Langara College
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Langara College is committed to the principle that all members of the College community have the right to work and study in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. The Langara Human Rights Policy (B3008) covers:

- discrimination
- harassment based on a prohibited ground of discrimination
- sexual harassment

The prohibited grounds of discrimination/harassment are: race, colour, religion, ancestry, place of origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, family or marital status, political belief, age, class, or criminal conviction unrelated to employment.

More information on Respectful Learning and Working Environment can be found here:
https://langara.ca/about-langara/policies/pdf/2018-05-24.Policy%20410%20-%20Respectful%20Learning%20and%20Working%20Environment.Board%20Approved.pdf

More information on Human Rights at Langara College can be found here:
https://langara.ca/about-langara/human-rights/overview.html

Employees and students have access to a number of resources and supports, and Langara supports those who have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, act of discrimination or hate crime in a multitude of ways, including:
- Unionized employees can connect/contact their union steward for support as well as an HR Consultant (part of People & Culture).
- Issues or concerns can come through informally or formally and each is evaluated on a case by case basis confidentially.
- The process and outcomes can vary for each case based on the facts presented, and the process the employee is willing to engage in to address the issue.
- If and when a formal complaint is filed/ pursued, it can lead to an investigation and that process is generally outlined in the “Conducting Investigations” policy at Langara College, which is driven by respect, privacy, and confidentiality.

Langara also has a Human Rights Policy (B3008), which guides such responses and is administered by the Director, Labour Relations & Human Rights. When matters occur that may fall under the Policy, the first step is a confidential consultation with the Director, Labour Relations & Human Rights, who will review the matter and advise whether the matter falls within the Policy. If a complaint proceeds beyond the consultation, it must be in writing.

Under the Human Rights policy the Director, Labour Relations & Human Rights may provide mediation, or arrange for outside mediators or investigators. In all complaints the Director, Labour Relations & Human Rights acts as a neutral third party, not an advocate for either the complainant or the respondent. If a matter cannot be resolved between the parties and proceeds to investigation, a report may be made to the President. A complaint may be dismissed, or, if a violation of the policy is shown, disciplinary action may result.

Clause 8.28 in the Langara Human Rights Policy B3008 identifies the protocol regarding bias, noting that an appeal by a party disciplined may be made on the grounds of real or apparent bias on the part of the investigator.

More information on Langara's Human Rights Policy and Procedures in general can be found here:
https://langara.ca/about-langara/human-rights/procedures.html

The Langara Human Rights Policy (B3008) can be found here:
https://langara.ca/registration-and-records/pdf/B3008.pdf

The Conducting Investigations Policy can be found here: https://langara.ca/registration-and-records/pdf/B1001.pdf

For Students:

1) Langara’s Indigenous Upgrading Program, which is a joint project between Langara and Musqueam, whose unceded traditional territory Langara is located on. The IUP assists non-graduated adults in the Musqueam community complete their adult Dogwood diploma.

2) International Students information brochures, YouTube videos, and International Education Viewbook. The Viewbook provides information on living and studying in Vancouver, the programs Langara offers, and how to apply.

The International Students Brochure can be found here:
https://langara.ca/international-education/downloads/brochures.html

More information on the Indigenous Upgrading Programs can be found here:
https://langara.ca/news-and-events/langara-news/2019/190621-musqueam-iup.html

For students:
- Indigenous Education & Services offer workshops and information session, counselling by two Indigenous Liaison counsellors and an Elder in Residence. The Elder in Residence helps students build a sense of community, and belonging in a supportive environment. There is also an Indigenous Gathering Space which offers a space for various amenities to support students, the Indigenous Liaison Counsellors are located here, and to host various events.

- The International Education Department helps international students integrate and adjust to campus life and to study in Canada. International students benefit from a variety of relevant, innovative, top-quality programs and support services. One such program is Langara Plus which is a special program developed for international students at Langara, it aims to improve social and interpersonal skills, develop intercultural awareness, improve physical fitness, enhance application to university and maximize opportunities for success.

Staff:
There are no current programs that are designed specifically to support academic and non-academic staff from underrepresented groups. Rather, there are general supports and programs that are open to anyone, such as:

- The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a voluntary, bilingual, and confidential service that assists employees and their eligible family members. Support includes advice on mental, physical, or financial well-being, and the program offers expert insight and resources to find suitable solutions.

- Various workshops, presentation, webinars, and resources are available to assist employees for various topics such as; Mental Health & Care, Social Wellness, Employee Wellness, Self Care, and Screen-Life Balance.

The College is currently conducting focus groups with employees and leaders to develop and implement Langara’s employment equity statement that will help guide us to create action plans to support underrepresented/equity seeking groups. We have a new Executive Director of Indigenous Services who recently joined and is currently orienting himself to Langara College teams and processes: we expect that he will have critical role in identifying and actioning further supports for Indigenous employees and students at Langara College. We will be working closely with the Executive Director of Indigenous Services to also develop and implement and Indigenous Recruitment strategy.

More information on Indigenous Education & Services can be found here:
https://langara.ca/student-services/indigenous-services/index.html

More information on the International Education Department can be found here: https://langara.ca/international-education/index.html

More information on the EFAP can be found here:
https://langara.ca/departments/human-resources-payroll/payroll-and-benefits/employee-family-assistance-program.html

More information on Langara's wellness promotion can be found here:
https://langara.ca/departments/human-resources-payroll/wellness-promotion/index.html

Langara College does not currently have a recruitment program in place for academic and non-academic staff, but is currently developing an Indigenous recruitment strategy and a JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) strategy which will establish a strategy for HR action plans and recruitment programs focused on Indigenous and inclusive hiring.