The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee — EDIC — advocates for all groups seeking equity, based on, but not limited to, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and variations in capabilities. In collaboration and consultation with other committees in the School of Computer Science, the EDIC works towards the goals of recruiting and retaining diverse faculty, staff, and students and of fostering an inclusive environment.
Specific aims of the EDIC will include such tasks as:
- developing partnerships with external institutions and organizations to facilitate outreach to diverse potential students and faculty members;
- advocating for programs that support mature students and those with non-standard educational backgrounds;
- supporting student-led initiatives, mentoring, invited distinguished lectures, community-led learning opportunities, EDI training, social events, and other activities to address inclusion and to reduce discrimination;
- collecting data on current and past student and faculty recruiting efforts, including on the pool of candidates, offers made, offers accepted, and retention rates;
- identifying and addressing systemic barriers and overt discrimination;
- proposing mechanisms to help address non-inclusive or discriminatory behaviour and speech taking place within SCS; and
- recognizing and addressing intersectionality.