Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.89
Liaison Jonathan Rausseo
Submission Date Nov. 25, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Ottawa
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.89 / 2.00 Noël Badiou
Director, Equity and Human Rights
Office of the Vice-President, Governance, Human Rights Office
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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:

Office and Officers
The University of Ottawa has the following senior executive positions and offices responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusiveness initiatives:

Director of Indigenous Affairs
• Academic Delegate for Indigenous Engagement and Director of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies

Special Advisor to the President, Diversity and Inclusion
• The Special Advisor to the President on Diversity and Inclusion report directly to the President and work collaboratively with all units and members of the university community. The Special Advisor’s mandate covers all matters relating to any grounds enumerated under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability.

Senior HR Advisor, Employment Equity Diversity and Inclusion
• The Senior HR Advisor, Employment Equity Diversity and Inclusion collaborate on a number of initiatives in support of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace, including the co-facilitation of bias training for Protection Services, inclusion workshops for uOGlobal and uOttawa’s leadership programs and ‘Equity in the Workplace’ for APUO Selection Committees.

Director, Human Rights Office
• The Human Rights Office is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment that promotes the understanding of and respect for dignity of the person as part of a university community that is free from harassment and discrimination. The office is also committed to leveraging diversity by offering the education and tools needed to create a more vibrant, innovative and inclusive campus, one where both the people and the institution can thrive.

Special Advisor on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence
• The Special Advisor on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence co-chair the Steering Committee on Anti-Racism and Inclusion and work closely with faculties, services and all student bodies to implement the committee’s recommendations.
Committees

Steering Committee on Anti-Racism and Inclusion: The University of Ottawa’s Steering Committee on Anti-Racism and Inclusion (“Steering Committee”) aims to address anti-Racism, and particularly anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and to support and promote the inclusion of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) members at all levels of the University of Ottawa’s community. The Steering Committee will review and assess University resources, programs, policies, processes, and practices to understand how they contribute to systemic racism and will provide recommendations that will increase inclusion of BIPOC members on campus and eliminate barriers on campus.

uOaccessible
Under the Human Rights Office, the mandate of the uOaccessible Advisory Committee is to improve knowledge and understanding of the situation and considerations of persons with a disability, to improve their access to University goods and services as well as opportunities by:
• Providing advice and recommendations to authorities responsible for accessibility under Policy 119 — Accessibility and with regards to a multi-year accessibility plan
• Assisting in assessing the fulfilment of commitments made in the multi-year accessibility plan when drafting annual progress reports on the plan
• Participating in consultation processes developed by bodies responsible for accessibility under Policy 119 — Accessibility

Advising the Human Rights Office on emerging issues related to accessibility, as required.

Standing Committee on Indigenous Engagement
The Standing Committee on Indigenous Engagement (“the Committee”) is intended to support the Vice-President Academic and Provost and Academic Delegate to identify priorities and to develop policies required to implement activities and processes related to the University of Ottawa’s Indigenous Portfolio.


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:

Directors/deans have worked with the Human Rights Office to reach equitable representation of Canada Research Chairs by:
· providing mandatory unconscious bias training for all selection members
· implementing targeted hiring to achieve goals and
· addressing resistance to targeted hiring and educating on the guidelines surrounding the how and why of targeted hiring (Research Management Services – Canada Research Chairs Program)

All members of each of the vice-presidential and decanal selection committees, as well as members of all faculty hiring committees, now also attend similar anti-bias training sessions. Such sessions will be expanded to all University employees.

Education and Awareness activities
This year, to educate, raise awareness and promote a culture of work, study and research based on equity, diversity and inclusion, actions were taken in the following areas:

Sexual violence
· Orientation Week
· #JustGotWeird campaign
· uOttawa orientation
· Mobilizing the Bystanders workshop

Accessibility
· Be #uOaccessible fall campaign — September 9, 2020
· Find online collections of accessible books — (social media) June 1, 2020
· Accessibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic — (article in the Gazette) June 3, 2020


Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
https://www.uottawa.ca/human-resources/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-and-inclusion

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.