Wilfrid Laurier University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Equity Committee is a forum in which all faculty and students can raise issues of concern, identify on an ongoing basis areas where issues of equity have been inadequately addressed, report on specific equity issues and make recommendations to the Dean, Divisional Council or any of its Standing Committees. The equity committee provides educational workshops, facilitates discussion forums, supports student social justice concerns and is involved in social action

Laurier offers a number of training opportunities including the Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program, a Community of Practice, and Accessibility related training. The goal of the Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program is to engage Laurier staff and faculty in conversations about diversity and equity and to provide resources, knowledge, and tools required to make Laurier an inclusive campus. Sessions are held monthly; past topics have included religious accommodation, creating trans-friendly campuses, break barriers to inclusivity, inclusive language, and hot topics in diversity & equity. The Community of Practice is a forum where staff, faculty, and students gather for informal discussions on how to foster values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year (2012/2013) the theme was difficult conversations related to diversity and equity in the classroom and in other educational settings. Using examples of critical incidents from participants, this community offers a collective learning space to share experiences, challenges, and good practices on challenging discourses and ‘hot’ moments that derail conversations of equity and inclusivity and transforming them into teachable moments. A variety of accessibility related training options are available. This includes topics such as customer service, universal design for learning, accessible curriculum design, accessible document production.