UPEI releases timeline for action plan designed after critical report

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) has released part of the timeline for how it will implement an action plan meant to foster safety and inclusion on campus over the next five years.

The university released the “UPEI Implementation Plan: Building a Culture of Trust, Safety and Inclusion” last Friday following the publication of their action plan in March. The draft of the plan came out in January after two town hall meetings and input from more than 350 campus members.

“The Board of Governors and the senior leadership remain committed to the University’s values, to the full implementation and accountability of the Action Plan, and to the overall goal of achieving a culture of trust, safety, and inclusion,” said Shannon MacDonald, chair of the Board of Governors, and Wendy Rodgers, president, in a co-signed letter. “It is time to walk the talk of equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization and decolonization. It is time to walk the talk of creating a supportive and thriving culture at UPEI.”

The action and implementation plans arose from the Rubin Thomlinson Report released last summer, which found the school had a toxic culture of bullying, harassment, and racism. Premier Dennis King said he was “sickened” to read the report at the time.

"If my son asked me today, 'Would UPEI be somewhere I should be considering?' It would be hard for me to recommend that," he said in June 2023. "I take that very seriously."

The Implementation Plan says it has different goals for each of its five years, which includes a Year Zero for 2023-2024. The plan will be audited every year starting in spring 2025 to measure its effectiveness and level of success.

Some of the goals for the first two years include:

Year Zero (May 2023-April 2024)

• apologize for past harms
• provide additional supports to the campus community
• create a Board of Governors Campus Culture Oversight committee
• provide information on board and senate meetings

Year One (May 2024-April 2025)

• implement mandatory sexual violence training for all campus members
• create a non-disclosure agreement policy and report any related terminations or resignations to the Board of Governors
• finalize revisions to the UPEI sexual violence policy to ensure it is trauma-informed and procedurally fair
• collect statistical information on sexual violence disclosures
• create an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights department
• hire additional security attendants and implement annual staff training that includes sexual violence and equity, diversity and inclusion

“We are sobered by the events that led us to the UPEI Review and the Action Plan and are committed and excited to engage in the many activities that will make UPEI stronger,” the letter from MacDonald and Rodgers reads.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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