Cyber bullying comes to U of M

10 cases reported in 2006-07

Joanna Bhaskaran, staff

In the 2006-07 academic year at the University of Manitoba, nearly 70 per cent of the personal harassment cases reported to the Office of Student Advocacy were due to cyber-bullying, according to the office’s annual report presented at the April meeting of Senate.

According to the report, of the 15 personal harassment cases filed in 2006-07, 10 were cases of cyber-bullying.

Lynn Smith, executive director of Student Services, said that, although there is no definition of bullying in the university’s respectful work and learning environment (RWLE) policy, it is considered a form of personal harassment.

According to section 2.1.3 of the RWLE policy, personal harassment is “one or a series of objectionable and unwelcome comments or actions directed towards a specific person or group of persons which serve no related work or academic purpose and have the effect of creating an intimidating, humiliating, hostile or offensive environment.”

“The [word] cyber . . . simply refers to the use of technology to carry out these actions,” Smith said.

The policy includes examples like name calling, repeated threats and the undermining of a person.

There has been a lot of media attention giving to bullying recently in schools, universities and the workplaces, according to Smith, and people are more aware of the negative effects.

“The university is concerned about having appropriate behaviour . . . to create a productive work environment.”

She was unable to give specific examples of the reports filed in order to protect the privacy of the students but Smith highlighted a couple of media examples, such as one in which Facebook.com was used to intimidate another student.

“Any form of bullying, whether it’s on a sports team, whether it is intramural, whether it’s in the classroom or online, is deemed inappropriate.”

Brandy Usick, director of U of M Student Advocacy and Resource Services, said that, although there is no specific clause in the student disciplinary bylaw against cyber bullying, if there was a complaint made against a student regarding cyber bullying, the procedures to be followed would be from the student disciplinary bylaw to determine what sort of penalties would be put into place.

Usick said that, while the discipline was undertaken by the university, there would be no hesitation of campus security to report the individual to the police.

2006-07 was the first year that cyber bullying had been reported to the Student Advocacy office. In the 2005-06 academic year, of the 10 personal harassment cases, none of them were attributed to cyber bullying.

Both Usick and Smith couldn’t give a specific reason for this trend but offered their theories.

“Cyber bullying reflects the way people are communicating nowadays,” said Usick.

Some students, like Alex Kling, a University 1 student, feel that the university’s punishment for cyber bullying is a grey area.

“If it doesn’t happen on a university website and unless it affects the person’s safety, I don’t think the university has a right to enforce discipline.”

The studen discipline bylaw is currently under review, according to Usick, and in the future may include a clause on cyber bullying. Although there is no “active monitoring” of websites, the university will be responsible for complaints brought to the Student Advocacy office.