Statement on sentencing of James Rupert

Clearly this was a reprehensible activity and deeply disturbing. Our primary concern right now is with the well-being of the people affected by this case. This has been a difficult process for them. UBC has been and will continue to offer counselling and other support services for those affected directly or indirectly according to their wishes.

UBC values and promotes a respectful workplace and student culture, and overall, our campus is safe. We take immediate action whenever any serious allegation is made. When appropriate, we alert police and cooperate with their investigations. We ban perpetrators from our campuses. The university also makes sure that members of the university community who have been affected by any wrongdoing have access to counselling and other support services.

In this case, the faculty member in question ceased to be an employee of UBC 7 months ago, as of June 30, 2014. To protect the privacy of the affected individuals, we cannot provide any information that could be used to identify them. Frankly, it’s impossible for us to go into greater detail in this case without risking a further invasion of their privacy.  We can reassure you that UBC took this incident very seriously and we remain deeply concerned about the wellbeing of all of those affected.

The actions of this faculty member were not targeted toward students and did not involve research activities. Further questions about the RCMP investigation and the events that led to the charges are best addressed to them.

Contact

Susan Danard
Managing Director
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2064
Cell: 604.312.0845
susan.danard@ubc.ca