Director, Student Support, Rights and Responsibilities

A. Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Provides strategic leadership and direction in the administration of the Office of Student Support, Rights and Responsibilities:

• Leads and represents the Office of Student Support, Rights and Responsibilities in the day-to-day operations of the department, ensuring safety, risk mitigation, consistency of practice and optimum service delivery.
• Leads and directs all functions of the Office, including academic and non-academic student conduct, sexualized violence, human rights as they pertain to students, student rights and responsibilities, student involuntary leaves of absence, student threat/risk assessments, related student support and all matters pertaining to students of concern and behavioural intervention.

• Champions equity, inclusion, and continuous improvement within the portfolio.
• Develops and implements programs and processes to manage student behavioural risk and minimize adverse legal consequences arising from complex student behaviour.
• Reviews, develops, and implements policies and procedures related to student conduct, behaviours of concern, and student rights and responsibilities and other student-related policy as required.
• Represents the College and actively engages with other postsecondary institutions and external bodies to further the College’s ongoing development in student rights, and responsibilities, behavioural intervention, sexualized violence, human rights, threat assessment and the prevention of violence.
• Interact effectively, responsibly, and professionally with students, faculty, staff, and administrators in facilitating the resolution to student behavioural issues and matters of student conduct.
• Communicates information regarding resources and supports that address student behaviour and misconduct to faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Fosters a collaborative, student-focused, and data-informed culture within the department, maintaining knowledge of current trends and developments related to the portfolio.
• Acts in an on-call capacity as needed.
• Prepares annual reports for the College regarding student behaviour issues and matters relating to portfolio.

2. Provides strategic leadership and direction to the College community in response to concerning student behaviour including behaviour that pose a potential risk:

• Develops, implements, and administers an effective behavioural intervention program, including procedures, protocols, policies, and an educational outreach strategy.
• Conducts initial individualized assessments of students who display potentially harmful, violent, or life-threatening behaviours.
• Develops and implements strategies to address, mitigate and promote awareness around student violence, threat, risk concerns.
• Co-Chairs the Violence Threat Risk Assessment Team, and collaborates, when necessary, with other College departments in the management of student violence, threat, risk.
• Notifies senior administrators of situations involving the potential risk to the College and informs senior administrators of situation management strategies as needed.

3. Provides oversight and directs all student conduct concerns, complaints, and investigations:

• Oversees all student academic and non-academic behavioural concerns using the appropriate processes as defined by College policy and in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness and current practices of administrative and restorative justice.
• Conduct pre-investigation assessment of all student non-academic behavioural issues to determine safety/risk thresholds, requirement for interim measures, related accommodation, or the suitability of alternate dispute resolution strategies including mediation or restorative justice.

• Conducts investigations and/or oversees the conduct of investigations into allegations of student misconduct, prepares and/or oversees the preparation of investigation reports, decides matters following investigation.
• Decides all non-academic student conduct matters, determines responsibility, prepares written decisions; provides guidance to academic units in the adjudication of serious academic conduct matters.
• Imposes and monitors sanctions and other disciplinary measures, makes recommendations to the President regarding student suspension, assist academic leaders in making recommendations to the President regarding student suspension.
• Works collaboratively with the Manager, Safety, Security and Emergency Management and the College’s security contractor to ensure the safety and security of all members of the campus community
• Functions with a high degree of confidentiality with respect to investigative and student case information that may include information related to employees.
• Acts as the centralized information administrator for all reports concerning student misconduct.
• Maintains databases, including files on all disciplinary cases and complaints, tracks sanctions, and monitors the effectiveness of the procedures and actions taken.

4. Academic Integrity:

• Oversees College response to Academic Integrity issues to ensure fairness and consistency of process.
• Acts as the centralized information administrator for all reports concerning student Academic Integrity violations.
• Maintains databases, including files on all disciplinary cases and complaints, tracks sanctions, and monitors the effectiveness of the procedures and actions taken.

5. Sexualized Violence Support and Education

• Leads the College’s Sexualized Violence initiative as defined by the Sexual Violence Act and best practices in the field.
• Oversees the management and investigation when required, of all students related complaints of sexualized violence.

6. Human Rights:

• Ensures compliance with the College’s Human Rights obligations among the student body.
• Ensures the management and investigation when required, of all Code based student-to-student complaints and non-disability-related student accommodation requests.

7. Student Support:

• Develops and implements support strategies to enhance a holistic student experience and promote student continuance and retention.
• Develops, in collaboration with qualified members of the College when appropriate, student support plans, case management strategies, conditions for continued enrolment and re-enrolment.

8. Special projects and other related duties:

• Oversees special projects or initiatives related to the office (academic and non-academic), behavioural intervention, violence, threat and risk assessment, sexualized violence, human rights, and student rights and responsibilities.
• Acts on behalf of the Associate Vice-President on matters relating to student need, student support initiatives, student rights and responsibilities, strategic initiatives, projects, and committees when needed.

9. Education and Outreach:

• Develops and implements a comprehensive community education and outreach strategy related to all elements falling under the portfolio.
• Develops and implements a comprehensive educational programming that engages the College community and promotes awareness and understanding of procedures and policies related to student issues, including all elements of the portfolio.

10. Human Resources:

• Hires, orients, and supervises staff; directs activities of staff, evaluates performance, provided performance feedback, suggests professional development and, where necessary, imposes corrective action.

B. Qualifications Required:

Education & Experience:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Advanced specialized education in conflict resolution and formal training in conducting investigations is required.
• Minimum eight (8) years of progressive related administrative and managerial experience in student rights and responsibilities, providing guidance in conflict resolution, preferably in a post-secondary setting.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Considerable experience in conducting investigations and the use of alternate dispute resolution strategies such as mediation and/or restorative justice.
• Advanced knowledge of administrative law, procedural fairness, and natural justice.
• Training and experience in human rights, behavioural intervention, sexualized violence response and threat assessment.
• Thorough knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles and practices.
• Advanced knowledge of relevant provincial legislation, including FIPPA, BC Human Rights Code, College and Institute Act, Sexualized Violence Act, BC Occupational Health, and Safety legislation.