The Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism (EDI-R) works with students, faculty and staff across campus to advance anti-racism and equity through evidence-based policies, practices and programs.
Message from the Associate Vice-President (AVP)
Welcome to the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R), a space built on the energy, time, and advocacy of many community members from the University of Waterloo. My role as the AVP of EDI-R is to ensure that we, as a team, work with others in the University to lead transformative culture change, disrupt oppressive systems, dismantle institutional barriers, and embed anti-racism and equity in policies, processes, environments, and experiences on campus.
I am proud to achieve this vision with a team of subject matter experts with knowledge on equity, anti-racism, oppression, and settler colonialism. They understand how these factors manifest in colonial and primarily white Canadian university systems, have experience interrupting these systems, and believe in the work they do.
As an office, our immediate goals for the next two years are based on the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan:
Goal 1: Lead and facilitate culture change
Goal 2: Ensure EDI-R leadership is centralized, accessible and accountable
Goal 3: Increase the sustainability of the EDI-R Unit on and off campus
We will continue to evolve in ways that best support members of our communities and turn to you as co-creators in this work to build, incubate, and enhance equity and anti-racism competency and capacity across campus.
I invite you to visit our website to learn about the initiatives our units are working on and look forward to connecting with you, in-person or virtually.
Dr. Christopher Taylor (he/him)
AVP Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism
Our units
News
Join a Pan-African Literary Movement
From September 25, 2023 to November 24, 2023, UWaterloo’s Sankofa Network for Transformative Community Research (SNTCR), in partnership with the University of Waterloo Library, is hosting a book drive to bolster the inventory of this revolutionary library. Participation is simple! Purchase a book from the Sankara Library's wish list and drop it off at either the Dana Porter or Davis Centre library in the bins located at the entrances. You can also have it shipped to the Commissary building on Waterloo Campus (COM 105 - 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1). The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Office will ship the books directly to the Sankara Pan-African Library.
The impact of your contribution extends far beyond the pages of a single book. By supporting the Sankara Pan-African Library, you're participating in a movement that strengthens communities and amplifies subaltern voices while pursing the decolonization of knowledge.
Complete the Employee Equity Census today!
This year’s Employee Equity Census (previously known as the Equity Survey) has launched in Workday.
The goal of the census is to continue an ongoing confidential collection of socio-demographic data to better understand the composition of the UWaterloo community and to inform equity initiatives across the institution. Data from this year’s census will begin to be compiled in September 2023.
The first survey was launched in June 2021 via email to almost 50,000 students, faculty, and staff, and achieved a 26 per cent student participation rate and a 46 per cent employee participation rate. The census will be administered to employees via Workday.
“Data from the previous census resulted in impactful changes, proving that data-focused initiatives like this inform the direction of our institution and bring us closer as a community,” Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism Christopher Taylor and Interim Chief Human Resources Officer Michelle Hollis wrote in a recent communication to leaders. “The Cluster Hiring Initiative, tuition waiver, and the integration of pronouns into the University data systems are all positive outcomes of the information collected from the previous census.”
The Employee Equity Census will take only a few minutes to complete. Please participate at your earliest convenience because data collection for this year’s annual report will close on October 31, 2023.
Learn more about the Employee Equity Census on the Equity Data Strategy website. If you have any questions about the census, its methodology and how its data is used, you can email analysis@uwaterloo.ca.
Watch this short video on how to access the Employee Equity Census in Workday or follow the steps below.
1. Click the link that was sent to you in the UWaterloo’s Employee Equity Census email or click the link below:
https://wd3.myworkday.com/uwaterloo/d/task/2997$12683.htmld
2. Login to Workday.
3. The Create Request textbox will appear. Click on the Request Type drop- down menu.
4. Select All.
5. Select Employee Equity Census and then click OK.
Learn more about the Employee Equity Census on the Equity Data Strategy website. If you have any questions about the census, its methodology and how its data is used, you can email analysis@uwaterloo.ca.
Emancipation Day
Celebrating Emancipation Day at UWaterloo
Events
Reeling over menstrual inequity: An interactive film screening of 'Carrie'
Join us at Princess Cinema for a special screening of 1976's 'Carrie' hosted in partnership with Changing the Flow and the Women's Centre.
Equitable Recruitment and Selection
This one-hour mandatory Equitable Recruitment and Selection training supports faculty in helping them design equity-centered recruitment and selection practices while discussing accountability frameworks for equitable recruitment, selection, and retention.
Equitable Recruitment and Selection
This one-hour mandatory Equitable Recruitment and Selection training supports faculty in helping them design equity-centered recruitment and selection practices while discussing accountability frameworks for equitable recruitment, selection, and retention.
Equitable Recruitment and Selection
This one-hour mandatory Equitable Recruitment and Selection training supports faculty in helping them design equity-centered recruitment and selection practices while discussing accountability frameworks for equitable recruitment, selection, and retention.
Equitable Recruitment and Selection
This one-hour mandatory Equitable Recruitment and Selection training supports faculty in helping them design equity-centered recruitment and selection practices while discussing accountability frameworks for equitable recruitment, selection, and retention.