Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: If we can’t learn anything from the TRU investigation, the school should

Jan 20, 2023 | 12:05 PM

HOPEFULLY, THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION into allegations against two of TRU’s senior administrators will teach the institution a lot more than it taught the rest of us.

To recap, the investigation looked into 55 separate allegations of inappropriate and improper conduct against two lead administrators.

We know the two men involved are Matt Milovick and Larry Phillips.

Milovick, curiously, remained on the job while the investigation took place. Phillips, on the other hand, left the school a very short time after the allegations were made public.

And so, when the investigation report concluded one set of allegations was unfounded and a portion of the second set was corroborated in some way, the dots weren’t hard to connect.

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But other than that, almost nothing was revealed to the public.

Certainly, there are privacy considerations to be taken into account when it comes to the specifics around the alleged actions, the proven actions and the two people connected to them.

There should be more, though, that actually can be revealed.

For example, did any of the actions that were proven rise to the level of potential criminality? Has this investigation report been forwarded to law enforcement authorities to determine that?

If 10 allegations were substantiated, then what is the university doing for the targets of those 10 instances of bullying, harassment or what have you?

Is there anything being done to make those complainants whole again?

Finally, there is a lot more that can be said about what TRU will change or enforce at the institutional level to give students and staff confidence that they are as safe as they can be on campus.

For this $1-million investigation to have been a fruitful venture, and not simply an exercise in tail-chasing, it needs to lead to some concrete and measurable improvements.

This has been the latest in a long line of black eyes for TRU and its reputation.

It’s about time something changes.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.