College Policies and Regulations

The pursuit of knowledge, for teaching and for its own sake, is the foundation of any academic institution. As such, regular members of Columbia College, faculty, students, and others invited to be part of the academic life of the College through scheduled discussions, guest lectures, conferences, and the like, are extended the privilege of academic freedom. This means that members of the College and those invited to participate in academic endeavors at the College are free, within the limits of Canadian law, to engage in scholarly inquiry as they choose. They are completely entitled to consider and discuss any opinion unhindered by non-academic and/or external constraints. Officers of the College shall not act in any way to suppress this right. Furthermore, the College shall act to protect the right of free inquiry and exchange of ideas from suppression by any individuals or institutions outside of the College. Every member of Columbia College must recognize, respect, and share in the responsibility of preserving and promoting academic freedom. The College cannot tolerate any action that would restrict free discussion of any idea, for this would undermine the intellectual integrity of our institution.

The Columbia College Code of Ethics is a statement of our fundamental principles of fair and honest business practice. The Code guides the College’s behaviour in all dealings with all stakeholders, including employees, students, governmental agencies and business and professional clients.

Columbia College will conduct all its business in good faith, abiding by Canadian law and adhering to the principles of human rights and privacy protection. Columbia College will not discriminate by age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or political opinion.

Columbia College will act with honesty, impartiality, and transparency in all its dealings with employees, students, and other stakeholders.

Columbia College will promote academic freedom and a working environment that encourages unfettered intellectual inquiry. The College insists on academic integrity and will treat all cases of academic dishonesty as grave offences.

All employees of the College will be required to avoid any conflict of interest, real or apparent, that might impugn the integrity, independence, or impartiality of the institution. Employees are required to disclose to the College any financial or other interest they may have in any business or educational partner of Columbia College.

The highest ethical standards are demanded of members of the Administration, Student Services, Board of Governors, Academic Board, Finance Committee, Recruitment Committee, and any other Committee of the College. Such officers and employees of the College are required to treat the information they deal with in the course of their duties with the utmost confidentiality.

In matters involving the recruitment of international students Columbia College expects its Education Agents and Consultants to abide by the principles of the “London Statement”, meaning that Agents and Consultants will:

• practice responsible business ethics.
• provide current, accurate and honest information in an ethical manner.
• develop transparent business relationships with students and providers through the use of written agreements. d) protect the interests of minors.
• provide current and up-to-date information that enables international students to make informed choices when selecting which agent or consultant to employ.
• act professionally.
• work with destination countries and providers to raise ethical standards and best practice.

Columbia College’s Mission is to prepare international and Canadian students for admission to a university by providing quality academic programs in a supportive learning environment. Students attend Columbia College with the aim of developing individual potential and acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous, sustainable economy. Other students will not be permitted to impede any student’s participation in school, their mastery of learning outcomes or their ability to become contributing members of society.

Residents of British Columbia are protected under the BC Human Rights Code against discrimination based on race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, gender identity and expression, sex, sexual orientation, or age. As an international college Columbia College firmly believes in multiculturalism and fully supports the BC Multiculturalism Act; the purposes of this Act include:

to recognize that the diversity of British Columbians as regards race, cultural heritage, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, and place of origin is a fundamental characteristic of the society of British Columbia that enriches the lives of all British Columbians to encourage respect for the multicultural heritage of British Columbia to promote racial harmony, cross-cultural understanding and respect the development of a community that is united and at peace with itself.

Columbia College is committed to providing an environment that supports student achievement by addressing safety issues that can become barriers to optimal learning, and to ensure that no member of the College community suffers from illegal discrimination, bullying, harassment, or intimidation. The College will do so by providing an orderly school, a school in which people are polite and courteous to each other.

All members of the College community will:

conduct themselves in an orderly, respectful, and courteous manner at all times while at the College or while participating in any College function on or off campus and:

• endeavour to treat other members of the community with respect and dignity, in the same way they themselves would like to be treated.
• respect and promote the physical safety and well-being of others.
• respect the property of the College and that of other members of the College, making every effort to keep the school building clean, tidy and safe.
• participate in creating a safe, positive environment.
• inform a member of the College Administration of any instances of bullying, harassment, or intimidation.
• honour the Columbia College Code of Classroom Conduct when in class.
• refrain from inappropriate and/or disruptive behaviour.
• refrain from any act of academic dishonesty. The College has policies on “Plagiarism and Other Forms of Cheating” – these are summarized in the College Calendar.
• accept responsibility for their own actions.

The Schools Act requires that all students comply with the Code of Conduct and other rules and policies authorized by the School Board.

At Columbia College, we believe that a kind, respectful, and well-structured campus environment is essential to learning, personal growth and the well-being of all members of our community. Clear expectations and shared responsibility help ensure that everyone can feel safe, supported and able to thrive.

When a member of the College community does not meet the expectations outlined in the College Code of Conduct, the College may take disciplinary action. Any such action is intended to be preventative and restorative whenever possible, rather than solely punitive, while giving primary consideration to the collective benefit of the College community. Disciplinary measures are generally progressive, with more serious action taken in cases of repeated or significant violations of the Code of Conduct. Depending on the nature and severity of the infraction, whether the behavior reflects a pattern, and any mitigating circumstances, measures may include verbal warnings, suspension, or, in rare cases, expulsion from the College. Parents or guardians of students under the age of 19 who are enrolled in Foundation Programs will be notified of any disciplinary action taken.

Columbia College recognizes that members of the College are sometimes reluctant to report instances of bullying, harassment, intimidation, and so on, often because they fear retaliation. However, the College is often unable to take appropriate action without such information, and College members should view it as their duty to report all breaches of the Code of Conduct. The College will treat information received as confidential and take reasonable steps to protect the sources of such information.

The College will maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any act of retaliation or retribution that results from a College member carrying out their duty as outlined above.

Teachers, administrators, and other school staff must be approachable. Students need to understand that they are expected to inform a member of staff promptly if they observe inappropriate behaviour of any sort, and that they should feel secure from retribution when they do so.

The overarching aim of the Harassment and Discrimination policy is to protect staff and students’ physical safety, social connectedness, inclusiveness and protection from all forms of bullying, regardless of their gender, race, culture, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Columbia College is committed to providing a safe, caring, respectful and orderly learning and working environment that is free of any form of discrimination, harassment, and bullying. The policy has been implemented to protect all members of the Columbia College community.

Members of the Columbia College community are expected to adhere to the behavioral expectations outlined in the Columbia College Code of Conduct (Columbia College Calendar, Code of Conduct) or on the College website.

Any unacceptable behavior such as any form of bullying, harassment, hate speech, intimidation, threatening or violent actions while at the College or while participating in any College function on or off campus will be subject to a disciplinary action (Columbia College Calendar, Disciplinary Actions), which may take the form of a verbal warning, a written warning, a temporary suspension, or expulsion from the College, depending on the seriousness of the infraction.

The College will treat all personal information received as confidential and take all reasonable steps to protect the sources of such information and to prevent retaliation against the person or people who have made a complaint regarding a breach of the Policy.

To achieve these goals, Columbia College will

• Promote inclusiveness and acceptance
• Communicate expectations, values, and norms that support positive personal, social, and academic behavior
• Connect with individuals who are experiencing negative personal, social, and/or academic issues
• Engage members of the Columbia College community in the process of establishing policies and activities that serve to prevent the occurrence of discriminatory behavior and that promote a safe and positive learning and working environment for all.

Members of the College who feel they may have been harassed should consult the College’s Harassment Officer, the
Director of Student Services, for confidential advice and information.

In keeping with the recommendations made to educational institutions by the BC Government, Columbia College has developed a detailed Policy to deal with allegations of sexual violence and misconduct. The purpose of the Policy is to ensure that every member of its community can study and work in a safe and respectful environment, free from violence and misconduct of any kind.

The Policy applies to all members of the Columbia College community. Any member of the College community who experiences or witnesses sexual violence or misconduct is encouraged to report the incident immediately to a Sexual Violence and Misconduct Response Advisor or Counsellor in the College’s Student Services Area (2nd floor, 438 Terminal Avenue).

The Policy and Protocols are available on the College’s website. College Counsellors may be consulted for advice and information.

Columbia College complies with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). When a student registers at Columbia College, information such as name, address, e-mail address, date of birth, educational history, etc., is collected in order to provide services to the student.

Columbia College will only collect, use and disclose personal information in an appropriate manner. The College may on occasion disclose personal information to government agencies (such as IRCC and CBSA) and organizations working on behalf of the College; this will only be done on a need-to-know basis. Columbia College will take all reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access, use, and alteration of personally identifying information.

When passing personally identifying information to a third party, the College will ensure that adequate protection of the information is applied by the recipient. The policy can be found on the College website.