Rowan's Law and Safe Sport

Rowan’s Law is Ontario legislation designed to improve concussion awareness and safety in amateur sport. It helps participants, coaches and sport organizations recognize possible concussions and establishes procedures for removing participants from activity and supporting their safe return.

The law is named after Rowan Stringer, a high-school rugby player who died from second-impact syndrome after sustaining multiple concussions.

Learn more about Rowan’s Law

A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head, face, neck or body that causes the brain to move inside the skull. A person does not need to lose consciousness to have a concussion.

Possible symptoms include:

• Headache or pressure in the head
• Dizziness or balance problems
• Nausea or vomiting
• Blurred or double vision
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Confusion or difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Feeling slowed down, tired or “not right”
• Irritability, nervousness or unusual emotions
• Changes in sleep

Symptoms may appear immediately or develop later.

If a participant experiences a significant impact or shows possible signs of a concussion:

• Stop participating immediately.
• Inform an official, staff member, convenor or supervisor.
• Do not return to play on the same day.
• Arrange for an assessment by a physician or nurse practitioner.
• Follow the applicable removal-from-sport and return-to-sport procedures.

When in doubt, sit the participant out. Do not leave someone with a suspected concussion alone.

Call 911 if the person experiences worsening symptoms such as repeated vomiting, seizures, increasing confusion, unusual behaviour, severe or worsening headache, weakness, loss of consciousness or difficulty waking.

Any participant suspected of having sustained a concussion must be removed from the activity immediately.

The participant must not return to the activity that day, even if they begin to feel better. Campus Recreation may contact the participant’s emergency contact when appropriate and will document the incident.

Only a physician or nurse practitioner can provide the medical assessment required to determine whether the participant has sustained a concussion.

A participant diagnosed with a concussion must follow a gradual return-to-sport process under the guidance of a physician or nurse practitioner.

The participant should only progress to the next stage when the current stage does not cause new or worsening symptoms. If symptoms return, the participant should stop, return to the previous stage and seek medical advice when appropriate.

Written medical clearance may be required before returning to unrestricted training, practices or competition. Campus Recreation may also request confirmation that the participant has completed the required return-to-sport process.

All participants are expected to:

• Review the applicable Ontario Concussion Awareness Resource.
• Follow Laurentian University’s concussion-related rules and procedures.
• Report concussion symptoms honestly and immediately.
• Report when another participant may have sustained a concussion.
• Respect all removal-from-sport and return-to-sport decisions.
• Never pressure another participant to continue playing while injured.
• Help create an environment in which participant safety comes before competition.

Add buttons or links for:

• Ontario Concussion Awareness Resources

• Rowan’s Law: Concussion Safety

   

Safe Sport means creating an environment in which everyone can participate without experiencing abuse, harassment, discrimination, bullying, neglect or other forms of maltreatment.

A safe sport environment protects both the physical and psychological well-being of participants. It promotes respect, fairness, inclusion, appropriate boundaries and responsible leadership.

Within Laurentian’s intramural program, Safe Sport applies to:

• Interactions between participants
• Conduct toward officials and convenors
• Interactions involving team captains and teammates
• Conduct in change rooms and activity spaces
• Team group chats and social media
• Intramural-related social events
• Interactions involving spectators
• Activities involving participants under 18
• The conduct of Campus Recreation employees and volunteers

Safe Sport is not limited to serious or criminal behaviour. Repeated insults, humiliation, intimidation, discriminatory comments, sexual jokes, unwanted contact and retaliation can also make the sport environment unsafe.

Learn about Safe Sport

Everyone participating in Laurentian intramurals is expected to contribute to a respectful and inclusive environment.

Participants must:

• Treat teammates, opponents, officials, employees, volunteers and spectators respectfully.
• Follow the intramural rules and the directions of officials and Campus Recreation personnel.
• Respect personal boundaries, privacy and consent.
• Use respectful and inclusive language.
• Avoid comments or conduct that are discriminatory, threatening, degrading or sexually inappropriate.
• Demonstrate appropriate sportsmanship in victory and defeat.
• Raise safety concerns without fear of ridicule or retaliation.
• Respect decisions relating to a participant’s health, safety or removal from an activity.
• Use team group chats, email and social media responsibly.
• Report conduct that may place another person at risk.

Competitive play, disagreement with an official and occasional frustration can occur in sport. However, competition does not excuse threatening, discriminatory, humiliating or abusive conduct.

Participants are responsible for their behaviour even when they believe their actions were intended as a joke.

Harassment, abuse and maltreatment are prohibited in all Laurentian intramural activities.

Prohibited conduct may include:

• Verbal abuse, threats or intimidation
• Bullying, including repeated targeting or humiliation
• Discriminatory comments or conduct
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic language
• Sexual comments, jokes, gestures or unwanted advances
• Unwanted physical contact
• Hazing or initiation activities
• Deliberately excluding or isolating someone as a form of punishment
• Sharing private or sexual images without consent
• Repeatedly contacting someone after being asked to stop
• Misusing a position of authority or influence
• Pressuring someone to participate while injured
• Encouraging retaliation against someone who reports a concern
• Abusive messages in team chats or on social media
• Threatening or aggressively confronting an official, convenor or participant

A person’s intention does not determine whether conduct is acceptable. Campus Recreation may consider the nature of the behaviour, its impact, the surrounding circumstances and whether the conduct is repeated or severe.

Depending on the circumstances, Campus Recreation may remove a person from an activity, suspend them while a concern is reviewed, apply intramural discipline or refer the matter to the appropriate University office.

The Rule of Two is a leading Safe Sport practice intended to keep interactions involving minors open, observable and justifiable.

When a Campus Recreation employee, official, coach, instructor or volunteer interacts with a participant under 18, reasonable efforts should be made to ensure that another responsible adult is present or able to observe the interaction.

Within the intramural program, this means:

• Avoiding isolated one-on-one meetings with a minor
• Holding conversations in visible or public locations
• Keeping change-room interactions limited and appropriate
• Avoiding private transportation of a minor, where practicable
• Including another responsible adult in electronic communications
• Using official communication channels instead of private or disappearing messages
• Ensuring that individual instruction takes place where others can observe it

The Rule of Two does not prevent someone from responding to an emergency. A participant’s immediate health and safety should always come first.

The Rule of Two will be especially important if high-school students, youth employees or other participants under 18 take part in Campus Recreation programming.

Anyone who experiences or witnesses harassment, abuse, discrimination, sexual violence, bullying or other concerning behaviour is encouraged to report it.

For intramural-related concerns, participants may speak with:

• The game official or convenor
• An Intramural Program employee
• The Coordinator of Campus Recreation
• Laurentian University’s Equity, Diversity and Human Rights Office
• Laurentian University Campus Safety

Reports should include as much information as possible, such as:

• What happened
• When and where it occurred
• Who was involved
• Whether anyone witnessed it
• Whether there is an immediate safety concern
• Relevant messages, screenshots or other documentation

A participant does not need to confront the person involved before making a report. A person may also report something they witnessed or a concern disclosed to them by someone else.

Information will be handled as privately as reasonably possible. However, complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed when information must be shared to protect someone’s safety, comply with University requirements or allow the concern to be appropriately reviewed.

Retaliation against anyone who raises a concern or participates in a review is prohibited.

For immediate danger or an emergency, call 911.

Laurentian Campus Safety is available at 705-673-6562 or extension 6562. Laurentian’s Equity, Diversity and Human Rights Office provides confidential guidance concerning harassment, discrimination, bullying and sexual violence. Laurentian support and reporting resources

Campus Recreation will respond to reported concerns based on their nature, severity and urgency.

Possible actions may include:

• Addressing conduct during a game or activity
• Removing someone from the immediate activity
• Documenting the incident
• Speaking separately with the people involved
• Preserving relevant records or communications
• Applying an intramural penalty or suspension
• Establishing temporary safety measures
• Referring the concern to Campus Safety
• Referring the matter to the Equity, Diversity and Human Rights Office
• Referring the matter to another appropriate University process
• Contacting emergency services or police when necessary

An official’s in-game decision does not prevent Campus Recreation from reviewing the conduct afterward. Behaviour may result in additional consequences even if a penalty was already issued during the game.

Campus Recreation may also implement temporary restrictions while a serious concern is being reviewed. These measures are precautionary and do not necessarily represent a final finding.

Team captains play an important role in maintaining a safe and respectful intramural environment.

Captains are expected to:

• Share behavioural and safety expectations with their team.
• Encourage respectful conduct toward opponents and officials.
• Help de-escalate conflict involving their teammates.
• Communicate program information to team members.
• Report serious or repeated concerns to Campus Recreation.
• Cooperate with incident reviews.
• Avoid handling serious allegations entirely within the team.
• Ensure team chats and online communications remain appropriate.
• Inform Campus Recreation when a participant may require immediate assistance.

Captains are not expected to investigate allegations, determine whether misconduct occurred or provide counselling. Serious concerns should be referred to Campus Recreation or the appropriate University service.

Captains may be held accountable when they encourage prohibited conduct, knowingly allow repeated team misconduct to continue or retaliate against someone who reports a concern.

Officials and convenors have both game-management and participant-safety responsibilities.

They are expected to:

• Apply the rules fairly and consistently.
• Intervene when conduct becomes unsafe or abusive.
• Stop an activity when immediate safety is at risk.
• Remove participants when required by intramural rules.
• Document serious incidents and near misses.
• Report suspected harassment, discrimination, violence or maltreatment.
• Avoid retaliatory, humiliating or confrontational behaviour.
• Maintain appropriate boundaries with participants.
• Refer complaints beyond their role to Campus Recreation.

Officials and convenors should not attempt to investigate serious allegations during a game. Their immediate responsibility is to stabilize the situation, protect participants and report the concern.

Campus Recreation personnel with leadership, supervisory or participant-safety responsibilities should receive training appropriate to their roles.

The Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training helps individuals:

• Recognize different forms of maltreatment
• Understand how power can be misused
• Respond when maltreatment is suspected
• Establish appropriate boundaries
• Contribute to a safer sport environment

For Laurentian intramurals, I recommend requiring this training for:

• The Intramural Coordinator
• Senior convenors or supervisors
• Employees responsible for handling complaints
• Coaches or instructors connected to Campus Recreation programming
• Regular volunteers who supervise participants
• Anyone regularly working directly with participants under 18

You could provide officials with a shorter internal Safe Sport orientation if requiring the full CAC course for every student official is not practical. The orientation should still explain prohibited conduct, reporting responsibilities, emergency procedures, confidentiality and retaliation.

The CAC course is free, available in English and French and completed through The Locker. Access CAC Safe Sport Training