Message from the Dean

Students, trainees, faculty and staff,

Yesterday evening, I and other members of our CSM leadership community received a letter and attached statement entitled “Trainee and Staff Joint Statement on Harassment and Discrimination within the CSM”. This letter referenced a specific situation and made a broader point about the importance of safe and equitable treatment of all students and trainees.

Let me first state that the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) forcefully condemns bullying, racism, homophobia and all other forms of harassment. The psychological and physical safety of our students, staff and visitors is of paramount importance and is a non-negotiable requirement for participation in our community. For those of you who know me, you will also recognize that this is something I take seriously and very personally.

Privacy considerations preclude me from talking about specific cases of harassment or specific actions taken by any party within those cases. However, when harassing behaviour is brought to our attention, we work with internal and external stakeholders – as well as the individual who is the victim of such conduct – to resolve the matter. While each case is different, this process includes law enforcement agencies such as the Calgary Police Service.

There are a number of matters brought up of a general nature in the letter that deserve a specific response from me:

• Developing a procedure for reporting and responding to cases of harassment and discrimination.
  While the University of Calgary and CSM have procedures for reporting and responding to cases of harassment and discrimination, it is important that these policies and processes be regularly reviewed to both ensure effectiveness and to adapt them in light of evolving best practices. We will work with the University of Calgary administration and HBI to determine if there are any gaps in institutional policies, and what needs to be done to close those gaps, beginning no later than April 30, 2022.
   
• Assess and update the current Harassment and Violence Awareness Training Program for effectiveness.
  As with the procedures and policies, it is important that this training be regularly assessed for effectiveness and relevance and updated as necessary. CSM will be undertaking an assessment of the current training program’s resources and gaps, beginning no later than April 30, 2022.
   
• Install security cameras on the second floor of the HBI at the Health Sciences Centre and have personnel-specific secure entry to the same.
  CSM will review these measures with stakeholders with an eye to determining feasibility no later than April 30, 2022 and making security improvements no later than June 30, 2022.

We will also continue to review and enhance our wellness and other supports and address the root causes, forcefully making clear that harassment has no place in our community.

Thank you for everything you do to keep your community safe, and to hold us all to account for the values we espouse.

Jon Meddings
Dean, Cumming School of Medicine