Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office

The �ؿ�ζSM has launched an Anti-Semitism Working Group to examine and address anti-Semitism on campus – and to ensure the university is an inclusive and welcoming place for Jewish members of its community.

The working group, whose contributions will form an integral part of the university’s commitment to addressing systemic forms of racism across its three campuses, including Islamophobia and anti-Black racism, will make recommendations to U of T President Meric Gertler, Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr and Vice-President, Human Resources and Equity Kelly Hannah-Moffat.

Led by Arthur Ripstein, a University Professor in the Faculty of Law and in the department of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts & Science, the working group will review the processes and practices in place to address anti-Semitism on U of T’s three campuses and develop a framework to support the university’s response to the issue. It will recommend ways to improve education about anti-Semitism and responses to anti-Semitic incidents, as well as propose new programs and initiatives to eliminate anti-Semitism on-campus.

It will also examine best practices at other large, research-intensive universities and consult with students, faculty, librarians and staff about how to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and supports community members who are Jewish.

“Our aim is to see to it that the university not only responds when there are incidents or allegations of anti-Semitism, but is also proactive in creating a culture of inclusion within which various forms of discrimination, including anti-Semitism, are better understood and tackled through education,” Ripstein said.

“Anti-Semitism is like other forms of discrimination in some ways, and different from them in other ways. The point of having working groups that examine multiple types of injustice and discrimination in our university is to come up with strategies for dealing with not just the general problem, but also its particular manifestation.”

“Anti-Semitism is a source of discrimination, harassment and hatred that undermines our values,” Hannah-Moffat said. “U of T recognizes that we need to be more proactive and responsive to address it on our campuses.

“No form of discrimination is tolerated at the �ؿ�ζSM.”

Ripstein said consultations with the U of T community will be key to the working group’s efforts and that information provided by the community will help shape its recommendations.

“Our main work will be, in the first instance, listening to and seeking input from members of the university community. We want to hear about their concerns and instances of anti-Semitism of which they think we should be made aware,” he said.

“As a university, the way we deal with problems is to study them. And so, our first task is going to be to study the problem and think about ways to manage it within the context of the university’s broader commitment to being a place where difficult questions can be addressed and considered in a respectful and inclusive manner.”

Ripstein invited members of the U of T community to share their feedback by emailing the Anti-Semitism Working Group at anti.semitism.working.group@utoronto.ca.

In addition to Ripstein, the members of the working group are:

Miriam Borden, PhD student, Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures in the Faculty of Arts & Science
Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, U of T Mississauga
Ayelet Kuper, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Faye Mishna, Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Anna Shternshis, Al and Malka Green Professor of Yiddish and Diaspora Studies, Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures, Faculty of Arts & Science; and Director, Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies
Nouman Ashraf, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Rotman School of Management
Anita Balakrishna, Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Karima Hashmani, Executive Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Division of HR & Equity
Jodie Glean, Director, Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office and Project Manager, Anti-Semitism Working Group

U of T to host conference on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 17:41:50 +0000

U of T to host conference on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

geoff.vendeville Fri, 03/16/2018 - 13:41

Cutline

Aisha Raja, program coordinator at the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office, helped organize the second annual U of T conference for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

City & Culture

Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office

Diversity

Faculty of Medicine

Subheadline

Two-day event brings together experts from U of T's three campuses and other universities

In 1960, South African police wielding submachine guns opened fire on protesters demonstrating against apartheid laws.

The massacre of 69 people led the United Nations to declare March 21 the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

At the �ؿ�ζSM, the day is an occasion to reflect on how the university is tackling racial discrimination while preparing the leaders of tomorrow to do the same after graduation. On March 19 and 20, the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office is organizing the second annual conference focusing on how anti-racism efforts have changed in post-secondary institutions.

The keynote speaker is Natasha Kumar Warikoo, an associate professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and author of The Diversity Bargain, which explores how students at elite universities think about merit and race.

The event at Hart House brings together students, staff and faculty from across the university's three campuses, as well as other post-secondary institutions, to talk about how they are addressing racial discrimination.

See here for full schedule

One roundtable with staff and faculty from U of T, Ryerson and York looks at how these universities are working on the collection of race-based data from their communities to ensure that they reflect the diversity of the GTA.

Other topics include how to pave the way for Black women in academia and building a community that rejects anti-Semitism.

U of T and other universities' role in creating a more inclusive society can’t be overstated, says Ike Okafor, senior officer of service learning and diversity outreach in the Faculty of Medicine.

“If you look at who runs industry, politics and health care, everyone's university-educated,” he says. “You want people to come out of that experience more knowledgeable and better able to serve the population they're in.”

Okafor is part of a workshop at the conference about what it takes to build an anti-racism community at U of T.

His faculty launched a program in the spring of 2017 to help correct the chronic under-representation of Black students in medicine. Black applicants remain subject to the same rigorous standards as all aspiring med students, but they have the option to submit a personal essay and be interviewed by a panel including Black doctors, faculty or students.

In his 14 years working at U of T, Okafor says the university has made some progress on helping racialized students feel welcome, but that there is still much more to do. “We can't have pockets of students who are feeling marginalized in an institution like ours, because then they won't fully contribute or won't want to come here,” he says.

“If we value diversity, we need to draw upon everyone's strengths.”

International Women’s Day, star athletes and a Trump insider: Check out these March events at U of T

Romi Levine — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 16:44:35 +0000

International Women’s Day, star athletes and a Trump insider: Check out these March events at U of T

Romi Levine Wed, 03/07/2018 - 11:44

Cutline

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked International Women's Day at a U of T event, speaking with Tanya van Biesen, executive director of Catalyst Canada (photo by Yana Kaz)

Romi Levine

Topic

City & Culture

Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office

Cheryl Regehr

Cities

Citizen Lab

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Faculty of Law

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Rotman School of Management

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at �ؿ�ζSM’s downtown Toronto campus today to mark International Women’s Day at the Rotman School of Management, kicking off a busy month packed with fascinating events – including a visit by a bestselling author with an inside scoop on Donald Trump’s White House, Olympic gold medallist Rosie MacLennan sharing her secrets to success, and dozens of accomplished women speaking about empowering women and girls all over the world.

Here’s a taste of what’s in store as (fingers crossed) the weather gets warmer:

March 7

Today, hear Michael Wolff, journalist and author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, share insights from his bestselling book on the first nine months of the Trump presidency. As of writing this, there are still a limited number of tickets available.

March 8

It’s International Women’s Day – an opportunity to highlight the amazing accomplishments of women around the world while acknowledging we have much more to do to achieve equality.

U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and the United Nations are teaming up for an event featuring experts from the UN, Plan International Canada and U of T, speaking about how to empower at-risk women and girls, particularly in developing countries.

For a conversation about women’s rights and health, students at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health are hosting an event at Women’s College Hospital, featuring U of T Provost Cheryl Regehr.

The Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education is bringing Olympians to U of T, including gold medal-winning trampolinist Rosie MacLennan and basketball player Tamara Tatham, for She Moves! – an event to celebrate female leaders and physical activity – so don’t forget your running shoes.

The Faculty of Law will be hosting filmmaker Sarah Polley, lawyers Alexi Wood and Jonathan Lisus, and Deepa Mattoo, legal director of the Barbara Schlifer Clinic, who will be talking about the #MeToo movement.

U of T's MacLennan, who won gold at the Rio Olympics, takes part in She Moves! on International Women's Day, March 8. (photo by David Ramos via Getty Images)

March 9

Author Robyn Maynard, U of T lecturer Beverly Bain and sculptor and anti-prison organizer Sheena Hoszko discuss the understudied impacts of state violence as it is experienced by Black women, Black people with physical challenges, LGBTQI and undocumented Black communities, at U of T Mississauga.

This year's Women and Minorities in Philosophy Conference features a keynote on medical management of transgender kids by Princeton's Catherine Clune-Taylor.

March 14

Listen to the Canadian ambassador to Italy and the Canadian ambassador to the EU talk about Canada and European Union’s trade relationship at an event hosted by Munk School of Global Affairs.

At U of T Mississauga, hear Senator Ratna Omidvar's talk about how her personal story has influenced her pioneering work on diversity, inclusion and immigration policy.

March 19-20

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD), U of T’s Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office is hosting its annual conference and will be looking at anti-racism change in postsecondary institutions.

March 21

Distinguished Professor of Urban Systems Engineering Mark Fox will be at the Centre for Ethics speaking about how to build better – and smarter – cities.

March 22

U of T Scarborough Indigenous Elder Wendy Phillips will be leading the What's Cooking Intercultural Food Discussion, teaching attendees to prepare and cook a number of Indigenous dishes, and talk about connections to the environment around us through what we eat.

March 22-23

Academics and activists are coming together at U of T’s downtown Toronto and Mississauga campuses for a conference examining how women in the Middle East and North Africa are making use of cyberspace, and in particular, social networking sites, to explore new possibilities to transform virtual sites into feminist spaces, and to fight against the increasing threats of surveillance and censorship.

March 27

What data are companies collecting about you? Join Ron Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab at Munk School of Global Affairs, for a Centre for Ethics talk about big data, policy and privacy.

Truth and Reconciliation: KPE digs deep on issues of race and Indigeneity

hjames — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 05:00:00 +0000

Truth and Reconciliation: KPE digs deep on issues of race and Indigeneity

hjames Wed, 01/10/2018 - 00:00

Cutline

Women's Varsity Blues basketball game at U of T (photo by Martin Bazyl)

Hannah James

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

First Nations House

Graduate Students

Indigenous

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Truth and Reconciliation

Undergraduate Students

Varsity Blues

The �ؿ�ζSM's Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education has long led the charge for equity and diversity, from increasing women's participation in sport, to implementing campaigns such as the Change Room Project for a more inclusive locker-room culture, to running SOAR, a March Break program for Indigenous teens.

Now, KPE has set up a task force to improve equity and diversity in all its programming, including sports, recreation, intramurals, curricula and research.

Its Task Force on Race and Indigeneity, which has been meeting since the summer, was inspired by U of T’s Truth and Reconciliation efforts, says Ira Jacobs, dean and professor at KPE.

“Our faculty has a unique opportunity and responsibility to connect with more students than almost any other division,” says Jacobs. “Our co-curricular programs must welcome, invite and contribute to the health and well-being of all of our students.”

KPE is aiming to release the task force's final report and recommendations by late summer or early fall.

Dean Ira Jacobs says equity and diversity have long been a priority for KPE, but the TRC prompted the faculty to take a deeper look at its programming through the lens of race and Indigeneity (photo courtesy of Seed9)

Almost one year ago, U of T's Truth and Reconciliation steering committee released its final report, with 34 calls to action for the university to improve its relationship with Indigenous people. The report, called Wecheehetowin, which means “working together” in Cree, highlights that the work to be done at U of T will need to be a collective journey.

Read the full TRC steering committee report

At KPE, the Task Force on Race and Indigeneity has set out four aspects of programming that might not fully support racial diversity and Indigeneity and is addressing each with working groups of staff, faculty, students, an Indigenous Elder and community members. The working groups are looking at:

Student recruitment, admissions, success and retention
Staff and faculty recruitment, retention and advancement
Curriculum, research, pedagogy and learning
Recreation and sport, community outreach and recruitment

There were more than 90 applications from people wanting to participate in the working groups, says Sharon Grandison, KPE’s director of human resources and task force co-chair. “The tremendous response to our call for applicants to join our working groups is indicative of just how timely this initiative is,” she says. “We couldn’t be more pleased to have this level of engagement.”

Other task force members include: Ernie Sandy, a member of the Indigenous Elders' Circle at U of T; Lamia Aganagic, an undergraduate student at KPE; Cathy Amara, assistant professor, teaching stream, at KPE; Shannon Simpson, director of First Nations House; Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Camacho, a PhD candidate at OISE and researcher at Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health; Greg Gary, former Varsity Blues football head coach; Sarah Bear, a recent U of T graduate and peer mentor in KPE’s SOAR program; Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, anti-racism and cultural diversity officer at U of T; Simon Darnell, assistant professor at KPE and task force co-chair; Debra Kriger, a graduate student at KPE; and John Leung, an undergraduate student at New College.

The working groups are expected to deliver their recommendations to the task force in June, so the final report can be ready in late summer or early fall.

Dancers in regalia join the SOAR program for an afternoon of traditional drumming and dance (photo by Lynda Li)

Tackling issues of race and diversity in an environment that’s as complex and multi-dimensional as U of T is no easy task, says Jacobs. “It will require a range of strategies, and we’re looking for some wonderfully creative suggestions on how to do that.”

“We are grateful to have this opportunity to improve our programming to better reflect the racial and cultural diversity of our campus community, in particular our current and future Indigenous students, faculty and staff,” he says.

Taking on Islamophobia in higher education

geoff.vendeville — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 13:24:36 +0000

Taking on Islamophobia in higher education

geoff.vendeville Thu, 11/02/2017 - 09:24

Cutline

Hundreds gathered in front of University College in January to mourn the victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office

Hart House

Human Resources & Equity

Multi-Faith Centre

When Dalia Hashim was in her second year of university, she had an encounter she can’t forget.

Walking down St. George Street, listening to music and carrying her textbooks, she crossed paths with a middle-aged couple. “Make way for the curtain,” one of them said, referring to Hashim’s hijab.

The remark hit her like a sucker punch: She was so confused she didn’t know how to process what had happened. It was a hurtful reminder that Islamophobia persists, even at the heart of a university campus, in a city that prides itself on multiculturalism.

Hashim, a former president of the �ؿ�ζSM Muslim Students’ Association, says she continued to experience Islamophobia – often in insidious ways, such as seeing stereotypes of her faith in class.

She returned to campus this week, a few months after graduating with a master’s degree in public policy, to moderate a discussion on dismantling Islamophobia in higher education. The event at Hart House was organized by the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) with Hart House and the Multi-Faith Centre – an example of how the university is working with student groups to address anti-Muslim sentiment.

Across Canada, many Muslims face hostility. The latest Statistics Canada data, from 2015, shows police-reported hate crimes against Muslims increased by 60 per cent.

U of T is not immune to the swell of anti-Muslim sentiment happening globally, says Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, the university's anti-racism and cultural diversity officer.

The event grew out of ARCDO's conversations with students in its dialogue programs about race and faith. The dialogues are peer-led and held a few times a semester at each of U of T’s three campuses. By having these discussions, ARCDO hopes to shed light on the many ways that student, staff and faculty experience Islamophobia.

ARCDO is one of the university’s equity offices and has a tri-campus mandate. Members of the community can contact the office to report concerns and submit a complaint if they experience harassment or discrimination on campus based on their religion, race, ancestry, place of origin or citizenship.

“Islamophobia impacts the university as a whole,” says Carnegie-Douglas. “If members of our communities are feeling marginalized and excluded, then they’re not able to contribute and reach their full potential.”

Mourners at the U of T vigil for the victims of a shooting at a Quebec City mosque in January (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Some students have said they faced subtler forms of discrimination, such as being called on in class as the voice of all Muslims, especially in response to Islamophobic comments, says Carnegie-Douglas. Others have experienced more overt acts of bigotry and discrimination.

“The ARCDO's intention is to continue the conversations with students, as we incorporate the voices and experiences of faculty and staff,” with the goal of fostering a more equitable and inclusive university community, Carnegie-Douglas added.

When a community member experiences an Islamophobic incident, Sameena Eidoo, assistant director of education and programs, at the Multi-Faith Centre, is there to listen and provide support. Students, staff and faculty can make an appointment or drop in during regular business hours.

“We strongly encourage reporting Islamophobic incidents that occur on campus,” Eidoo says.

“Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim are vulnerable,” she continued, adding that Islamophobia interlocks with other forms of oppression, including racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

“It has wide-reaching implications for all of us,” she says.

Incidents can also be reported to the Multi-Faith Centre. The National Council of Canadian Muslims, a civil liberties and advocacy organization, keeps a record of hate crimes.

After six Muslim men died and 19 others were wounded in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque in January, the Muslims Students’ Association – the largest student club according to its website – hosted a healing circle at the Multi-Faith Centre.

It was at this painful time that Hashim, then-president of the Muslim Students’ Association, had an experience that stands in sharp contrast to that ugly encounter on St. George Street years earlier.

More than a dozen of heart-shaped sticky notes were left on the association’s door with messages like “Stay strong” and “We mourn with you.” Words of support were also left in prayer spaces at Emmanuel College and the Multi-Faith Centre.

“It was very heartwarming at a time when a lot of us were trying to wrap our heads around something that was very senseless and hard to explain,” Hashim recalls.

She hopes the vigil and other events organized after the tragedy made at least one thing clear: “It’s okay if you arrive at U of T not knowing much about Islam or Muslims, but it’s inexcusable to spend four years here and have the same stereotypes.”