In a community as large and complex as the University of Waterloo, accurate data is vital to making informed, optimal decisions.
The Equity Data as a Strategic Resource (DSR) project will help Waterloo to better understand, evaluate, and make meaningful impact towards equity in work and learning at Waterloo. The data repository we are creating will empower University leadership and University policymakers, as well as the offices of EDI-R, Indigenous Relations, and AccessAbility, to identify and measure sociodemographic disparities in work and learning; illuminate the sources of such disparities; and point toward more equitable policy interventions.
Since fall 2024, EDI-R has been collaborating with Institutional Analysis and Planning, as well as the Office of Indigenous Relations and AccessAbility, to create a confidential data repository that will collect, store, and analyze sociodemographic and employment data from multiple data sources. The data repository is designed to facilitate intersectional analysis of the recruitment, retention, progression, and success of staff and faculty at Waterloo. It will allow investigation of questions about equity and disparity in employment that may affect marginalized and excluded groups.
The next stage of the DSR project will develop a similar repository that will collect, store, and analyze sociodemographic and student data from multiple sources to facilitate analysis of student recruitment, retention, progress, and success at Waterloo.
Ultimately, these data will be used to inform the University’s planning, evaluation, and decision-making to improve experiences and outcomes for faculty, staff, and students at Waterloo. This will advance the University’s mission to “Embrace decolonization, Indigenization, inclusivity, equity, anti-oppression, and anti-racism.”