Message from the Chair, UPEI Board of Governors: Finishing What We Started
The following message was also emailed to faculty, staff, and students on April 7, 2026.
As the Chair of the Board of Governors, I have been reflecting on what it actually takes for an institution to change in a meaningful way—not simply to acknowledge shortcomings, but to respond in a way that is visible, durable, and worthy of trust.
The Rubin Thomlinson report (UPEI Review) marked one of those moments. It asked this University to confront difficult realities and to do more than recognize them; it required us to act in ways that would lead to real and lasting improvement for those who had come forward, often at significant personal cost.
In the time that followed, I saw many people across the University engage seriously with that responsibility. The work was deliberate and, at times, difficult. Faculty, staff, students, and external advisors spent months working through what a better system should look like, not in theory but in practice. There were differences of view, as there should be especially in an academic institution, but there was also a shared understanding that the outcome mattered.
One of the most important results of that effort was the development of a new Harassment and Discrimination Policy, along with a companion Sexual Violence Policy. These were not rushed documents or symbolic gestures; they were built carefully, through sustained engagement and revision. They are clearer, more coherent, and more responsive than what came before, and they reflect both current legal standards and what members of this community have said they need in order to have confidence in the system.
That work is now complete, and there is no meaningful dispute about the substance of these policies. Concerns were raised, revisions were made, and what remains is a framework that reflects a serious and collaborative process.
Under ordinary circumstances, that would be the point at which implementation follows. This would be the point where we could, after years of diligence, truly address a fundamental weakness in our foundational policies.
In this case, however, it has not reached that point, yet.
The consequences are not abstract. For the women who came forward more than a decade ago and those who came forward in the Rubin Thomlinson review process, these policies were part of a commitment to them—that their experiences would lead to change, and that the institution would take what they shared seriously enough to improve its systems. I know we honour that commitment and I know that we are very serious about improving systems, but I fear our shared demonstration of this commitment is not coming through in the way I would like to see it.
For students, and for others who may need to rely on these policies in the future, what matters is whether those systems are clear, accessible, and capable of being trusted when they are needed. The policies need to be there and ready for use. We are beyond overdue for providing that security to our community.
A policy that cannot be put into practice cannot meet that expectation for our community.
Over the past several years, the University has made genuine and tangible efforts to move forward. Governance has been strengthened, processes have been refined, and there has been a clear attempt—imperfect but real—to align institutional action with institutional commitments. That kind of work requires consistency, discipline, and, at times, restraint.
It also requires follow-through. What is difficult to reconcile in this moment is not the presence of disagreement, but the fact that something built through such a careful and collaborative process can remain stalled even after the substance has been settled. At a certain point, the continued delay becomes less about the complexity of process and more about what we are prepared to prioritize.
Universities inevitably operate at the intersection of competing interests and perspectives, and that tension is part of their strength. But not every issue can be treated as a question of balance in the same way. Policies that govern how an institution responds to harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence are foundational; they are part of the conditions under which people are asked to study, work, and participate in the life of the University.
My hope is that the University community will choose together to complete what it has started, not because it is convenient, but because it is necessary—it is owed. The work that followed the Rubin Thomlinson report was never intended to end with the drafting of policies; it was intended to result in systems that people could rely on in practice.
We are very close to that outcome.
The remaining question is whether we are prepared to take the final step. We all have a part to play in the future of our community. As a Board of Governors, we are at a point of full endorsement of the policy work of this community. As a community, we await the Faculty Association’s express written consent. Also, as a community, I expect everyone can now reflect on the role that each member can play to become familiar with the board-endorsed (not approved) Harassment and Discrimination Policy and the Sexual Violence Policy, and champion their final approval and ultimate implementation. We all have a role to play, and we truly owe this respect to each other at a very personal level.
I am so proud of the work that has been done by everyone and on the eve of the final step, I want to thank this truly impressive community in all that you do for caring so much about a future environment of safety and security for all.
Sincerely,
Shannon MacDonald, FCA, CPA, ICD.D (she/her)
Chair, UPEI Board of Governors
