannabis. Any person wishing to establish a cannabis retail outlet on campus will be required to obtain a provincial and federal licence, as well as a business licence from the applicable authority (the City of Kelowna for UBC Okanagan or Campus & Community Planning for UBC Vancouver).

The amendments to Policy #15 are part of an overall campus strategy to respond to the legalization of cannabis. The Office of the Vice-President, Students has been delivering an education campaign to raise awareness and educate students about cannabis consumption. Campus & Community Planning are currently conducting engagement with the intent of creating additional No Smoking Areas on the Vancouver campus.

For the full text of the policy, please visit: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/policy15.pdf

For further information about cannabis on campus, please visit: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/cannabis-faqs/

February 13, 2019

**POLICY #93 (OPEN, CLOSED AND IN CAMERA MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS)**

On February 8, 2019, the Governance Committee of the UBC Board of Governors approved the following documents: Board Meeting Rules and Practices and Committee Meeting Rules and Practices, and on February 12, 2019, the UBC Board of Governors approved proposed amendments to Policy #93 (Closed Meetings of the Board of Governors). The amendments to Policy #93 provide a comprehensive and clear set of principles, criteria and processes to be applied in the conduct of open, closed and in-camera sessions of meetings of the Board and Board Committees in a manner that allows for effective governance and balances the Board’s commitment to transparency and accountability, the need to treat certain matters with respect and confidentiality, as well as the statutory duty of Governors to always act in the best interest of the University. The updated Policy also introduces process and accountability mechanisms not previously in place, and the Board Meeting Rules and Committee Meeting Rules articulate comprehensive meeting rules, which were not previously set out in a Board or UBC policy. Together these three documents provide a comprehensive and clear set of principles, rules and procedures for meetings of the Board and Board Committees.

A copy of the approved Policy #93 is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/policy93.pdf
A copy of the Board Meeting Rules and Practices is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/Board-Meeting-Rules-and-Practices.pdf
A copy of the Committee Meeting Rules and Practices is available at: https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/Committee-Meeting-Rules-and-Practices.pdf

February 4, 2019

POLICY #73 (ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES)

Proposed amendments to Policy #73 (Accommodation for Students with Disabilities) and associated procedures were approved by the Board on December 4, 2018, the Vancouver Senate on December 12, 2018, and the Okanagan Senate on January 31, 2019.

The approved amendments are intended to modernize the Policy and ensure a more effective and accountable process for accommodating students with disabilities at the University by providing additional guidance for students, faculty and staff in terms of the process by which accommodations for students with disabilities are made at the University. The key elements of the amendments do the following:

remove the word “academic” from the title of the Policy so that it is clear that the Policy applies beyond academic considerations;
explain the purpose of accommodation in the learning environment and the University’s responsibility and commitment to providing accommodation;
expand upon and clarify the scope of the Policy;
define key terms used in the Policy;
clearly set out the responsibilities of those key members of the University involved in the accommodation process;
distinguish disabilities from temporary health issues, which are addressed through the process set out in the Senate Regulation on Academic Concession in the University’s academic calendars;
bring the Policy into alignment with the University’s existing practices and lay out the process for creating accommodation, step by step;
outline the key principles to be considered when determining and implementing accommodations, including guidance as to how reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be made and what factors are considered, such as explanations surrounding the “undue hardship” limitation to the duty to accommodate and the essential requirement component of this limitation. In this respect, Access & Diversity and the Disability Resource Centre are posting Frequently Asked Questions on their websites that provide further guidance to persons wanting to better understand the concepts of undue hardship and essential requirements for the purposes of Policy #73; and
establish streamlined procedures that are consistent across the two campuses, including new and refined appeal processes where a student or an instructor or other University employee disagrees with a recommended accommodation, allowing for more prompt resolution.

Of particular note is the new mechanism for instructors or other University employees seeking review of an academic accommodation decision to determine whether undue hardship would be incurred. The purpose of this mechanism is to ensure that this review process is timely and allows for a decision to be made by a qualified, well-informed decision-maker, without causing unnecessary delays to the parties affected by such decision.

A copy of the approved Policy #73 is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/02/policy73.pdf.

January 10, 2019

POLICY #113 (ENDOWMENT MANAGEMENT)

Effective January 1, 2019, President Santa Ono approved amendments to the Procedures under Policy #113 (Endowment Management). Policy #113 and its procedures governs the management of the University’s endowments.

Amendments to the Procedures were necessary to add a definition of the Sustainable Future Pool and to clarify reporting requirements related to the Pool; to increase the minimum donation amount for new endowments to $50,000 from the current minimum of $30,000; and to delete an outdated reference to a 2010 policy review.

Pursuant to Policy #1 (Administration of Policies), procedures may be amended by the President provided the new procedures conform to the approved policy and they are reported at the next meeting of the Board of Governors. These amendments will be reported to the Board of Governors at its February 12, 2019 meeting.

A copy of Policy #113 is available at https://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/files/2019/01/policy113.pdf.