Safe Sport

Anyone involved in sport should be able to thrive and perform at their best without fear of abuse, neglect or other maltreatment. Creating safe sport environments that provide those conditions is a collective effort — one that requires proper training so people can recognize maltreatment and prevent or address it. All participants in TRU’s athletic program are bound by the U SPORTS UCCMS.

Safe Sport at TRU is built on three pillars:

Education: All coaches, student-athletes and staff must complete the online Safe Sport course offered by the Coaches Association of Canada.
Expectations: The U SPORTS Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (U-UCCMS)
Complaints and Responses: outlined below.

Concern and Complaint Process
Options for reporting concerns, supports and resources are outlined in this document. This can be used for all sports participants (student-athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers, officials) who believe they have experienced:

Discrimination
Unfair or inappropriate treatment
Sexualized violence
Anything that has made the individual feel unsafe

Complaints are related to participation in a sport-related program and can involve a student-athlete, a coach, a staff member, or a volunteer. Complaints are treated seriously and as privately as possible under the circumstances. Retaliation for filing or participating in the complaint process is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with appropriately, and in accordance with applicable policy.

SPORT SPECIFIC (SPORT TECHNICAL) TEAM COMPLAINTS

Type of Complaint	Office Name (Jurisdiction)	Contact Information
Matters of team operations, including but not limited to: team selection; team roster; playing time; rotations/substitutions; additions/removal from teams; style of play; unsporting behaviour; technical and tactical system; adherence to team rules/standards. NOTE: Coaches/staff do not discuss team operation or team personnel matters with parents/guardians and/or third parties.	The Head Coach has jurisdiction and final authority in decision-making. Our coaches will listen to concerns and where possible will provide rationale and/or clarify information that led to their decision.	Head Coach
If the athlete cannot reach a satisfactory resolution of an issue through direct interaction with the coach or if uncomfortable making direct contact with the other person(s).	Manager, High Performance Sport Director, Athletics and Recreation	sclark@tru.ca catkinson@tru.ca

REPORTING OTHER CONCERNS
Information regarding options for reporting concerns, supports and resources are outlined below for student-athletes who believe that they have been discriminated against, treated unfairly or inappropriately, or experienced sexualized violence as this relates to their participation in a sport related program at TRU. Complaints and concerns related to matters outside of TRU athletics programming and operations (e.g. academic, residence, awards) should be directed to the appropriate campus department with jurisdiction over those areas.

All student-athletes are required to adhere to the standards of behavior described in the TRU WolfPack Student-Athlete Handbook and Code of Conduct. Coaches and staff are required to adhere to the conduct policies of U SPORTS, Canada West University Athletic Association (CWUAA) and Thompson Rivers University. All WolfPack staff members are subject to the policies established for TRU employees. Conduct such as hazing, harassment, and discrimination is strictly prohibited.

COMPLAINTS

Type of Complaint	Office Name (Jurisdiction)	How to initiate a report	Contact Information	Investigation
Harassment and Discrimination	Office of Student Affairs	Complainant submits a report to the responsible officer. Note: This Policy applies to all members of the University Community. Where the subject matter is covered by a collective agreement, and where there are conflicting provisions between this Policy and the collective agreement, the collective agreement will take precedence.	Complaint about a student: studentaffairs@tru.ca Complaint about an employee or volunteer: solsen@tru.ca	If in scope, TRU Legal may be consulted and external investigator may be hired. If in scope, complaint is referred to an internal or external investigator by the AVP People & Culture, or whichever process may be governed by a collective agreement.
Sexualized Violence	Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Office	Complainant submits report to Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Officer. Note: for matters involving some staff/faculty, process in collective agreement may need to be followed.	250-828-5023 svpr@tru.ca	If in scope, report is sent to TRU Legal and TRU Legal may obtain an external investigator.
Non-academic misconduct	Office of Student Affairs	Complainant submits a report to Director, Student Affairs.	250-828-5023 studentaffairs@tru.ca	If in scope, a Student Case Manager may be assigned as an internal investigator. In some situations, TRU Legal may be consulted and an external investigator may be hired.
Student-athlete code of conduct	Athletics and Recreation	Director, Athletics and Recreation	250-828-5273 catkinson@tru.ca	Reviewed and handled internally. The Office of Student Affairs and TRU Legal may be consulted.
Personal Safety and Security	TRU Security	Make direct contact with Security	250-828-5033 security@tru.ca	N/A

U SPORTS – UCCMS Complaints
If not captured in above policies, other reports related to U Sports Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport should follow the table below.

Type of Complaint	Office Name (Jurisdiction)	How to initiate a report	Contact Information	Investigation
Complaints by a student	Student Affairs	Student submits report to Office of Student Affairs. Athletics and Recreation and People and Culture may be consulted.	250-828-5023 studentaffairs@tru.ca	If in scope, report is sent to TRU Legal and, if necessary, TRU Legal obtains an investigator external to athletic department.
Complaints by an employee/contractor/volunteer	Athletics and Recreation	Employee submits report to Director, Athletics and Recreation. Report may be reviewed with Student Affairs, People and Culture, and/or Legal.	catkinson@tru.ca	If in scope, report is sent to the responsible officer and, if necessary, TRU Legal obtains an investigator external to athletic department

NOTE: League-related matters are handled by Canada West and/or U SPORTS in accordance with their applicable policies and procedures.

Canada West: https://canadawest.org/insidecw/operations
U SPORTS: https://en.usports.ca/HQ/Bylaws_Policies_Procedures