Our Policies
New Image College is certified with the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
Before you enroll at a certified private training institution, you should be aware of your rights and responsibilities.
You have the right to be treated fairly and respectfully by the institution.
You have the right to a student enrolment contract that includes the following information:
- amount of tuition and any additional fee for your program
- refund policy
- if your program includes a work experience, the requirements to participate in the work experience and the geographic area where it will be provided
- whether the program was approved by PTIB or does not require approval.
Make sure you read the contract before signing. The institution must provide you with a signed copy.
You have the right to access the institution’s dispute resolution process and to be protected against retaliation for making a complaint.
You have the right to make a claim to PTIB for a tuition refund if:
- your institution ceased to hold a certificate before you completed an approved program
- you were misled about a significant aspect of your approved program.
You must file the claim within one year of completing, being dismissed or withdrawing from your program.
For more information about PTIB and how to be an informed student, go to: https://www.privatetraininginstitutions.gov.bc.ca/students/be-an-informed-student.
Click here to download the student handbook
Intro
New Image College is committed to providing a working and learning environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, and that promotes academic achievement as well as the dignity, self-esteem, and fair treatment of all participants in its activities. Sexual Violence and Misconduct undermines these goals, violates individuals’ rights, personal dignity, and integrity. If you have been affected by sexual violence or know someone who does, we can offer you support, information, and resources.
What should I do it I have been a victim of Sexual Violence and Misconduct?
1. Seek medical assistance: you can receive medical attention at a nearby hospital. If possible, do not change your clothes, bathe, or brush your teeth until the evidence has been collected. A comprehensive medical evaluation will include the gathering of evidence, a physical examination, and treatment. Please keep in mind that you will have the option to opt-out at any time during the medical evaluation.
2. Connect with counselling services and other supports: New Image College offers free counselling and there are a variety of community-based organizations and service providers that are also available as resources.
3. Report the incident: It can be difficult to disclose and report sexual violence incidents. It is entirely up to you as a survivor/victim to report the incident. Your decision will be backed up.
How can I get support?
It is not your fault if you have been subjected to sexual violence. We are available to connect you to valuable services, assist you in determining and considering options, or simply listen. We will be there for you no matter what you decide.
Note: New Image College recognizes that people’s experiences will be influenced by factors such as their sex, sexual identity, gender identity or expression, racialization, age, family status, religion, faith, ability, disability, national or ethnic origin, Indigeneity, immigration status, socio-economic status, class, and language, which may intersect and overlap.
How and where can I report an incident of Sexual Violence and Misconduct?
First, know that you have the choice to decide if you want to report or not. You can opt for:
- Disclose what happened to you. Disclosure means that you want to share information about what happened with you with another person or/and
- File a Complaint. A Complaint is a written statement about the sexual assault that may lead to an investigation.
You can disclose an incident without filing a report and still receive assistance from New Image College.
If you would like to access our complimentary counselling services, please connect with the front desk to assist in booking an appointment for you.
If you wish to file a Complaint to New Image College, you will need to fill out the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Complaint Form and submit it to the Senior Administrative Officer or a Senior Academic Officer.
If you want to file a police report, you must contact the police detachment in the community where the assault occurred.
If you are 19 or older and a victim of a sexual offence in British Columbia, you may be able to report the crime to the police through a third party using the Third-Party Reporting process. By contacting a designated community-based victim service in your area, you can report the crime anonymously. This procedure’s details can be found here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/reporting-a-crime/victim-or-witness-to-crime/third-party-reporting-for-victims-of-sexual-offences
Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy
Click here to download the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy
What is Sexual Misconduct?
Sexual Misconduct includes sexualized violence and refers to any sexual act or act targeting an individual’s sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological, that is committed, threatened, or attempted against an individual without that individual’s consent. The following list sets out examples of Sexual Misconduct. The list is not exhaustive and other acts may constitute Sexual Violence and Misconduct even if they do not appear in the list below:
- sexual assault, which is any form of sexual touching or the threat, express or implied, of sexual touching without the individual’s consent.
- sexual harassment, which is unwelcome conduct, by comment or gesture, of a sexual nature that detrimentally affects the working, learning, or living environment, or leads to adverse consequences for the individual directly subjected to the harassment.
- stalking and cyberstalking (stalking using the internet or other electronic means), which is engaging in unwelcome conduct expressed or implied, that causes an individual to fear for their physical or psychological safety, and includes repeatedly following the individual, repeatedly communicating with the individual through any means, engaging in threatening conduct, or keeping watch over the place where the individual happens to be.
- indecent exposure which is exposing one’s body to another individual either physically or electronically, or through any other means, for a sexual purpose without the individual’s consent, or coercing another individual to remove their clothing to expose their
- voyeurism, which is non-consensual viewing, photographing, or otherwise recording another individual in a location where there is an expectation of privacy and where the viewing, photographing, or recording is done for a sexual purpose; and
- the distribution of a sexually-explicit photograph or recording of an individual to one or more individuals other than the individual in the photograph or recording without the consent of the individual in the photograph or recording.
Myths and Misconceptions
Myth: It wasn’t rape, so it wasn’t sexual violence.
Fact: Sexual violence refers to a wide range of unwanted sexual behaviour. Sexual violence is defined as any unwanted sexual contact. Many forms of sexual violence, such as stalking or the distribution of intimate visual recordings, do not involve physical contact. All of these actions are serious and potentially harmful.
Myth: Sexual violence can’t happen to me or anyone I know.
Fact: Sexual violence can and does happen to anyone, but women and girls are the victims of the vast majority of sexual assaults. Young women, Aboriginal women, and women with disabilities are more likely to be victims of sexual violence.
Myth: Sexual violence is most often committed by strangers.
Fact: Approximately 75% of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the survivor/victim, including acquaintances, dating partners, common-law or married partners.
Myth: Sexual violence is most likely to happen outside in dark, dangerous places.
Fact: The majority of sexual violence incidents occur in private settings such as a residence or private home.
Myth: If an individual doesn’t report to the police, it wasn’t sexual violence.
Fact: The fact that a survivor/victim does not report the violence does not mean that it did not occur. Only about one out of every ten survivors/victims report the crime to the police.
Myth: It’s not a big deal to have sex with someone while they are drunk, stoned or passed out. Fact: A person cannot legally give consent if they are unconscious or incapable of consenting due to the use of alcohol or drugs. Sexual assault occurs when there is no consent.
Myth: If the person chose to drink or use drugs, then it isn’t considered sexual violence.
Fact: No one can consent while intoxicated or incapacitated.
Myth: If the survivor/victim didn’t scream or fight back, it probably wasn’t sexual violence.
Fact: When a person is sexually assaulted, he or she may become paralyzed with fear and unable to fight back. The individual may be afraid that if they resist, the perpetrator will become more violent.
Myth: If you didn’t say no, it must be your fault.
Fact: People who commit sexual violence are seeking power and control over their victims. They want to make saying no extremely difficult, if not impossible, for their victim. A person does not need to say the word “no” to express that they do not wish to participate. The goal of consent is to hear an unforced, uncoerced “yes.”
Myth: If someone doesn’t have obvious physical injuries, like cuts or bruises, they probably were not sexually assaulted.
Fact: A person’s lack of physical injury does not imply that they were not sexually assaulted. Threats, weapons, or other forms of coercion that do not leave physical marks may be used by an offender. The individual could have been unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.
Myth: If it really happened, the survivor/victim would be able to easily recount all the facts in the proper order.
Fact: Memory can be hampered by shock, fear, embarrassment, and distress. As a way of coping with trauma, many survivors attempt to minimize or forget details of the violence. When alcohol and/or drugs are involved, memory loss is common.
Myth: Individuals lie and make up stories about being sexually assaulted; and most reports of sexual violence turn out to be false.
Fact: According to Statistics Canada, fewer than one in every ten victims of sexual assault reports the crime to the police. Only about 2% of all sexual assault reports are false. Because sexual violence is so stigmatised, many people prefer not to report it.
Myth: A spouse or significant other cannot sexually assault their partner.
Fact: Sexual violence occurs whenever there is no consent for any kind of sexual activity.
Myth: People who are sexually assaulted “ask for it” by their provocative behaviour or dress.
Fact: Sexual violence is always wrong, regardless of how one dresses, how much alcohol or drugs one consumes, what the survivor’s relationship is with the perpetrator, or what the survivor’s occupation is.
Off campus support
Community-based victim services programs: https://endingviolence.org/need-help/services/
Family Services of Greater Vancouver – VISAC
Victim Support Services – VISAC
Vancouver
(604)874-2938
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Domestic Violence Unit – DVU
Vancouver
(604)717-2653
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Community-Based Victim Service Program
New Westminster
(604)525-9144
Vancouver & Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society
Specialized Victim Assistance Program
Burnaby
(604)436-1025
MOSAIC
Multicultural Victim Services Program
Vancouver
(604)254-9626
Women Against Violence Against Women Rape Crisis Centre (WAVAW/RCC)
Specialized Victim Services
Vancouver
(604) 255-6344
(877) 392-7583
Battered Women’s Support Services
Specialized Victim Services
Vancouver
(604) 687-1868
Hollyburn Family Services Society
Family & Relationship Violence Victim Support Services
North Vancouver
(778)855-4566
BC211
VictimLink BC
Vancouver
(800)563-0808
Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
Specialized Victim Assistance Program
Vancouver
(604)681-8480
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Community Based Victim Services
Richmond
(604)279-7100
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
Family Violence Program (DVU)
Richmond
(604)207-4766
Cameray Centre
Specialized Victim Assistance Program
Burnaby
(604) 436-1990
On campus support
Students and alumni can avail themselves of on-campus confidential counseling courtesy of New Image College. Our counselor, Bill Dyck, is a registered clinical counselor who has over 45 years of experience in the field and is known for being skilled and easy to talk to. To book this complimentary service, please contact the Granville Campus Front Desk.
How can I give support to someone I know has been a victim?
- All members of the New Image College community have the right to study, learn, and work in a sexually violence-free environment. A person may choose to disclose an act of sexual violence to someone they know and/or trust which may include their classmates. When seeking support and/or academic guidance, students who have experienced sexual violence are not uncommon to disclose their experiences to employees or instructors. When someone chooses to disclose sexual violence, a supportive response includes the following:
- Listen and believe in them.
- Empathize by recognizing that everyone reacts differently to trauma and that everyone’s healing path is unique.
- Respect their boundaries. Do not enquire or press for more information.
- Remind them it is not their fault.
- Maintain confidentiality and ascertain that they understand how and when you will share the information, they have given you.
- Encourage them to seek safety and support. Have in mind that reporting to the police is not everyone’s idea of justice.
- Refer them to the nearest hospital immediately if they have been drugged, choked, strangled, or have difficulty breathing, swallowing, or speaking. If the person has been assaulted within the last 7 days, the hospital has a special team of nurses and/or doctors who can assist. Even if there are no visible signs of injury, they may require medical attention. The closest hospitals to our campuses are:
- St. Paul’s Hospital
1081 Burrard St
Open 24 hours · (604) 806-9090
Emergency department: Open 24 hours
- Mount Saint Joseph Hospital
3080 Prince Edward St
Open ⋅ Closes 8 p.m. · (604) 874-1141
Emergency department: Open ⋅ Closes 8 p.m.
- Vancouver General Hospital
Jim Pattison Pavilion, 899 W 12th Ave
Open 24 hours · (604) 875-4111
Emergency department: Open 24 hours
- St. Paul’s Hospital
- Refer them to the Student Services Department or to onsite Counselling Services. They can help by arranging academic concessions and explaining reporting options.
- Refer them to Community-based victim services programs. They can help by accompany people to the hospital, police or court., helping find a safe place to stay, coordinating workplace accommodation, etc.
- Help them understand how to file a complaint.
Let’s talk about Consent!
New Image College is also raising awareness and encouraging dialogue on campus about the issue of consent.
What is consent?
Consent is an agreement made by two people if they want to engage in sexual activity. Consent means that you willingly give permission for something to happen through your words. Your permission to engage in sexual activity must be freely given. You must be able to choose freely between two options: YES or NO.
So, consent is a resounding, enthusiastic YES! And also…
- Consent is never assumed.
- Consent cannot be given on behalf of another person.
- Consent is not implied or given by the absence of “no”.
- Consent is not implied or given by silence.
- Consent cannot be given if the individual is incapacitated by alcohol or drugs or is unconscious.
- Consent can never be obtained through threats or coercion.
- Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
- Consent cannot be obtained if a party induces another to engage in sexual activity by abusing a position of trust, power, or authority.
- Consent is given for one kind or instance of sexual activity does not mean that consent is given for any other sexual activity or instance.
- Consent cannot be expressed by the words or conduct of a third party.
Consent facts
A person did not consent if:
- They were afraid to fight back or frozen with fear.
Why? - A person who has been threatened or coerced (i.e., is not agreeing voluntarily) into engaging in sexual activity is not consenting to it.
A person did not consent if:
- They held hands, kissed, or fondled other. They did not necessarily consent to sexual intercourse with someone because they did these other actions.
Why? - A consent to one sexual act does not constitute or imply consent to a different sexual act.
A person did not consent if:
- They were asleep, unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate.
- They were incapacitated by the use alcohol and/or drugs.
- They have a mental disability preventing them from fully understanding the sexual acts.
Why? - Consent constitutes is a CLEAR yes!
A person did not consent if:
- Consent was given in the past to a sexual or dating relationship
Why? - Giving a prior consent does not mean that consent is deemed to exist for all future sexual activity.
- A person can withdraw consent at any time during a sexual encounter.
Please watch the following video for a very clear explanation regarding consent and its facts!
This policy governs complaints from students respecting New Image College and any aspect of its operations. Please note the following:
- A student who makes or is otherwise involved in a complaint will not be subject to any form of retaliation by the institution at any time.
- Student complaints must be made in writing via the Student Complaint Form.
- The student making the complaint may be represented by an agent or a lawyer.
- The student making the complaint may have assistance available as requested or as recommended by the Senior Academic Officer or Vice-President to assist with comprehending processes and discussions. Assistance may include but is not limited to interpreters, cultural advisers, and translators.
- The complaint process will be confidential for all parties; however, anonymity cannot be guaranteed. Information will be shared and protected in compliance with the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.
- Except in cases where the Senior Academic Officer and/or management determine there may be a risk to safety or other disruptions that may occur in the teaching and learning environment, a student will be expected to 58 continue with their courses, work experience, or other related educational activities pending the outcome of the complaint process.
- The student may withdraw the complaint at any time. In such cases, the matter will be deemed resolved, and further complaints on the same case will not be considered, except in extenuating circumstances.
- When students have a disagreement, New Image College encourages them to resolve their differences on their own first. If it is safe to do so, the student should first approach the student with whom they disagree in person to try to resolve the issue. If a student wishes to file a complaint, he or she must do so in writing via the Student Complaint Form. ● When a student has a disagreement with a New Image College representative, the student must file a written complaint via the Student Complaint Form. The Student Complaint Form should be directed to the respective Senior Academic Officer. If the Senior Academic Officer is absent or named in the complaint, please forward your written complaint to the Vice-President, John Craig ([email protected]).
Procedure
Step 1
The Senior Academic Officer or Vice-President will facilitate the discussions and will ensure the respondent is aware of the allegations. A meeting may be scheduled to give each student a voice. At that time, students should provide any documentation that was exchanged before the meeting and the official written complaint. New Image College will address both parties. Each student can bring a support person unrelated to the program (i.e., not a fellow student). This meeting should happen within 15 (fifteen) days from the time the written complaint gets to the Senior Academic Officer or Vice-President. Following the meeting with the students, the Senior Academic Officer or Vice-President will conduct whatever inquiries and/or investigations are necessary and appropriate to determine whether the student’s concerns are substantiated in whole or in part. Those inquiries may involve further discussion(s) with the student either individually or with appropriate (institution’s) personnel, family members, instructors and student body, and various peers.
Step 2
New Image College will provide the reasons for the determination and the reconsideration (if any) to the student no later than 15 (fifteen) days following the meeting. The Senior Academic Officer or Vice-President will do one of the following, then refer to the Disciplinary Action Policy:
- Determine that the student’s concerns are not substantiated; or:
- Determine that the student’s concerns are substantiated in whole or in part.
- Determine that the student’s concerns are frivolous and vexatious.
The student and the institution’s personnel involved shall receive a written summary of one of the above determinations. A copy of the summary shall be given to the students or their representative, and a copy will be placed in the student file. If the student is dissatisfied with the determination and has been misled by the institution regarding any significant aspect of that program, the student may file a complaint with the Private Training Institutions Branch. Complaints must be filed with PTIB within one year of the date a student completes, is dismissed from, or withdraws from the program.
Dispute Resolution Form
View page 59 of the Student Handbook.
