Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct is any unwanted action carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality. Sexual misconduct can affect and involve people of all genders and sexual identities and can happen in any type of relationship (e.g., romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, casual acquaintances or strangers).
At CNC, we want to create a healthy campus community characterized by mutual respect and safety. We believe that survivors of sexual misconduct deserve support and knowledge of all of the options available to them, including those that fall under CNC’s Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Read CNC’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy for more information.
If you are in need of assistance, please continue reading below for information about what to do immediately after an incident, and some other options available to you, including: making a disclosure, filing a complaint with the College, making a report to the RCMP, and accessing medical attention. You can also visit the Supports page for information about supports available to you on campus and in the community.
It's up to all of us to make our community a safe space, so let’s be kind to each other.
What to Do
Depending on the incident(s), if you have experienced sexual misconduct, we encourage you to consider taking some or all of the following steps immediately after the incident:
- Go to a safe place on campus. If you are not on campus, go to a shelter or a trusted friend’s home and seek out help;
- At the Prince George campus, call 911 and contact CNC Security if you are unsafe or have been sexually assaulted by calling 250-561-5827, by dialing extension 200, or by picking up one of the red emergency phones on campus. You can also go directly to the Security office in Room 1-702. At the Prince George campus, Security is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- At the Burns Lake campus, you can contact Security from 9:00am to 4:00pm by calling 250-692-6840 and from 4:00pm to 8:00pm by calling 250-692-6731.
- At the Mackenzie campus, Security and First Aid are available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm at 1-250-997-7200.
- At the Quesnel campus, Security and First Aid are available Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 9:30 pm, and on Saturday from 8:30am to 4:30 pm at 250-255-4685.
- At the Fort St. James campus, First Aid is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm.Call 250-996-7019.
- At the Vanderhoof campus, First Aid is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Call 250-567-3200.
- If you have been sexually assaulted or are injured, we recommend getting medical attention as soon as possible. If possible, seek medical treatment from a hospital. You may want a trusted friend or family member to come with you for support.
- You can also contact a community agency or on-campus resources for additional, confidential support.
If sexual misconduct has been witnessed or experienced, or there is reason to believe sexual misconduct has occurred, there are a few options. You can choose to make a:
Make a Disclosure
Making a disclosure means telling another person about the sexual misconduct that occurred. You can connect with support services at CNC for assistance whether or not you have decided to make a formal complaint.
A disclosure can be made to a friend, a family member, an employee of the College or a support person on campus.
Under CNC's Student Sexual Misconduct Policy, CNC staff are required to report to the Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Coordinator (Director of Student Services or Regional Principal) that they received a disclosure of an experience of sexual misconduct from a student, but in most situations they won't be required to share any identifying details. A disclosure will not result in further action unless it is felt that there is an imminent risk of harm or there is a legal requirement for the College to take further action. In these cases there are limits to confidentiality and the College may be required to investigate if they feel there is a high level of risk to the safety of members of the college community.
File an Anonymous Report through REES
CNC has partnered with REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors) to provide online reporting for sexual violence on campus. REES allows members of our campus community to Create a Record of the incident and choose from multiple reporting options: Anonymous Report, Connect to My Campus, or Repeat Perpetrator Identification (RPI). REES provides information about campus and community-based resources such as sexual assault centers, healthcare, and support services.
REES can be accessed online anywhere, anytime. Go to reescommunity.com/campus and select CNC from the drop-down list.
File a Complaint
If you would like to take further action about a sexual misconduct incident you experienced, you have the option of filing a formal complaint with the College.
To file a formal complaint, you can connect with the Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Coordinator (Director of Student Services or Regional Principal). In Prince George, you can call 250-561-5818 or come to the Student Services office (Room 1-753) to set up an appointment and/or to access support. Click on the community name for contact information for the Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Burns Lake, Quesnel, and Mackenzie campuses.
When you meet with the Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Coordinator to make a complaint, they will review the Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures with you, check in with you about your safety, and take down details about your complaint. They will also provide you with information about supports available to you on campus. If any accommodations are necessary due to safety concerns, they will also discuss this with you as well (e.g., switching to a different room within CNC Housing, switching to a different section of a class, extension for an assignment needed, etc.).
Once they have received your complaint, they will review it to determine whether the complaint falls within the scope of our policy. If it is, an investigator is assigned and the investigation process begins. The respondent (the person who you reported for engaging in sexual misconduct) and any witnesses will be contacted and interviewed by the investigator, and a report is compiled. The investigator submits the report to the Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Coordinator for review. The Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Coordinator will meet with you and the respondent (separately) to review the report to ensure the information from your statement is accurately represented in the report.
Afterwards, an Adjudication Panel meets to review the report and determine if the complaint is substantiated. If they find that the complaint has been substantiated, the person who engaged in the sexual misconduct may face some sanctions (e.g., suspension, expulsion), and/or some accommodations may be offered (like either yourself or the respondent switching into a different section of a class if you are both in the same section of a course, etc.). If it is determined the complaint is not substantiated, no sanctions are imposed.
In the last step of this process, the Lead Sexual Misconduct Coordinator or Regional Principal will then notify both parties about the outcome of the Adjudication Panel discussion in writing, and will also provide information about the appeals process if either party chooses.
Make an Anonymous "Third Party Report"
If you have experienced sexual misconduct, but you wish to remain anonymous, you can make a special type of police report called a Third Party Report. This is an anonymous report to the RCMP containing details of the incident, people involved, and what occurred. A Victim Services worker from RCMP Victim Services or other community agencies such as the Native Friendship Centre, Elizabeth Fry Society, and PG Sexual Assault Centre can assist you in completing a Third Party Report, and will submit it to the RCMP on your behalf so that you remain anonymous.
Visit the Government of BC and Ending Violence BC's websites for more information about Third Party Reporting.
File a Report
You can also choose to make a police report. This involves you reporting your experience to the RCMP to address it through the criminal justice system.
If you choose to pursue this option, the College can help connect you with the RCMP. Our Counsellors or Wellness Coaches can also provide referrals to other resources in the community who offer support to survivors throughout the court process, such as court support services, victim services, or referrals for legal help.
To file a police report, an appointment is made with the RCMP to meet with a police office to make the report. A police officer will take down your statement, and an RCMP investigation will be initiated. The RCMP will present any evidence collected from their investigation to the Crown, who will decide whether there is enough evidence for charges to be laid against the person who engaged in the sexual misconduct. If Crown decides that there is sufficient evidence, then charges will be laid, starting the court process.
For more information about filing a police report, please visit the Government of BC's website.
You can also file for a protection order. Protection orders are made by a judge in court or by police to help protect one person from another person. For more information about protection orders, click here.
Access Medical Treatment through CNC's Health & Wellness Centre or Another Medical Clinic
You may also need medical attention and can access CNC's Health and Wellness Centre for testing, non-emergency health-care, and other health care referrals needed. If your campus doesn't have a Health and Wellness Centre, you can access a medical clinic, health unit or hospital for medical attention. If you need urgent medical attention, please visit a hospital.
Have a Forensic Medical Exam
If you have been sexually assaulted, you also have the option of having a forensic medical exam done at a hospital to collect evidence. You can request a forensic medical exam at the hospital by visiting the emergency room, letting them know that you have been sexually assaulted, and asking to have a forensic medical exam. When you notify staff in the emergency room that you have been sexually assaulted, a hospital social worker is notified who will meet with you privately, provide emotional support, talk with you about your options (e.g., just accessing medical treatment, or accessing medical treatment and a forensic medical exam), and provide you with information about community supports. They can also assist you in calling someone such as a trusted friend or family member to come be with you at the hospital for support.
The social worker can also accompany you during the forensic medical exam, where a team of a doctor and a nurse will use a special kit to collect evidence. The forensic medical exam is made up of several parts. The medical staff will assess any injuries, pregnancy risk, sexually transmitted infections, and psychological well-being. They also will document and photograph injuries and collect potentially relevant samples including body fluids, hair, textiles, trace evidence, and clothing worn during the assault. You will also have the option of being provided with emergency contraceptives and medications for potential sexually transmitted infections. You will always have the option of stopping at any point or taking a break during this process if you need to, and the doctor and nurse will describe what they are doing during each step of the exam.
After the exam is over, staff can provide you with a packet of toiletries and some clothing if your clothing was collected as evidence. The evidence kit and forensic medical report can be either handed directly to police right afterwards, or you can choose to have it stored for up to one year by the hospital in a special secure storage. This means that you have time to decide whether or not you want to make a police report while potential evidence still remains available in storage if you're not sure what you want to do yet.
Connect to Campus or Community Supports
You may also wish to access support regardless of whether or not you want to file a complaint with the College or file a Third Party Report or police report. You can connect with a CNC Wellness Coach or Counsellor to access emotional support, discuss and explore the options available to you, receive referrals to other supports on campus or in the community, or to ask for assistance in filing a complaint.
Click here for more information about wellness coaching, counselling, and contact information by campus.
You might also wish to connect with CNC Security (if this service is available at your campus) if you are feeling unsafe or need immediate help on campus. Click here for information about Security services.
For a list of campus and community organizations and supports, visit our Supports page, where the supports are listed by community.