First 30 days

I want to particularly thank all those people who have taken the time to meet with me to share their candid perspectives on what is most urgently needed to make progress on antiracism and inclusion at uOttawa. I want you to know that you have been heard, and that we are taking action. What follows is an overview of some of the initiatives that are currently underway.

The call for nominations to the Action Committee on Anti-Racism and Inclusion has just closed. Nominees will be contacted shortly and we will be quickly moving ahead with several action-oriented working groups.

In addition, I am currently working with many individuals across campus to implement (before the fall term) President Jacques Frémont’s 5 initiatives designed to combat systemic racial discrimination in all three core areas of the University’s mission: student experience, pedagogy and research.

Already we have:

• Begun developing a policy of zero tolerance of race-based discrimination/harassment of any kind and a reminder that unconsented physical contact such at touching of hair/clothes could be a violation of the University’s Policy 67-a(Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination) or Policy 67-b (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) or the Policy on Workplace Violence.
• Started to design a new anti-racism and inclusive excellence training module to be added to student orientation sessions.
• Supported the implementation of new programs to encourage and assist BIPOC students entering law and medicine, among other programs. For example, the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law has launched new entrance scholarships for Black law students. Additionally, a fundraising campaign will be launched this month to provide even more support to BIPOC students. Again, this is but a beginning.
• Worked to identify and assess the number of BIPOC students enrolled at uOttawa and in which courses/programs they are enrolled so we can use current data to identify and address opportunities and gaps in support of BIPOC student success. This Count Me In survey is open and I strongly encourage you to participate through uOZone.
• Hired two new racialized mental health counselors at uOttawa to support BIPOC, Indigenous and racialized students
• Begun recruiting an initial cohort of BIPOC professors who will start teaching in the fall term. This will be an ongoing effort over multiple years to significantly increase the representation and diversity of uOttawa’s faculty.

In addition, in January I had productive meetings with nine student groups (including the Black Law Students’ Association, the Afro Caribbean Mentorship Program (ACMP), uRacism.e, and l’Association des étudiants autochtones en droit, among others) as well as faculty and staff from across campus. In each case my aim was to listen, learn, and open discussions on how best to rapidly effect meaningful change. I have reported back to the University’s senior executive and we are also looking forward to upcoming meetings with student unions as well as with BIPOC faculty members to pursue this conversation.

I believe this will be a year of transformative change at uOttawa. Please remember that this is a community effort. We each need to listen, learn and evolve so we can change together for the better. The more support and engagement I have from you – despite the additional challenges we face due to COVID-19 – the more success we are certain to achieve.

Transformative change does not happen overnight. We are dealing with complex histories and issues where holistic responses are required. The call from many to disband our uOttawa Protective Services department, for example, fails to take into account that each year it responds to 40,000 requests for assistance on campus each year, including many student emergencies. As a large urban campus that is home to many thousands of residents, a diverse student population, professionals and visitors every day, it would be an enormous disservice to our community to disband our Protective Services team. We need them.

At the same time we understand and acknowledge that the historic (and current) relationship between uniformed officers and racialized communities across Canada has been problematic. What we must do therefore is continue to increase Protection Services’ capacity to deal equitably, sensitively and supportively with members of our very diverse population. They are already actively working on these changes and have completed new mandatory trainings on racial bias, policing, Indigenous awareness and mental health. Steps are also being taken to hire an EDI specialist to assist Protection Services in enacting its transformation plan. Through these actions we will rebuild and renew vital yet frayed relationships.

This journey is a long one. It did not start yesterday, and it will not end tomorrow. But we are moving in the right direction and picking up speed. True equity, diversity and inclusion at uOttawa is coming. We must continue to do all we can to achieve it. That is my goal, as I know it is yours.

Please continue to visit this site regularly for updates on our collective progress and do not hesitate to send me your comments and feedbacks.

Sincerely,

Boulou Ebanda de B'béri