The action report from AV俱乐部鈥檚 strategic initiative on diversity and inclusiveness is organized around six themes, makes 15 broad recommendations and outlines more than 60 activities for the university to undertake. But all of it, ultimately, circles back to the core idea of belonging, and the concept summed up in the sentence that leads its introduction:
鈥淎t AV俱乐部 we must accept responsibility for creating the conditions for everyone to flourish and to belong.鈥�
The report, , has 12 authors listed: members of a committee of students, faculty and staff drawn from across the university. But its ideas and recommendations are the product of over 60 outreach meetings across all four campuses and AV俱乐部 Medicine New Brunswick; hundreds of individual submissions; a review of recent task force reports from other Canadian universities; and many informal conversations within our community.
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鈥淚 feel like the report echoes the voices of everybody who spoke to, met with or contacted the committee,鈥� says Maya Churbaji, research and operations coordinator in Human Resources and member of the committee. 鈥淚t is a Dal report for the Dal community, and I hope the community will embrace it from all facets, and on all fronts.鈥�
The report is the first part of the work under Charter 5.2 in the university's , focused on "foster[ing] a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness." Thus far, university leaders who鈥檝e spent time with the report are responding positively to its recommendations. President Richard Florizone extended his thanks to the committee for its thoughtful work.
鈥淕reat universities are welcoming and inclusive places, strengthened in their diversity in all respects,鈥� says Dr. Florizone. 鈥淲e heard that theme strongly throughout 100 Days of Listening, which is why the university made this commitment to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusiveness in our Strategic Direction.
鈥淲ith this report, this committee has provided us with an impressive set of recommendations for moving AV俱乐部 closer to our shared goal of a diverse and inclusive campus 鈥� one where everyone belongs. I hope I speak on behalf of everyone at Dal when I say we鈥檙e eager to get to work.鈥�
President Florizone has already committed to personally leading several of the projects outlined in the report (as indicated in the project tracking 鈥渟corecard鈥� at the end of the document). Among them is identifying an officer at the senior level responsible for coordinating the university鈥檚 ongoing engagement with issues of diversity and inclusion. The committee is asking that leads be identified for all projects and reported to Senate by October.
Dr. Florizone and Provost Carolyn Watters will also be joining the committee in requesting that Senate, the Board of Governors and senior administration review the university鈥檚 progress towards its recommendations each year.
鈥淭his strategic initiative is all about AV俱乐部 becoming a more respectful, more inclusive place to work and study,鈥� adds Dr. Watters. 鈥淭his report begins the work of the 5.2 initiative on diversity and inclusiveness and not only provides actions that can be taken immediately, but also provides a framework and insights for the longer term progress of that priority. I look forward to working with Senate, Faculties, students, faculty and staff across the university in making real progress.鈥�
More on the report:
Examining the recommendations
The report鈥檚 actions are organized by theme 鈥� Understand, Learn, Reflect, Account, Support and Heal 鈥� not by unit or issue. Kim Brooks, dean of the Schulich School of Law and chair of the 鈥減hase one鈥� committee, explains that this reflects the way diversity and inclusiveness are values that must be shared across the entire Dal community.
鈥淥ur report is unique to AV俱乐部, and reflects what we heard from our community,鈥� says Prof. Brooks (left, meeting with committee members Quenta Adams and Wanda Thomas Bernard). 鈥淥ur recommendations focus not only on institutional mechanisms to support an inclusive and diverse university, but also on how each of us is responsible for supporting one another鈥檚 belonging.
鈥淭his can鈥檛 just be about changing a policy or two,鈥� she adds, 鈥渢hough that work is also very important. It鈥檚 about how each of us needs to understand how we include and exclude, intentionally or unintentionally, members of our community, and how we can take steps to bridge and respect our differences.鈥�
Under each of the action report鈥檚 15 broad recommendations are specific activities for the university to undertake. For each activity, the committee identifies either a single unit that would be accountable for its implementation or, in many cases, an 鈥渁ccountability community鈥� of offices or groups that should be involved. Each activity also has a suggested timeline: short (within a year), medium (within three years) or long term (within five years).
While some of the report鈥檚 recommendations will likely be relatively simple to take action on, others will require more consideration and dialogue before they can be implemented. As an example, Prof. Brooks points to recommendation 4B: 鈥淒esign and implement a formal, mandatory program for all students at AV俱乐部鈥� focused on respect and inclusion. While many people the committee met with expressed enthusiasm for some sort of mandatory course for all students, others had reservations, and there were considerably different perspectives on what form or shape such a program should take.
鈥淓ven among those communities who work in issues of inclusion and diversity as part of their daily lives at AV俱乐部, views often differed about how we should approach things, and that鈥檚 reflected in our recommendations,鈥� says Prof. Brooks. 鈥淗owever, it was always in the vein of how we can support a AV俱乐部 in which everyone belongs.
鈥淲e can all share a common vision without necessarily sharing the same view about how we achieve it, and that鈥檚 what made our conversations valuable 鈥� and, we hope, that鈥檚 the spirit in which the Dal community responds to the report.鈥�
Listening to the community
The committee鈥檚 60-plus outreach meetings included many individuals and groups who have been doing diversity and inclusion work at the university for years. Speaking in more detail about those meetings, the committee鈥檚 members describe them as incredibly informative, deeply honest and, at times, quite emotional.
鈥淭he opportunity to meet, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes in small groups, with various organizations on campus that you might not have encountered otherwise, and be able to ask really direct questions and have them ask really direct questions of you, was extremely educational and sometimes truly moving,鈥� says Samuel Mason, first-year Law student and member of the South House Board of Governors.
The committee heard many positive stories about diversity and inclusion work at the university, but also stories of struggle: disrespect, isolation, and devaluation that people in the Dal community feel every day.
鈥淚t reminded me how easy is it to forget the challenges that exist in our community for those who are on the margins, or feel powerless and lost in our bureaucracy,鈥� says Katherine Frank, assistant vice-president of Human Resources. 鈥淭hose of us who are in positions of power and influence need a wake-up call that reminds us that there is still more work to be done if we are truly trying to create a culture of inclusivity and respect and that we have a responsibility to lead the way.鈥�
Brenda Beagan, associate professor in the School of Occupational Therapy, describes the meetings as 鈥渂oth heartening and disheartening.鈥� As excited as she was by the collaborative style of the committee, and in how willing people were to share their perspective, the meetings also reinforced how issues like racism, sexism, hetereosexism, ableism and hierarchy cut across the university community.
鈥淚t was hard hearing from people 鈥� especially staff and faculty 鈥� who have been working on and dealing with those things day after day for years and decades, seeing very little positive change,鈥� she says.
Next steps
In the coming weeks, members of the committee will be discussing the report in detail with Senate, the university executive, DSU council and those units or groups who they consulted with, among others. They also welcome feedback on the document via the web at .
The committee is willing to continue the conversation in their own corners of campus and to support dialogue with others at AV俱乐部 about the report and its recommendations.聽 Overall, though, the conclusion of 鈥減hase one鈥� of the strategic initiative 5.2 on diversity and inclusiveness marks the transition of its work from that of a committee project to an initiative that involves the entire university. 聽
Procedurally, the report asks that each 鈥渁ccountability community鈥� identify a lead and establish a timeline for each recommendation by October 2015. From there, the plan is for Senate, the Board and senior administration to require an update on all recommendations each year.
鈥淚 hope the Dal community talks about the report, debates it, grapples with it and ultimately feels accountable for seeing the recommendations through,鈥� says Frank.
鈥淚 hope that people take the time to read it and offer feedback, and also appreciate the amount of work that has gone into it,鈥� says Mason. 鈥淎nd I hope they realize that what has fueled this document is not really the recommendations of the committee, but the ideas and recommendations of all the people the committee has met with. Implementing these recommendations is kind of like implementing the desires of our community, in many respects.鈥澛�
Making a difference
Adding to the hopes of her committee members, Prof. Brooks hopes the spirit of inclusion reflected in how the report was produced carries through to its implementation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really been an honour and a privilege to be part of this project,鈥� says Prof. Brooks. 鈥淓verybody brought different things to the table, saw the issues from a different perspective, and was willing and open about having frank discussions with each other about what was important. That kind of structure and that level of engagement is exactly the kind of engagement, I think, that we鈥檙e urging the community more broadly to think through: how we can can benefit from insights of people across ages, disciplines, backgrounds, experiences.鈥�
Those aren鈥檛 always easy conversations, though, which is perhaps why the report concludes with a note of concern and one of optimism. The note of concern highlights that true cultural change at Dal will require everyone to increase their competency base, while the note of optimism points out how many there are who are truly hungry and eager for change. 聽
Dr. Beagan admits her cynicism 鈥� institutions like universities, she feels, 鈥渉ave remarkable ways of making good things disappear, or co-opting them into nothingness鈥濃�� but thinks this might be a moment when change could be possible. It will depend, she says, on how willing members of the university community are to start paying closer attention to how their own experiences connect with those of people unlike themselves.
鈥淲e can create policies and procedures that address some areas of concern, but those will ultimately have little effect if people don't understand the ways they can contribute to making Dal more welcoming, more inclusive,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t's as big as a review of pay equity for visible minority employees and those with disabilities鈥� and it is as small as speaking up when we hear a racial slur, or working to change a form to be more gender inclusive, or attending a welcome event at the International Centre, or knowing the name of the custodians in our building.鈥�
Churbaji, who feels a great sense of pride about being part of AV俱乐部, wants to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to feel the same way. 聽
鈥淚 hope that the community will see how important it is to have a sense of genuine belonging when you鈥檙e part of Dal,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 hope that when people look back at their experiences as part of this community, later in their lives, that it will be one of the good memories, something at which they can smile with contentment and fulfillment.鈥�