The Globe and Mail reported on the alleged sex assault case of a student at UBC’s Okanagan campus as the school works on new guidelines for dealing with such assaults.
A hearing into Stephanie Hale’s alleged assault was scheduled for September but was postponed when a student on the hearing panel became ill.
The university declined to comment on Hale’s case, citing privacy laws, but said in a statement that the university, including President Santa Ono, is “directly engaged on the issue of sexual assault” and makes the safety of its students its “No. 1 priority.”
UBC’s sex assault task force has recommended the school consider appointing an independent investigator for cases of assault and harassment.
“While we cannot be definitive about what the new process will look like until we’ve completed the ongoing consultation and heard from all, we have made a commitment to incorporate that feedback into the new policy with the view to making fundamental change,” said UBC spokesperson Susan Danard.
