More inclusion sought at U of L
Forums in celebration of Human Rights Week held
Several faculty members and students at the University of Lethbridge would like to see more cohesive action by the institution against racism and towards inclusion to preserve human rights.
The Support Network for Academics of Colour+ (SNAC+) was formed in October in response to heightened racism in society. Their goal is to unite and provide support for students, staff and faculty who are particularly challenged because of their race or ethnicity and to work towards safety, equality and inclusion.
On Tuesday they helped organize a series of forums and workshops in celebration of International Human Rights Week. The day included a forum with the Alberta Human Rights Commission and a meet and greet with members of SNAC+.
“It’s the recognition of human rights as a core value for equality and social justice,” said Glenda Bonifacio, associate professor, Women & Gender Studies.
During the open workshop, they asked participants to answer the question “What equity programs or activities would you like to have at the university?”
The U of L has been an important provider of education to students from around the world over the last 50 years. However, the U of L has no equity program or office “charged with affirming or becoming inclusive of all in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality or religion, to make everyone part of the whole system,” explained Bonifacio.
Anti-discrimination laws are in place, but the means for providing meaning to the policy is non-existent at the U of L, she says.
Traditionally these initiatives have been taken on by student groups or volunteers, but Bonifacio says it should have been institutionally directed. There is a need for programming, for more equity policies or activities to grow.
“We have the policy, but there are no programs to make the policy come alive,” she said.
Some universities provide equity studies for students, while others have an equity or diversity office that connects the concerns of faculty, students and staff.
“There was a book recently published called ‘The Equity Myth’ and it talks about how universities are very reluctant across Canada to actually compile the data and actually do something about the racism on their campuses,” said Caroline Hodes, an assistant professor in Women & Gender Studies. “So I think this is a timely issue and something that could be addressed in the University of Lethbridge’s 50th year.”
Approximately 20 per cent of the student population are international students, said Bonifacio. And these students pay two or three times as much in tuition to study in a country far from home.
“So essentially they provide a significant contribution to the university,” said Bonifacio, but equity isn’t only for international students.
“It’s actually for everyone. So everyone becomes part of the culture of treating everybody with the same kind of respect. It will translate to the outside.”
Bonifacio noted the university only recently developed a sexual harassment policy as a result of it happening to someone.
“We tend to just react to events, as opposed to having some sort of a regular program that everyone understood this is our culture,” she said. “The moment you come into university, those programs should be administered, given so that everybody understands. It becomes a culture for respect. So that is what we’re lacking.”
Bonifacio hopes U of L president Mike Mahon, as board chair for Universities Canada, follows through with some action on equity programming, following an earlier announcement that it would be a priority.
The instructors say they received a lot of feedback from those who took part. Bonifacio said they were keenly aware that “not everyone enjoys the same rights,” sharing their own stories about “embedded racism, systemic racism,” and that there is a limited application of equal treatment within the law.
But they also heard feedback and ideas on how to make changes going forward.
Hodes said it’s great to see students “speaking from an empowered position and saying ‘yes I can do something.’ That’s very, very important.”
Talking about racism is the first step to acknowledge the changes that need to take place, according to Hodes.
“There’s racism everywhere. Pretending that racism doesn’t exist in certain pockets of society is disingenuous at best and false at worst,” she said. “I think that a lot of it is unconscious racism… and I think that a lot of people need to be able to address issues of power and privilege to be able to see what’s going on.”