Thompson Rivers University has unveiled its response to allegations on campus of wide-spread misconduct by one current and one former member of TRU’s senior leadership.

The over year-long investigation has found “wrongdoing” on behalf of one of the individuals, with the university saying it couldn’t find corroborating evidence in any of the allegations against the second person who was investigated.

The long delayed investigation began in Nov. 2021 after anonymous complainants against Vice-President of Finance and Administration, Matt Milovick, and Associate Vice-President of People and Culture, Larry Phillips, came to light in Feb. 2021.

TRU will not name who was found to have made 10 different inappropriate comments, which center around complaints by four different people.

“Seven of those allegations centered around inappropriate comments amounting to sexual harassment against women in the workplace or in social settings,” said TRU in a statement.  “One other allegation was deemed harassment targeting a particular age group, another involved a comment derogatory to Indigenous people, and another was personal harassment.”

TRU says a sub-committee of the board received the over 500-page report from two independent investigators on Dec. 21, 2022. It examined 55 allegations from eight complainants. A total of 22 were against the person who was cleared, while 33 were brought against the other.

“Altogether, 45 of the 55 allegations were not substantiated,” noted TRU in its report.

“This included four instances when investigators made no finding because the matter had been previously reviewed, the allegations (in two instances) were too general to be investigated, or the parties could not provide information to allow the allegation to be investigated.”

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NO ACTION TO BE TAKEN

Despite finding that there was “wrongdoing,” it appears the University will not be taking any further action against that person.

“There is a lot of hurt in TRU’s community right now. I think of those complainants who investigators determined suffered from improper conduct. This should not happen. On behalf of TRU, I apologize to them for what they have experienced, and I commit TRU to improve in the future,” said TRU President Brent Fairbairn.  “I want TRU to be a place that is inclusive of everyone. I am firmly committed to working towards a culture that supports individuals across the full spectrum of our workforce.”

Marilyn McLean, the chair of the board and the sub-committee, says the investigation – which cost more than $1 million – was thorough, trauma-informed, respectful of fair process, and fully met the expectations of the board’s sub-committee.

“It has taken several months — much greater time than anyone anticipated — to reach this end.  And we know it’s been extremely hard for many people, whether directly or indirectly involved,” said Marilyn McLean, the chair of the board and the sub-committee, noting the time was necessary to ensure a comprehensive result.

McLean noted that the report cannot be publicly released in its complete form because of provisions in B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

“This is not a public inquiry. These matters involve individuals and issues related to their employment. As such, the report and findings are protected. These are considered private employment matters by law and will be treated as such,” McLean said.

Nathan Matthew, TRU’s Chancellor and a member of the board’s sub-committee, agreed the investigation has fully addressed the allegations.

“I join with the board chair (Marilyn McLean) in saying that I believe these allegations have been properly investigated. The process was trauma-informed,” he said. “The complainants were given every opportunity to share their concerns.”

“Eliminating racism is a cornerstone of TRU’s commitment to reconciliation,” Matthew said. “I know Indigenous people are resilient and will carry on in our social and cultural development using education as a catalyst for positive change.”

For more on TRU’s response to the investigation, go here.

– With files from Victor Kaisar