In this issue:
- Amplifying the work of Waterloo’s change-agents
- Anti-racism across campus
- Staff feauture
- Working group updates
- Upcoming events
- Past events
Amplifying the work of Waterloo’s Change-Agents
Welcome to the first issue of The Catalyst Anti-Racism Newsletter, a newsletter providing regular updates on the intricate and long-term work of the President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART). This newsletter is also an opportunity to showcase the many staff, faculty and students who are engaged in anti-racism work each day on campus.
The effort to address racism within our communities is significant. There are now over 80 individuals engaged in either a PART working group or implementation team, each with their own responsibilities to recommend actions to university leadership or to begin taking immediate steps towards addressing systemic racism on campus. There are also countless other staff, students and faculties engaged throughout their departments towards this shared goal. And there is critical and important work also being done in our Affiliate Colleges. Thank you everyone for this all-of-Waterloo effort.
When the work of PART began, we made a commitment to transparency and a promise to keep the entire Waterloo community appraised of this work. This newsletter serves as another way we are sharing: not only updates to the campus community on anti-racism efforts, but as a means to call on community members to act and get involved in their own way. Being actively anti-racist requires action on all of our parts to see systemic racism challenged and eventually eradicated on this campus.
We know the sad truth, racism still exists in Canada, and the University of Waterloo is not immune. But we also know that there is genuine desire from our community to see change realized.
Throughout the summer and fall of last year, the university held over 175 hours of consultation with BIPOC faculty, students and staff, as well as administrative leaders from Canada and representatives from campus associations. Lived experiences and approaches towards campus inclusion and equity were discussed in depth.
Tangible change to benefit the entire Waterloo community cannot be dictated by just a few siloed thinkers. BIPOC community members are still helping to identify areas for concern and provide guidance on a path forward. So, the goal of PART continues be one that provides resources, amplifies BIPOC voices, and creates a better way forward based on the guidance of members from those communities.
Where there is collective will and effort, changes are possible, and each of us engaged in this work remain hopeful that in sharing news of these efforts across teams and with the broader university, it will inspire further learning and action on the part of many others.
Alongside the action being taken by various members of our community, this issue will share updates from PART’s Health and Mental Health, as well as the Code of Conduct and Safety working groups.
THE CATALYST
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Anti-racism across campus
The faculties of Arts, Health, Engineering, Environment, Math and Science are also deeply involved in weaving anti-racism throughout the work of their departments. More can be seen about selected projects from these faculties here.
Staff feature
Waterloo’s new counsellor for Black student support: Gillian Wells, MSW, RSW
The University’s Counselling Services recognized the need to address the unique concerns and experiences of Black students on campus and created a new position, someone with both the lived experience and credentials to create a trusting and open environment for mental health student support.
The university recently hired Gillian Wells, a counsellor and social worker, as the first Counsellor for Black Student support. She was hired for her expertise in responding to the lived experiences of Black individuals and communities. Gillian entered this role with clinical services experience, and a passion for supporting and fostering mental wellness, as well as academic and personal success for students.
Success to me is when Black students are able to freely access the supports they need if and when they need it. It is well known that there are multiple barriers to individuals accessing mental health support including systemic barriers and barriers related to stigma. What I am hoping to ultimately achieve in this new role is to help remove the barriers and improve access to mental health services for Black students so that they can achieve both academic and personal success.
The role required someone with a proven track record of success, history working with adolescents and young adults, and someone who would serve as a true advocate for student success and learning.
Wells also spoke about how “this role demonstrates the University’s commitment and responsiveness to the need of its Black student population. Some may not be aware, but this role came about as a result of the students at UW BASE seeking out a counsellor in the community who they felt could better understand their unique mental health needs and lived experience. Counselling Services acknowledged that gap and moved to action to create this role.”
“Counselling Services is so pleased to have Gillian join our team,” said Cheri Bilitz, Director of Counselling Services. “She brings a wealth of lived experience and knowledge to her role in supporting Black individuals and communities. Credit for this position goes to the University of Waterloo Black Association for Student Expression (UW BASE), who saw a gap in what Counselling Services offered and found Gillian on their own. When we interviewed her, it was easy to see why the students chose Gillian. We were also so impressed with her skills and knowledge to help Black students from an individual, systemic and community perspective.”
Gillian’s work, which aligns with some of the key responsibilities outlined through PART engagements, will reinforce academic success, student and campus mental health, psychological wellness and safety for members of a diverse and global Waterloo community.
What interested Wells most about this role “was that it feels very intentional in terms of the service it provides to a traditionally underserved population – racialized students. I consider it a privilege. While we know that the system at various levels is being challenged, we should not forget the agency at the individual level. Agency not to just change the system but to also seek out and make the best use of all the available resources to support and be our best selves.”
Gillian Wells (she/her) holds a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University, a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Waterloo as well a BA in Psychology from the University of Guelph.
Working group updates
Strengthening anti-racism training for frontline Campus Wellness staff
PART’s Health and Mental Health working group is currently led and supported by a diverse group of individuals, including student representatives from WUSA, GSPA; alumni; Associate Provost of Students; members from the Black Collective Faculty, Campus Wellness, Waterloo International and Office of Research. This group has already begun making tangible headway on their responsibilities. They’ve identified that there are gaps in knowledge and expertise of support staff who should be well versed in responding to the needs of BIPOC individuals seeking help on campus.
One key recommendation is already quite clear: Specialized training is needed for campus wellness staff, especially clinicians to adequately respond to the unique circumstances and experiences of BIPOC students, faculty and staff on campus.
Research on the best training
As part of their work, this group is currently researching and suggesting training for health service providers, including physicians, nurses and counsellors on campus so that they can better understand the psycho-socioeconomic BIPOC (i.e. social determinants of health) lens.
Currently there is no anti-racism training offered that address many of the antiracism competencies the group have identified for different roles in Campus Wellness. For example, there is no training currently offered that would help clinicians understand and identify the impact of racial trauma on health, or identify the signs and effects of racial trauma in an individual. There are also no training programs offered that would enable health service providers to help someone heal from racial trauma and/or refer to someone who can.
Recommending where increased mental health support would be most effective
This working group has also begun outlining recommendations for areas where increased mental health support is most needed and mechanisms for applying a BIPOC lens into the work of the Wellness Collaborative. A first step being taken by the group is to understand the structure and functioning of the Wellness Collaborative, and to understand what a BIPOC or a racialized lens means in relation to applying it to the Wellness Collaborative.
Advising on innovative services and supports for campus
The Health and Mental Health working group has also begun to define recommendations for resources, innovative services and supports on campus. Recommendations may include proposing virtual meeting spaces or healing spaces that help provide a venue for sharing stories of hope and encouragement, and other approaches to help BIPOC students and employees learn strategies to address their mental health and anxiety issues related to experiences of racism.
These are just some of the many responsibilities of this working group. Responsibilities for all PART working groups can be viewed here.
Working towards safer and more respectful campus spaces
PART’s Code of Conduct and Safety Working Group has developed a 12-month plan to address safety for BIPOC members on campus. Some of the key elements highlighted during PART consultations were the need to strengthen incident reporting mechanisms, ensuring police have an anti-racism lens as they carry out their work on campus, clarifying through a code of conduct what behaviour is and isn’t acceptable, as well as reinforcing the university’s expectations within the syllabus.
Groundwork for a code of conduct
Given that a code of conduct does not currently exist under the secretariat, as a first step, this working group conducted a preliminary review of all 77 secretariat policies to identify policies that directly and indirectly impact complaints of racism. P33 Policy and Procedures is the most relevant current policy related to conduct and incidents of racism. The group began reviewing the policy with an anti-racism lens and is identifying opportunities to the strengthen the policy and address any current issues.
Strengthening the syllabus
A key responsibility of the group based on feedback from PART engagements, is to determine how best to incorporate clear guidelines for acceptable conduct relating to racism in the syllabus. A first step was to compare UWaterloo’s syllabus to other institutions and establish benchmarks and best practices which can be adopted, prior to recommending any changes.
Supporting the Senior Manager of Anti-Racism
This group will also offer and provide support to the new Senior Manager of Anti-Racism Response in the HREI Office as it relates to reports, investigation, and resolutions of complaints by individuals experiencing racism. The Senior Manager of Anti-Racism will offer more students, staff and faculty a clearer process and more comfortable space with which to discuss race-salient incidents that have impacted their experience in this learning and working environment.
Building relationships with Campus Police
The working group has connected with the campus police and formalized discussions related to creating safe spaces for everyone on campus but specifically for racialized individuals on campus. Police services, which will be changing its name to “University of Waterloo Special Constable Service” in the coming months, have demonstrated a genuine openness and are pleased to work with PART to determine any necessary process and skills enhancements with respect to anti-racism and their role.
These are just some of the many responsibilities of this working group. Responsibilities for all PART working groups can be viewed here.
Upcoming events
Ballet After Dark: Strength & Healing Through the Arts
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
On Tuesday May 18, the Equity Office is hosting an event that seeks to create space and explore creative and restorative paths to healing through a community screening of the acclaimed short documentary, Ballet After Dark, and a discussion around themes raised in the film. Learn more and register.
Past events
Year of COVID: Disparities, Inequities, and Inequalities: On April 23, PART and the Office of Research held a joint event highlighting the ways in which members of Indigenous and racialized communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. A playback of the event is available here.
Rooted in History: A Celebration of Black History as Canadian History: On February 26, PART held its first event for Black History Month which featured performances by Rufus John, a local KW artist, as well as addresses from Charmaine Dean and President Hamdullahpur. MPP Laura Mae Lindo gave a poignant keynote about the experience of Black people in post-secondary education and Kathy Hogarth moderated the panel discussion, Conversations on Blackness, featuring Black faculty and staff members: Aaron Francis, Equity Advisor; Naila Keleta-Mae, Associate Professor; Michele Ryan, Business Process Analyst; Christopher Taylor, Lecturer; and Vershawn Young, Professor. The event was well attended by 329 members of the UWaterloo community and garnered over 70 questions received from the crowd.
Let us showcase your project or event!
We welcome feedback and submissions on wonderful work on anti-racism across campus. If you are aware of, or involved in, an anti-racism related project or event on campus, we would be happy to feature it on our website and/or in the next issue of this newsletter. Please email part@uwaterloo.ca with details.
Catch up on community stories
We share stories from across campus of BIPOC students, faulty, staff and alumni making waves across campus. Read the featured stories.