Fall 2020

Surrey Campus Anti-Racism Working Group - SFU Surrey Campus Administration, Summer/Fall 2020

Over the Summer and Fall 2020 semesters, a number of SFU Surrey faculty and staff came together to discuss and better understand the issues of racism at the campus and how the campus community can support and effect change. The Surrey Campus Anti-Racism Working Group took time to reflect on their own personal experiences and how racism has and continues to manifest itself in their lives, what they did and did not know about what racism looks like, and their own their biases towards it.

In a relatively short period of time, many ideas and perspectives were shared for creating a path forward. With the support of the university's EDI committee, in 2021 SFU Surrey will work with a facilitator to conduct a series of co-created campus community dialogues that help move this work forward in a good way, and also explore opportunities for the campus community to support and engage in EDI initiatives at SFU Surrey.

For more information, contact Steve Dooley, executive director of SFU's Surrey campus, at sdooley@sfu.ca.

MST Futurism: Decolonizing the City Through a Matriarchal Lens - SFU Public Square, December 3, 2020

This event will uplift and celebrate xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) visions for the future of what is currently known as Vancouver.

Faculty of Education announces Dr. Michelle Pidgeon as inaugural Associate Dean, Indigeneity - Faculty of Education, November 25, 2020

Dr. Michelle Pidgeon has been announced as the inaugural Associate Dean, Indigeneity for SFU's Faculty of Education. The Faculty of Education worked with Indigenous knowledge holders, Elders and linguists from local Indigenous Nations to jointly name this position.

Distant, Not Disengaged - SFU Public Square, the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue and Cityhive, April - November 2020

From April to November, SFU Public Square, Cityhive and the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue held a series of events called Distant, Not Disengaged. This series grappled with issues of inequity that COVID-19 has unearthed and exacerbated, with sessions such as "Breaking News: Canadian Media Fails to Represent" and "Navigating Race-Based Data: Intersections of Health through COVID-19". 

Additionally, all these events—and every online event that SFU Public Square has held since mid-March—has featured closed captioning for accessibility and inclusivity. If you have questions about captioning, you can contact Seth Erais at seth_re@sfu.ca.

Applications open for Indigenous Digital Media Grants (IDMG) - SFU Library, November 10, 2020

The Indigenous Digital Media Grants (IDMG) provide financial support to SFU researchers, creators, and makers to cover costs associated with the development of Indigenous digital resources. We welcome applications for projects that aim to create forms of “digital media” through processes of digitization, or through the creation of new media (films, podcasts, websites, etc).

SFU holds first "Inclusion in the Classroom Week" - Centre for Educational Excellence, November 9-13, 2020

Running from Nov. 9-13, Inclusion in the Classroom Week features a series of workshops that help instructors incorporate different aspects of inclusion into their teaching.

School of Interactive Arts & Technology co-op team expanding EDI competency - School of Interactive Arts and Technology, November 4, 2020

The SIAT Co-op team is excited to expand its EDI competency by participating in two professional development courses - (1) ACE-WIL Virtual Professional Development Series: Inclusion Literacy and Unconscious Bias Training with Alden Habacon and (2) Foundations of Intercultural Development for Work Integrated Learning Staff.

Tamara Starblanket awarded the 2020 Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy - Office of the Vice-President, Academic and Provost and SFU Public Square, October 29, 2020

Tamara Starblanket was this year’s recipient of the 2020 Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy for her book Suffer the Little Children: Genocide, Indigenous Nations and the Canadian State. Starblanket is Dean of Academics at the Native Education College and a Cree woman from Ahtahkakoop First Nation in Treaty Six. At an event on October 29, she received her award and she gave a presentation on Canada’s role in changing the definition of genocide and the legal ramifications internationally.

Convocation regalia redesigned to honour Coast Salish peoples and territories - Ceremonies & Events and the Office for Aboriginal Peoples, October 21, 2020

When they took the stage for this fall’s Convocation, SFU’s new chancellor and president wore newly designed regalia that featured motifs created by Chief Janice George—Chepximiya Siyam’—and Willard ‘Buddy’ Joseph—Skwetsimeltxw—both expert weavers and teachers from the Squamish Nation.

Academic Women host webinar on "Radical Inclusion" - Academic Women, October 7, 2020

Over 500 people from around the globe joined Academic Women for this webinar about Radical Inclusion in the post-secondary landscape.

SFU supports Indigenous entrepreneurs, commits to further responsible investing - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, October 6, 2020

SFU is the first university to invest in the Raven Indigenous Impact Fund (RIIF), a B.C.-based fund supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs.

The $1-million investment, offered through Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, will help Indigenous people overcome the systemic inequalities created through colonization, and is a concrete step towards advancing economic reconciliation.

SFU signs new Candian Investor Statement on Diversity and Inclusion - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, October 1, 2020

SFU was one of the signatories of the new Canadian Investor Statement on Diversity & Inclusion, pledging to take steps to integrate diversity and inclusion into our investment processes.

Ceremonies and Events Hires Manager of Indigenous Events Protocol and Special Events - Ceremonies and Events, October 2020

SFU Ceremonies and Events is excited to welcome Nicole Taylor-Sterritt to the team as the manager of Indigenous events protocol and special events.

October Social Justice Challenge - Faculty of Environment, October 2020

During October, the Faculty of Environment’s focus includes looking for ways to make visible unconscious biases that contribute to discrimination, looking for ways of creating inclusive and welcoming spaces, and supporting safety nets that improve the lives of vulnerable individuals.

SFU holds ground awakening ceremony for First Peoples' Gathering House - Office for Aboriginal Peoples, September 30, 2020

SFU’s Office for Aboriginal Peoples held a special ground awakening ceremony to honour the intergenerational survivors of the Indian residential school system while looking forward to the future at the site of the new First Peoples’ Gathering House.

SFU partners with the National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities - Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, September 24, 2020

The National Dialogues are a series of national forums focused on addressing equity and inclusion in Canadian post-secondary education; SFU signed on as a partner to support this work. The first National Dialogue took place in early October and focused on anti-Black racism and Black inclusion in Canadian higher education.

Report released on equity, diversity and inclusion at SFU - Academic Women, August 2020

In 2019, Academic Women undertook a comprehensive study at Simon Fraser University on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion.