EDI Committees

2022/23 Committee Members  Other EDI Groups and Committees

 


President's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee (EDIAC)

The President's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee was set up in the fall of 2020, with 15 members made up of students, faculty and staff from across campus to bring a breadth of lived experiences and expertise.

As a committee made up of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) individuals, allies, and those with knowledge and experience in anti-racism education and equity, diversity and inclusion, our mandate is:

  • to affirm MRU’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
  • to disrupt racism
  • to advocate for systemic change (at MRU and in our community)

The committee will provide ongoing recommendations to the president and vice-chancellor within the University’s evolving EDI framework of activities, policies and procedures so that tactical goals and actions can be developed, enacted, communicated and monitored.

In the past few months, the committee has met to discuss committee membership, terms of reference and the current EDI environment and framework at MRU. There is an appropriate demand for immediate change on campus, and although quick change can be a challenge, we are identifying potential short-term and long-term actions.

Current committee discussions include:

  • providing unconscious bias training for those involved with recruitment and selection at MRU
  • recognizing that existing EDI policies, procedures and resources need to be reviewed and updated
  • agreeing that there needs to be better communication with the MRU community about existing EDI policies, procedures and resources
  • wanting to increase the promotion of EDI initiatives happening across campus to amplify BIPOC voices and experience among the MRU community
  • identifying the need for a clear and safe process for students and employees to report and get assistance if they experience or witness discrimination
  • being aware that there is a pressing need for financial assistance and mental health resources for BIPOC students

2022/23 Committee Members

  • Dr. Moussa Magassa (Chair)
  • Joseph Nguyễn (Student)
  • Yasmin Ahmed (Student)
  • Dr. Michael Uzoka (Faculty)
  • Dr. Israel Dunmade (Faculty)
  • Dr. Jennifer Pettit (Faculty)
  • John Fischer (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Dr. Pat Pardo (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Shannon Pestun (Alumni)
  • Dr. Chris Rogerson (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Tera Leigh Cardinal (Student)
  • Pamela Malec (Student)
  • Jessica Havens (Student)
  • Dr. Uthpala Senarathne Tennakoon (Faculty)
  • Dr. Peter Choate (Faculty)
  • Em Medland-Marchen (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Feden Abeda (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Isha Thompson (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Arleen Gallo (Staff/Management/Exempt)
  • Andrea Hennel (Staff/Management/Exempt)

Special Projects Advisors to the committee are:

  • Karen Richards (Marketing and Communications)
  • Kelly Trinh (Marketing and Communications)

By encouraging a compassionate and empathetic dialogue, the committee hopes to learn from the lived experiences of everyone in the MRU community. If you have an EDI initiative you would like to share with the committee or have questions, please email EDI@mtroyal.ca.

 


Other EDI Groups and Committees

A best practice in EDI work is to first recognize and center the work and current initiatives undertaken by individuals and groups. 

We would like to recognize and celebrate the work done by various Faculty, departments and groups:

 

Faculty of Health, Community and Education


HCE has an internal advisory group that is working to support their commitment to EDI within the faculty. This includes a close look at the Scarborough Charter to see how their faculty can support and move forward with certain goals.


Faculty of Science and Technology


Science and Technology have set up a webpage that affirms its commitment to EDI that showcases resources, events, policies, etc. They also host a Committee for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion within the Faculty.


JEDI (Joint Equity Diversity and Inclusion)


A committee established that is looking at creating a framework for a process to explore, identify and make recommendations on how to address the institutional aspects of systemic racism.


University Library


The Library hosts an anti-racism collection that allows the MRU community to easily access related resources.

The Library published a series of commitments, including a fund, in support of Black Lives Matter in 2020.

The Library hosts some virtual events related to EDI and/or researchers doing related work.