Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.00
Liaison Jessica Krejcik
Submission Date Dec. 22, 2021

STARS v2.2

Concordia University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Lisa Ostiguy
Special Advisor to the Provost
Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic
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Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:

In July 2018, the new role of Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life was appointed with the aim of improving policies and processes to foster a safe, accessible, diverse, inclusive and respectful campus. Part of this new responsibility included facilitating a campus conversation on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Concordia.

This process was divided into three phases:

PHASE 1 - Consultations / Advisory Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In Phase 1, from January to August 2019, the Advisory Group on EDI consulted the Concordia community about existing practices, concerns and needs related to EDI. Activities of the Advisory Group included a scan of EDI practices in Canadian universities, a call for written submissions from the Concordia community, ethnographic observations of the Concordia community on both campuses, group and individual interviews of Concordia stakeholders, collection of “sense of belonging” stories from students, test of staff’s level of agreement with statements related to EDI and IDEAS Cafés on both campuses.

PHASE 2 - Recommendations / Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In Phase 2, from September 2019 to October 2020, the Working Group on EDI validated the priorities identified in Phase 1 and made recommendations to address them.

The Working Group on EDI conducted a web survey among all Concordia students, staff and faculty between October 7, 2019, and October 23, 2019. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate perceptions of EDI at the university and to test the priorities identified by the Advisory Group on EDI in Phase 1. Members worked with an external survey provider, SOM, to develop the questionnaire and analyze the data.

PHASE 3 - Implementation / Steering Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In Phase 3, starting from November 2020, these recommendations will be put into action. Phase 3 will include the creation of a coordinated EDI structure for the university and the development of an EDI action plan, supported by a steering committee on EDI and a well identified home for EDI resources and services at the university.


Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of employees and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
No

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
No

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:

The Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion released the findings of the review and official results were shared with the university community in Summer 2020.

Some highlights:
- Although most community members feel that the university promotes EDI to some extent, actual awareness of EDI policies or practices on campus is fairly limited.
- A significant proportion of community members have experienced or witnessed harassment or discrimination at the university.
- Faculty, staff and students have very different perspectives of EDI at the university. Faculty members are the most critical of the situation, when students are the less critical.
- More information on existing resources and more training on EDI are the top expectations of community members, along with better accessibility on campus.
- There is a high level of agreement on campus with the first recommendations considered for the university EDI action plan.


Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
Yes

A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:

The report of the Advisory Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (PHASE 1) is available on the university website. Open information sessions on the highlights of the report were organized on both campuses in the Fall 2019.

The report of the Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (PHASE 2) was released in Summer 2020 and is be available on the university website. Between August 13 and August 26, 2020, the Working Group on EDI hosted a 3-step consultation process with 152 stakeholders from across the university to help finalize and prioritize its set of recommendations.
- Information session on EDI
- Prioritization questionnaire
- Consultation sessions on EDI

The final report of the Working Group on EDI was released to the community in November 2020. The final report closes the work of the advisory and working group on EDI and provides a point-in-time reference on EDI perceptions and work underway. It also highlights gaps, barriers and opportunities. The next steps are for our new Equity Office to articulate recommendations of the report into an action plan.

https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2020/11/04/concordia-releases-its-report-of-the-working-group-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion.html


Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
Yes

The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
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Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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