PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4S 0A2 Phone: (306) 585-4383 Fax: (306) 585-5200 Email: the.president@uregina.ca Twitter: @vianne_timmons www.uregina.ca October 19, 2016 Steve Bryce Head Coach University of Regina Rams Football Club CK 176.3 University of Regina 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK S4S 0A2 Dear Coach Bryce, Re: October 7, 2016 Cougars-Huskies Soccer Game Thank you for the opportunity to address your team yesterday regarding incidents that took place at the October 7, 2016 Cougars-Huskies women’s soccer game. As you know, within 24 hours of the game the University launched an investigation into the behaviour of some Rams players that evening. The results of this investigation corroborate complaints that the players in question were yelling insults at members of the Huskies soccer team. The comments that were made constitute harassment, discrimination and bullying, and thus violated our Respectful University policy, which may be found here: www.uregina.ca/policy/browse-policy/policy-GOV-100-015.html. The obligations of all student-athletes under this policy should be communicated to your players. Addressing behaviour such as that which took place on October 7 is a collective responsibility of the University, the Athletics Department and the Rams organization. It is the job of all students, faculty and staff not just to refrain from discriminatory and harassing behaviour, but also to actively intervene to stop such behaviour when we see others engaging in it. To help underline this for your players, I am asking that they engage in the following educational initiatives as discussed at our meeting yesterday:  All members of the Rams football team will complete a 90-minute online course on respect. Any player who does not complete this training by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 21, 2016 will not be allowed to play in the Rams football game that evening. Details about how to take this training will be forwarded to you today. A follow-up workshop will also be scheduled for the team; and  Over the next six months, all members of the Rams football team will be required to take the Bystander Intervention Program offered by Lori Spannier, our University’s Personal Safety Coordinator, and Ian MacAusland-Berg, our head of Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services. Please contact Lori Spannier to set up these workshops. In addition, to ensure that players, coaches and staff understand that there is zero tolerance for this type of behaviour going forward, the Rams’ football program will be placed on probation until the end of the Coach Steve Bryce Page 2 October 19, 2016 CIS football season. Probation means that until the end of the season, if any of the players, coaches or staff involved with the team are found in violation of our Respectful University policy, the University will proceed with punitive actions, up to and including potentially suspending the program. Violations would include behaviour disrespectful toward other students and athletes both at our University and at other universities, whether it is on the field, off the field, or in social media spaces. In following up on the October 7 incident, I was told by several people that this is part of a “collegiate culture” of heckling and jeering opponents at Canadian Interuniversity Sport competitions. This culture is unacceptable, and has to be stopped. I am embarrassed that it happens at our games, and concerned that it goes unaddressed elsewhere. That is why I will be undertaking the following actions myself in response to this incident:  Rolling out the two educational initiatives outlined above, the respect training and the Bystander Intervention Program, to all of our student-athletes over the next year;  Initiating an internal review on how we can better ensure a family-friendly atmosphere at all of our athletics events; and  Initiating a discussion with the other Presidents in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association about how we can collectively combat the “collegiate culture” that helps normalize harassing and bullying behaviour at university athletics events. I appreciated the commitment to take ownership of the issue that both you and your players showed at our meeting yesterday. Your players seemed to understand the gravity of what occurred on October 7, and I am confident that they will respond in a way that makes the University proud. I also want to thank you for apologizing on behalf of your team to the specific players on the University of Saskatchewan women’s soccer team who were targeted with verbal abuse. I have also been in contact with them to extend our most sincere apologies. They should be commended for their willingness to make these issues known. We should take this incident as a strong reminder that we need to be evervigilant about making people feel safe about coming forward to highlight their concerns and experiences on such critical issues. Thank you in advance for your leadership on this matter. Sincerely yours, Dr. Vianne Timmons President and Vice-Chancellor Cc. Dr. Thomas Chase, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Harold Riemer, Dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies Tanya Reynoldson, Director of Athletics Kim McKechney, Executive Director, Communications and Marketing