MacEwan University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

A full Gender Based Violence Analysis was completed in 2013 to gather information on the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of students regarding gender based violence (GBV). Nearly 500 students completed the questionnaire. Participants were asked about about GBV myths, personal experiences, how well they believe MacEwan University is doing in terms of GBV education, and what they believe would be helpful in further addressing GBV issues on campus. Based on the gathered data, a full Campus Community Plan was developed. This plan outlined specific recommendations on how to move forward and address GBV issues, such as creating a sexual misconduct policy, including GBV in the MacEwan University Code of Conduct, and educating students, staff, and faculty about GBV and the roles they may play in responding to GBV. These recommendations have been approved by the President and Vice Presidents and are in the process of being implemented across MacEwan University.

Collegial governance provides an opportunity for citizens to participate in decision-making and this is the hallmark of academic decision-making. A key principle is the meaningful involvement of faculty and other campus constituencies in deliberations that contribute to effective institutional governance (AGC, Board Responsibility for Institutional Governance, 2010). The University has a bicameral governance structure, which refers to governance in two chambers, the Board of Governors and Academic Governance Council. The Board of Governors (Board) has senior oversight of the institution and concerns itself with long-range planning and business affairs. Academic Governance Council, subject to the authority of the Board, is responsible for the academic affairs of the University. Board of Governors: The Board takes a strategic approach to recruiting individuals as potential board members and recommending candidates for appointment by the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education. Of note is the following point contained within the goal statement, “the Board as a whole reflects, to a reasonable extent, the diversity of the community served and the programs offered by MacEwan”. The Matrix of Skills and Traits includes the following a) Personal Trait criteria: ethnic and gender diversity and b) Area of Expertise criteria: other sectors such as Aboriginal, energy, health, etc. Details regarding the strategic approach can be viewed on the Board’s webpage http://www.macewan.ca/wcm/ExecutiveandGovernance/BoardofGovernors/OperationoftheBoard/Recruitment/index.htm Consideration of underrepresented groups and women forms part of the Board’s confidential recruitment dialogue so as to ensure there is balance within the governance body; however, once a member is appointed, the Board views all members as equals and does not specifically classify individuals. The current membership of the Board of Governors includes nine (9) men and five (5) women. Academic Governance Council: “The Academic Governance Council provides a forum for scholarly discussion of ideas and concepts leading to decisions about academic activities, including scholarship, research, and creative activity at Grant MacEwan University; these decisions are consistent with the philosophies of a learner-centred education, academic excellence, and a participatory decision-making organizational culture”. (Excerpt from Policy B3000, Academic Governance Bylaws). Involving academic staff in decision-making around academic matters is the cornerstone of bicameral and collegial governance; as such the majority of AGC members are academic staff, who are nominated and elected through an open democratic process. The University has several keystone governance documents which reference diversity and equity. The full documents are available on the Board of Governors’ webpage.