News
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at SFU: February in Review
This February, we undertook a number of activities at SFU in support of creating a more equitable and inclusive campus environment for all. Here is a snapshot of what the Equity Office has been up to.
DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE
In February, we observed several days of significance across the university. This included World Hijab Day, White Cane Week, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Missing Women’s Memorial March, World Day of Social Justice and Pink Shirt Day.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is a month to celebrate Black history, culture and contributions to SFU. SFU President Joy Johnson marked the occasion at the February Senate meeting, and we were proud to see our SFU community come together to host and share events, activities, learnings and stories throughout the month. See this year’s Black History Month webpage to learn more.
There is still much to do to ensure we continue to recognize and celebrate Black Excellence year-round, and we are committed to continuing our work and ensuring a safe and inclusive campus for all.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
This month, SFU’s People and Organization Development team held several town halls for faculty, staff and leaders at SFU to gather input on the university’s inaugural People Plan. The Equity Office has been and will continue to work closely with People and Organization Development to ensure that our People Plan is grounded in an equity lens and aligned with the Equity Compass, SFU’s equity strategic plan.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH SIMON FRASER STUDENT SOCIETY
We are actively pursuing completion of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) that allows us to intervene on incidents within SFSS that affect students under SFU policies GP 47 (Bullying and Harassment) and GP 18 (Human Rights) as well as GP 44 (Sexual Violence and Misconduct Prevention, Education and Support) as previously established. This MOU is a partnership with SFSS, given that SFSS is independent of SFU’s legal jurisdiction and SFU cannot take over their leadership, governance or operations without specific agreement and their consensus. The draft MOU is currently with the SFSS and progressing through their internal review process. It will then be shared by them with student groups within SFSS for feedback, then returned to SFU before it can be finalized. The MOU covers the conduct of individual students, not the SFSS at large.
EDI-RELATED SUPPORTS ARE AVAILABLE
In February, we received news of more unmarked children’s graves at the former Alberni Indian Residential School. We recognize the ongoing distress and (re)traumatizing impacts on Indigenous members of SFU and stand in Indigenous solidarity as this difficult but necessary work on the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation journey continues.
In addition to ongoing international conflicts impacting our global SFU community members, there were also massive earthquakes in Türkiye/Turkey and Syria, and we were alerted to concern about rising antisemitism, including some that affected members of our community. We continue to support community members directly as appropriate to address concerns and provide supports for all. Please reach out if you need help and remember to practice self-care during this difficult time.