Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	74.20
Liaison	Juanita Van Norman
Submission Date	Aug. 5, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Manitoba
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.89 / 2.00	Tina Chen Executive Lead Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights?:

Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:

Both students and employees

A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:

In October of 2019, the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) was established to provide recommendations on the process and actions required to identify and examine obstacles and inequities facing students, staff and faculty, staff at the University of Manitoba. Chaired by the Vice-Provost (Academic Affairs), community input and consultation, including a community experience survey, were key components of the task force’s work. The survey and consultations took place through the winter and spring of 2020. Committee work by the task force included a baseline data report and an environmental scan report, as well as a community consultations report, in order to inform task force direction and to shape recommendations.

In January 2022, the University of Manitoba created the inaugural Executive Lead (EDI) and hired Dr. Tina Chen for the position. The Executive Lead (EDI) is a two-year term position, that will work with UM community to implement the eight recommendations provided in the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, including recommended structure and resourcing.
In March of 2022, UM established its first Anti-Racism Task Force. The Task Force will be supporting the anti-racism pillar in Our Shared Future, UM’s interim Strategic Plan released in October 2021. The Anti-Racism Task Force is a part of UM’s acknowledgment that as an institution it is a part of Canada’s colonial history, and because of this must strive for equality in its policies, practices, and culture to actively counter all overt and subtle expressions and systems of racism and racial inequality. The Anti-Racism Task Force is co-chaired by Vice-President (Administration), and Vice-President (Indigenous). Other members of the Task Force include diverse members form across the University who have been active in advancing racial justice and decolonization through their leadership, experience, subject matter expertise, and community involvement at UM.
Almost all faculties Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committees and UM is currently working on a network to connect all faculty EDI committees to allow for easier access to available information, as there is no current central EDI website.

Rady Faculty of Health Sciences adopted a policy on equity, diversity and inclusion and a Policy on the Disruption of all forms of Racism, in 2020. They have a dedicated webpage for EDI, with the following leadership roles: Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism, Director, EDI, Rady Faculty, and Anti-racism Practice Lead. The Faculty webpage states “All learners, faculty and staff – regardless of race, ethnicity, colour, religious beliefs, national origin, rurality, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, political beliefs, language and socio-economic status – are to be valued for their individuality, advanced academic pursuits, and contributions to the diversity and functions of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and the University of Manitoba.”
https://umanitoba.ca/health-sciences/equity-diversity-inclusion
https://umanitoba.ca/health-sciences/rady-faculty-health-sciences-policies#rady-faculty-of-health-sciences

Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

Most

Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

All

Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

All

A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

As mandated by the Manitoba Government, all employees (staff and faculty) must complete the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) training. The AMA legislation provides a process to remove barriers affecting people with disability and many other citizens. The 5 key areas of the AMA include Customer Service, Employment, Information & Communication, Design of Public Spaces, and Transportation.

Student, staff, and faculty orientation sessions include workshops on respectful workplace and learning, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, and anti-oppression. The Executive Lead of EDI provides workshops on anti-racism and equality, diversity, and inclusion, accessibility to student, staff, and faculty throughout the year.
The Community of Practice for equity, diversity and inclusion was established in April 2021. The community of practice holds monthly meetings to explore EDI best practices, and invites guest speakers for specific topics of interest, with the goal to facilitate group discussions around difficult cases. The group was formed with the purpose of:
• Providing UM community members (both in and outside the University) with further training and experience to help increase skills and confidence in advocating for EDI;
• Empowering UM community members to be information sources for various departments and communities about upcoming EDI events and campus & community resources; and
• Providing an opportunity for UM community members to have a voice in the future development of EDI initiatives on campus. Monthly meeting topics have included gender diversity, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion, anti-ableism, anti-racism, people with disabilities, EDI committees at the UM.

THRIVE, created in June of 2021, is a virtual learning and wellness event, which aims to help support people and connect members of the UM community and learn and grow – individually, operationally, and in their leadership skills. THRIVE is a three-day event with numerous sessions on wellness that cover a broad range of topics. The Executive Lead for EDI will be providing a workshop session to the UM community in May 2022.
The Community Engaged Learning (CEL) department holds numerous workshops for students, staff, and faculty. CEL works on improving engagement with Indigenous communities through the Working in Good Ways: a framework and resources project and holds workshops relating to the project.

The Summer Institute on Literacy in Indigenous Content is a 10-week program open to UM faculty and staff intended to increase awareness and knowledge of Indigenous subjects and issues, and build capacity and expertise for delivering Indigenous content across the curriculum, as outlined in the UM’s strategic plan. The program covers the histories, political status, rights and contemporary issues of Indigenous peoples in Manitoba, and also addresses how to manage discussion of racially sensitive topics in classrooms.
Students can take cultural competence training which is available through the International Center for Students and the Student Leadership Program. The Socio-Cultural Competency Training is an optional communication skills training that utilizes cultural theories, role-playing, video clips, group discussions and cultural coaches to help international students navigate cultural interactions and communication. The training is offered each term, and students must apply to participate.

Chapter one of the UM Teaching Handbook provides information and resources on how to build equity culture and a respectful culturally competent environment. This handbook is also a resource for working with international, Indigenous, or non-traditional age students.

Sessional instructors and instructors, librarians and pre- and tenured faculty members have Cultural Competence training available to them through the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL). In this workshop, the challenges international students may experience while studying in a Canadian university are discussed, and the role of culture in teaching and learning are explored through case studies. Internationalization of the curriculum is introduced as a solution to the challenges, with the help of which the participants will be able to design one sample of a course element that integrates an awareness of cultural diversity. There has been an expansion of workshops offered through the CATL in recent years to expand on EDI topics.

The Indigenous Student Center (ISC) is the hub for services to support Indigenous students at the University. The ISC offers the Qualico Bridge to Success Program (QBTS) to facilitate the transition of new Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis) students into post-secondary education at the University of Manitoba by offering pre-orientation activities, academic learning support, advising, peer mentoring and special events that will enhance the first-year experience. The Blankstein Momentum Program is designed to provide Indigenous students with access to supports that contribute to their post-secondary persistence, overall well-being and personal success. In addition, the ISC offers a Metis inclusion program that features a variety of events and supports such as the Metis inclusion coordinator. This coordinator is in place to support self-identifying Metis students and educate non-Metis about the rich histories and presence in the Metis Homeland culturally, politically, and academically.

Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing officially launched in June of 2017. Ongomiizwin (clearing a path for generations to come) has a permanent place in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, affirming UM’s commitment to building respectful relationships and creating pathways to Indigenous health, healing and achievement.
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is available to provide support for students with disabilities and to foster success for your academic future. SAS offers a broad spectrum of assistive technologies and programs.

The Sexual Violence Resource Centre (SVRC) is available to help as a primary point of contact for any UM community member affected by sexual violence. Located on the Fort Garry campus and offering services across the Bannatyne and William Norrie campuses as well, the SVRC provides support, resources, information and referral services for any UM student, faculty or staff member who has been affected by sexual violence. Sexual violence refers to any sexual act or acts targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression — whether the act is physical or psychological in nature — that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without their consent.

UM’s Sexual Violence Awareness course, available through UMLearn, offers five modules that address a range of important topics, including UM’s community values, definitions of key terms, a brief overview of UM’s sexual violence policies and procedures, and identification of power dynamics and conflicts of interest, common myths about sexual violence, and an introduction to the Sexual Violence Resource Centre

Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:

https://news.umanitoba.ca/dismantling-racism-um-establishes-anti-racism-task-force/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Data source(s) and notes about the submission

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STARS v2.2

University of Manitoba PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

University of Manitoba
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination