Resources on Campus

Centre for Growth and Harmony

The Centre for Growth & Harmony provides holistic student-centered care within an inclusive, respectful, and private environment. The Wellness Team is a multidisciplinary team of registered psychologists, registered social workers, nurses, wellness coordinator, and a gender-based violence specialist who work in collaboration to serve the needs of our learners. Our mandate includes advocacy, intermediation, and supporting students in navigating systems within the institution and the larger community. This includes support in talking about incidents of racism and discrimination, making decisions around reporting, and being an ally regardless of what route they choose to take.

Supports for staff

  • Services are student facing, however staff consultations are available for employees supporting learners with their mental health/ wellness who may have questions or concerns.

Supports for students

Any current NorQuest student can access the services at the Centre for Growth & Harmony.

  • Appointments and drop-in sessions with counsellors and social workers can take place face-to-face, or via video/phone call.
  • In addition to individual supports, students can access a range of online wellness workshops designed to introduce a number of topics to learners, and to provide appropriate coping skills and resources relevant to each topic.
  • One particular resource was developed around discrimination, including a module exploring racism. This workshop can be found here.

Indigenous Student Services and Relation

At NorQuest College, we believe in fostering an environment and culture that builds on diversity and creates an inclusive anti-racist safe place. The Indigenous Student Centre connects self-declared Indigenous students with social and cultural opportunities and many opportunities, where appropriate this is also available for non-Indigenous students and staff.

Supports for staff

  • Cultural Advising on a personal or professional level.
  • Guiding through TRC and Calls to Actions within the classroom and spaces on campus.
  • Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Cultural Advisors availability, Smudging is available to employees who would like to smudge on campus.
  • Employees can utilize the ISC to seek advice for offsite cultural immersion opportunities.

Supports for students

  • An Indigenous Student Advisor in Indigenous Student Centre can help students navigate their academic journey with a holistic approach, including academic, cultural, social, and physical considerations.
  • The Indigenous Student Centre also provides informed assistance for matters that relate specifically to Indigenous students, including Third Party Sponsorship, bursaries and grants and admissions pathways.
  • RBC mentorship program supports Indigenous learners gather for social and cultural immersion.

Office of Equity

The Office of Equity focuses on college strategy, policies and procedures, developing and implementing commitments to make NorQuest an equitable and anti-racist organization.

Support for staff

  • Support with complaints and disclosures.
  • Support to help develop, and sometimes carry out anti racism, EDI, and decolonial Indigenization training.
  • Support for review of documents, statements and strategies.

Support for students

  • Support with the process of filing complaints and disclosures.

Office of Safe Disclosure

The Office of Safe Disclosure is a new addition to NorQuest College, providing a safe space to hear NorQuest community members’ equity, human rights, discrimination concerns and other reports of wrongdoings or improper activity. All learners, employees and other members of the NorQuest community are welcome to access these services.

NorQuest College is committed to providing an environment that expects and promotes ethical behaviour in all aspects of college activities. This includes ensuring that employees, learners and volunteers can confidentially and without fear of retaliation, seek advice and/or disclose alleged wrongdoing or improper activity.

Supports for staff and students

  • To access the Safe Disclosure Office, staff and students are encouraged to make an appointment to meet with an Advisor by emailing disclosure@norquest.ca.

Office of Student Judicial Affairs

The Office of Student Judicial Affairs (OSJA) gives advice to students, instructors, and staff if they have problems or concerns, according to the Student Judicial Affairs Policy and Procedures.

Allegations of racism from students, staff, and faculty are taken very seriously and would generally fall under the Student Complaint and Non-Academic Misconduct procedures (see below). The OSJA attempts to employ informal conflict resolution methods to teach, resolve, and repair broken relationships. We communicate clearly to everyone involved in these concerns what constitutes racism amongst other prohibited behaviour, outline why these behaviours are unacceptable, and explain the negative impact they have on the campus community. Cases that cannot be resolved informally are addressed formally, and decisions are made in the best interest of, and to protect, the campus community.

Support for students

  • We meet with students to discuss their concerns and guide them through the steps they need to take as per our procedures.
  • When it comes to non-academic misconducts, we specifically attempt to resolve conflicts through informal conflict resolution to repair relationships.
  • If that cannot be done, we investigate and provide a decision forthe complaint.
  • We also act as a referral source depending on the students’ needs.

Supports for faculty and staff

  • We hear their concern, we discuss the steps and our procedures, we guide them through the process, and we explain what options they have.
  • In matters of student complaints, we do attempt informal conflict resolution; however, we do not investigate the student complaints that have gone to a formal level. We provide assistance on the process, and, even at the formal level, we still attempt to facilitate a resolution.
  • We also refer these students to the college supports, depending on their needs.

Procedures

Non-academic misconduct

This refers to any behaviours that risk the safety and well-being of the members of the college community.

Examples include:

  • Disruption of the learning environment (e.g., classrooms, laboratories, study areas, the library, and more)
  • Abusive or offensive language (e.g., swearing, threats), or harassment (including sexual harassment) towards others
  • Theft of or damage to college property
  • Failure to follow college policies

Student complaints procedure

Students have a right to submit a complaint against any unfair college process, administrative process or individual behaviour. Examples include:

  • If you believe you are not receiving approved accommodations
  •  If you have concerns about an instructor’s or staff member’s treatment of you
  • Students should try to resolve their concerns informally by first meeting with the individual most directly involved in the complaint, if this is possible.

People and Talent Operations (Human Resources)

People and Talent Operations govern policies to support a respectful and inclusive workplace and can support employees who believe policies have been breached, including bullying, harassment, violence and racism.

These policies and procedures include:

Supports for staff

People and Talent Operations provides support and directs NorQuesters to resources. This includes filing formal complaints regarding breaches of policies or procedures.

Complaints process

  • Any employee who would like to file a complaint regarding a breach of the Code of Conduct Policy or Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment Policy must fully complete the Policy Complaint/Safe Disclosure Report Form and the Consent Form for Disclosure of Personal Information which is attached to the Disclosure Report Form. This should then be submitted to the Vice President, People and Culture.
  • People and Talent Operations will review the complaint and complete an initial assessment to determine if an investigation is warranted.
  • Where warranted, an investigation will be initiated. If the evidence does not substantiate a potential breach of policy, then People and Talent Operations support the affected employee through an informal resolution path.

Employee assistance program