Final Approval Body: Senior Leadership Team
Senior Administrative Position with Responsibility: Vice-Principal (Advancement)
Date Approved: May, 2022
Definitions
All capitalized terms in this procedure have the same meaning ascribed to them by the Naming Policy.
Purpose of Procedure
This procedure is intended to provide guidance to those proposing to revoke a Naming, and to the Principal, External Relations and Development Committee (ERD) and Board of Trustees when considering revoking a Naming.
Procedure
The Principal may begin the process of revoking a Naming at their own initiative or in response to a proposal submitted by members of the Queen’s community. The University community will be provided with an opportunity to make representations on a proposal to revoke a Naming in accordance with the Naming Policy .
Five separate constituencies have been identified for the purposes of the Naming Policy and this procedure: faculty, staff, students, alumni and retired University staff and faculty (“University Community”).
Once considered by the Principal, a proposal to revoke a Naming that was not approved could be considered again three years following the most recent decision.
Step 1 - A proposal to revoke a Naming may only be initiated by members of the University Community in accordance with the requirements of this procedure and must be submitted to the University Secretariat. A written proposal to revoke a Naming must be accompanied by a petition of at least 200 individual signatures, with a minimum of 20 signatures from at least three of the five constituencies referenced to above. The proposal should describe:
• the specific reason the Naming is inconsistent with the University’s mission and core principles and/or should be discontinued;
• the sources and strength of the rationale for the revocation; and
• the impact the continued use of the Name may have on the University’s integrity, mission, and communities.
Throughout the process, the University Community should adhere to the standards of inquiry and discourse appropriate for an institution of higher education.
Responsible officer/unit – University Community
Step 2 - Upon receiving the proposal, the Principal may make further inquiries of its submitters and will convene an Advisory Committee to consider the proposal and report back to the Principal. Membership on the Advisory Committee will be appointed by the Principal and shall normally include, at a minimum, representatives of students, faculty, staff, the Human Rights and Equity Office, and the University Secretariat. The Principal may also appoint other individuals from within the University Community. The Principal shall not be a member of the Advisory Committee and it shall operate independently once formed.
Responsible officer/unit – Principal
Step 3 - The Advisory Committee will be bound by the University Board of Trustees Code of Conduct. The Advisory Committee will consider the proposal to revoke a Naming against the following considerations:
1. Rationale
2. Profile of the individual or entity for whom the University Asset is named
3. Context of the original Naming
4. University reputation
5. Current impact of Naming
The Advisory Committee may identify additional considerations that are relevant to the specific proposal under consideration and will determine the weighting and/or order of these considerations. The Advisory Committee will also create and execute a plan for broader consultation with the University Community - and consider comments and suggestions posed through those consultations. Following the consultations, the Advisory Committee will submit a written recommendation to the Principal.
Responsible officer/unit – Advisory Committee
Step 4 - The Principal will take under consideration the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, feedback from the public consultation(s), and any other relevant information, and decide whether to submit a recommendation to revoke a Naming to the Board of Trustees for consideration. If the Principal decides to submit a recommendation to revoke a Naming they will forward that recommendation to the Board of Trustees, through the ERD first. If they decide not to submit a recommendation to revoke a Naming to the Board of Trustees, the matter will be deemed closed.
Responsible officer/unit - Principal
Step 5 - The ERD will consider the proposal to revoke a Naming for recommendation to the Board of Trustees for approval. The ERD will decide whether it will or will not endorse the proposal. The decision will be recorded in the minutes of the ERD meeting. If endorsed, the ERD will recommend the proposal to revoke a Naming to the Board of Trustees for final approval. If ERD decides not to submit a proposal to revoke a Naming to the Board of Trustees, the matter will be deemed closed.
Responsible officer/unit - External Relations and Development Committee
Step 6 - The Board of Trustees will consider a proposal to revoke a Naming recommended by the ERD. The decision of the Board of Trustees shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting at which the ERD recommendation was considered and shall be the official record of decision on the proposal.
Responsible officer/unit - Board of Trustees
Related Policies, Procedures, Guidelines
Queen’s University Gift Acceptance Policy
Queen’s University Naming Policy
Procedure for Approval of Service and Commemorative Naming
Procedure for Approval of Naming Recognizing Philanthropic Donations of $10M or more
Procedure for Approval of Naming Recognizing Philanthropic Donations of $1M but less than $10M
Procedure for Approval of Naming Recognizing Philanthropic Donations of less than $1M
Procedure for Academic Namings – revisions deferred until 2022-23
Responsible Officer: Vice-Principal (Advancement)
Contact: Donor Relations Officer, Office of Advancement