More than a dozen employees at the University of B.C. were suspended after being caught viewing pornographic websites on their work computers, The Province has learned.
Within the past several months, UBC gave 13 unionized staffers 10-day suspensions for viewing the sexually inappropriate material, but none were fired.
“There was an investigation on the use of IT, and it came to the attention that a number of staff were involved in viewing, receiving and distributing sexually explicit material using UBC e-mail and computers,” spokesman Scott Macrae confirmed when approached by The Province Tuesday.
He would not elaborate on what kind of material was being viewed.
“It was held to be sexually explicit, and completely inappropriate for the use of the university’s computers.”
The employees were caught after UBC did a “thorough investigation.”
UBC Mounties were not involved in the investigation, said RCMP spokesman Rob Vermeulen.
Macrae would not say which departments were involved, but did say they were unionized workers and no managers were involved.
“The investigation appears to have been satisfactory in disclosing the individuals involved, and in dealing with them quickly and fairly,” he said.
Macrae said UBC has clear policies on the misuse of its computers, and there hasn’t been the need to amend them, in light of the latest sweep.
It’s the second time in a year that an educational body in Vancouver has had to deal with its employees viewing sexual material online.
Last December, 15 Vancouver School Board workers were alleged to have viewed porn-sites at work, and several were suspended.
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