If you believe you have experienced discrimination, harassment, or bullying at BCIT, you have options about how to respond:
1. Raise concerns directly (if safe to do so)
- It isn’t necessary for you to determine if the concerning behaviour does or does not violate BCIT’s policy. As a first step, all BCIT community members should consider raising their concerns directly with the person whose behaviour, comments, or actions are concerning – if you feel safe doing so. This is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.
- The best way to approach this is by objectively describing the behaviour, comments, or action that concerned you along with the impact it had on you. Do this without making assumptions about their intent. You can find additional information about how to effectively provide this feedback on the RDI website. Often the other person will be unaware of the impact their actions or comments had on you until you tell them. Many times, this is the quickest and easiest way to address concerning behaviour.
- Even if the situation is resolved to your satisfaction, consider documenting the incident in case the issue should reoccur in the future. This can be as simple as sending yourself an emailing outlining what occurred, by whom, when, and what steps you took to address it.
Employee obligations
Employees who supervise others, including instructors, must take reasonable steps to address any harassment, bullying, or discrimination they become aware of, whether or not a formal complaint has been made. Contact the RDI department for further assistance.
2. Seeking support
If addressing the concerning behaviour directly yourself does not resolve it, or if it is not appropriate to do so you can report your concerns. Reporting means you are telling someone in authority so you can get information and advice about your options. Reporting does not automatically mean you are filing a formal complaint. You can report to the following:
3. Intervening if you witness harmful behaviour
Safety comes first. If the situation feels unsafe or is escalating, it may be better not to intervene directly and to seek help instead. If at anytime you have safety concerns while on campus contact Safety, Security, and Emergency Management (or 911 in cases of emergency).
If you witness bullying, harassment, or harmful behaviour, you don’t need to handle it perfectly to make a difference. The 4 Ds of intervention offer different ways to step in, depending on what feels safest and most appropriate for the situation. You can use one D, or a combination. The goal isn’t to confront or “win” an argument; it’s to reduce harm, support the person impacted, and help maintain a respectful environment.