Dr. Christopher Taylor, AVP Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism (EDI-R)
A message from the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R).
The new office of Equity Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R) is excited to share plans and commitments developed in response to the Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (HREI) organizational review report (PDF), which was shared with the campus community in October 2021.
We are grateful for the time and energies that the campus community so generously gave to the external review committee: sharing experiences, frustrations, hopes, and—importantly—being an essential catalyst for the changes we are seeing and will see in the future.
We know that we have work to do to (re)build trust and to foster strong relationships across this campus. Our commitments outlined here are just a start. We will be accountable. We will be accessible. We will be responsive. We will be leaders in equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism, but we need you to be co-leaders with us. This is the work of every person on campus, and we are excited to create the space and opportunity for collaboration and community.
The office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-R)
In response to Recommendations #5 and #6 in the report, and as detailed in the memo from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor and James W.E. Rush, Vice-President, Academic & Provost, a new unit has been created, headed by Dr. Christopher Taylor, associate vice-president, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism. This new unit includes the Equity Office and the senior manager of Anti-racism Response. Over the next six weeks, we will reconsider the name of the Office. For the time being, when referring to the new direction and strategy, we will use EDI-R as an umbrella acronym for the breadth of work and engagement undertaken in the Office.
People
In response to Recommendations #4 and #12, the foundation of EDI-R work will be informed by and respond to the needs of students, staff, and faculty. You are the bedrock of everything we do. The services we provide will be relevant and pro-actively and responsively serve the needs of the campus community. To accomplish this, we will increase staff capacity with a priority on hiring racialized staff, including hiring for advisory roles, and co-op and work-study placements.
Place: physical and virtual
In response to Recommendations #11 and #16, EDI-R will work to find a welcoming and inclusive space on campus, where we can gather as communities; where you can seek guidance, support, and resources; and where connections can be fostered and strengthened. We are committed to locating a space that feels safe for equity deserving groups. We will also work to develop an intake system for EDI-R supports, that is accessible, responsive, and timely.
Programs and engagement
In response to Recommendations #13 and #14, EDI-R will also become a policy, program, and student research hub, which can support and mobilize the creation and dissemination of EDI-R research, not only for our campus, but the wider community and beyond. Research will also be used to provide policy advice and program development for our campus and the creators of this work will include our staff, along with experts and employees. There are four crucial aspects to this work:
- Sankofa Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, an open-access and peer-reviewed journal that supports the amplification of marginalized voices of students and employees at Waterloo.
- Cross-campus collaboration and strengthening of partnerships through the creation of EDI-R Program Area Leads (PALS). Within some areas of campus, these positions already exist; where they don’t, we will put a call out for people who are committed to, and have expertise in, EDI-R and can work with us to advance the goals of the Office and the institution.
- An advisory board made up of students, faculty and staff, including student and staff associations on campus, among others, who can provide guidance and accountability for institutional plans to advance EDI-R.
- Targeted communications and engagement to ensure that our work and outcomes are communicated regularly and transparently. We will use multiple engagement tools and resources to ensure that communication is accessible. EDI-R PALS and the advisory board will help to disseminate updates through their respective units on campus using a hub and spoke model.
What’s next?
The EDI-R team will be investing time this month to plan. This means there will be a pause on non-essential work. We appreciate the urgency this work demands and we do not take this pause lightly. We recognize that for us to strengthen our own capacities to pro-actively and responsively provide EDI-R leadership and necessary change, we need to step back from some of the day-to-day work. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.