UW's ethics committee has a new chair, and is
launching a new effort to make sure that people on campus
know what it does.
     Harassment (and not just sexual harassment), abuse of
one's authority, other inappropriate behaviour - all are
matters that can be brought to the ethics committee, the
six-member group explains in statements issued recently.
     It consists of two staff members, two students and two
faculty members, one of whom is the new chair.
     She is Dr. Nancy Theberge of UW's department of
kinesiology. A faculty member since 1976, Theberge is a
sociologist whose research deals with such topics as women
in amateur sport and "the social construction of gender".
     She takes over as committee chair from Sally Gunz of
the school of accountancy.
     The ethics committee is most famous on campus for its
role in advising the provost about whether sex-oriented
computer newsgroups put the university at legal risk, but
that's only a small and incidental part of its work.
     It was created in 1982 with the writing of UW Policy
33, "Ethical Behaviour". Its chief task is "to deal with
specific complaints arising" about violations of the
principles in that policy.
     Policy 33 lists five main principles: equality and
respect, academic freedom, lack of interference with
others, equal access to services and facilities, and no
abuse of authority. The policy goes into more detail about
three specific kinds of violation - sexual harassment,
discrimination, and abuse of supervisory authority.
     "For example," says Theberge, "a student may feel that
an instructor has used inappropriate language during a
lecture, a graduate student may believe a professor has
abused supervisory powers, a staff member may feel a co-
worker has harassed her or him, or a faculty member may
allege that a colleague has spread false rumours."
     Members of the ethics committee can help deal with
such complaints, by working informally with the com
plainant. Some cases can eventually go to a more formal
procedure that involves hearings and leads to recommenda
tions for discipline or other ways of settling a problem.
     Says Theberge: "Any member of the UW community -
faculty, staff or student - who believes that principles
expressed in Policy 33 have been violated is encouraged to
consult, one-on-one, informally and in confidence," with a
member of the ethics committee.
     Informal consultation of that kind is the first step,
under Policy 33, in getting a problem settled. Formal
complaints and hearings can follow later if a matter isn't
settled informally.
     "As noted in the Policy," she says, everyone "has a
right to institute and participate in proceedings under
Policy 33 without reprisal or threat of reprisal."
     The full text of Policy 33 can be found on UWinfo
(under Documents, then Policies).
     "Most of the time we operate informally and in
confidence," Theberge repeats. "Anyone with a concern may
discuss it with a committee member. Often, just talking
through the issue resolves the concern.
     "Sometimes, the member may consult another person in
confidence to help solve a problem. Other times, mediation
is the end result. But flexibility is the key, and the com
plainant determines how far the issue should be taken.É
     "A committee member will not be your advocate, and
will only recommend an action which is in your best
interest."
     If an issue does get to the stage of formal hearings,
three of the six committee members will hear a complaint,
under the rules of "natural justice". Eventually a
recommendation is made to the provost, who may or may not
accept it.
     "Our formal role represents a relatively small
proportion of our case load," the committee chair says.
     There are other ways of tackling problems on campus,
the ethics committee notes in a statement:
     "The University of Waterloo has a 'multiple entry'
modelÉ  meaning that at the 'informal' level, there are
many on-campus services/facilities to which faculty, staff
and students can turn to for help in resolving difficulties
which arise between/among people who work and study here."
     In addition to individual members of the Ethics
Committee, these includeÉ
     ù the Co-ordinator, Ethical Behaviour & Human Rights
(in the current structure, that office - Math & Computer
4049, ext. 3765 - serves as the focal point and primary
resource to all members of the UW community);
     ù counselling services (which houses a sexual
harassment Counsellor for students);
     ù the Federation of Students ombudsperson and the Feds'
Gender Issues Board;
     ù the Faculty and Staff Associations;
     ù co-op education Harassment Advisors;
     ù undergraduate and graduate associate deans in each
Faculty;
     ù the co-ordinator for persons with disabilities
     "Also," says the statement, "Counselling Services,
Health & Safety, and the UW Police all attempt to provide
comfort and support for people in distress.
     "It should also be noted that the institution has a
legal responsibility to take action in cases of harassment
and discrimination, and some cases (e.g., assault,
stalking) may require involving the UW Police or the
Waterloo Regional Police."
     UW has a "conflict resolution group" of people trained
to help settle conflicts at an early stage, and a
"resolution support program" is coming soon, the committee
says. The office of ethical behaviour and human rights can
provide information about both.
     
     Members of the ethics committee:
     Dr. Nancy Theberge, kinesiology (faculty), ext. 3534,
theberge@healthy
     Dr. Bill Lennox, civil engineering (faculty), ext.
6959, wclennox@civoffice.watstar
     Tim Blair, Federation of Students (undergraduate
student), ext. 4042, tblair@feds
     Lanre Oriowo, optometry (graduate student), ext. 3822,
loriowo@sciborg
     Debbie Dietrich, philosophy (staff), ext. 2245,
ddietric@watarts
     Dr. Susan Sykes, research office (staff), ext. 6005,
ssykes@mc1adm