4 minute read
We must do better
WE MUST DO
Faculty, students and sta of StFX gather on the Coady Institute steps before a Black Lives Matter march on campus.
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e tipping point came early last year.
Spurred on by racial unrest, notably the Black Lives Matter movement that exposed sweeping societal injustices, StFX President Dr. Andy Hakin and senior administration met last March with StFX students, sta , and faculty who face racism every day to listen and learn about the atmosphere on campus and in the community and StFX’s responses, or lack thereof.
“I want to report that we’ve heard you, loud and clear,” Dr. Hakin said.
“We have heard that racism exists in the classroom, in residence and in the community. We also heard that these problems have been reported before and have not been addressed. We must do better. Words alone are not enough. We must take immediate action.”
To ensure StFX takes meaningful steps forward in addressing racism with the objective of seeing marked and lasting change, Dr. Hakin established the President’s Action Committee on Anti-Racism (PACAR). e committee reports directly to Dr. Hakin and has a mandate to identify and address systemic barriers that a ect all under-represented and marginalized groups at StFX.
Co-chairing PACAR are Robert Upshaw, an African Nova Scotian and veteran educator with extensive expertise in anti-racism, antiBlack racism and social justice, and StFX Vice-President Students Elizabeth Yeo.
“ is is an opportunity to move the anti-racism agenda forward,” says Mr. Upshaw.
“We are grateful for the students, faculty, sta and community members who have joined PACAR. eir energy and expertise has already contributed signi cantly to building understanding and identifying the immediate priorities for action. We look forward to inviting the StFX community to share in the learning and the work to identify the longer term and systemic changes needed to address racism,” Ms. Yeo says.
PACAR committee members include co-chairs Robert Upshaw and Elizabeth Yeo; Kerry Prosper, Indigenous Elder; Dr. Tim Hynes, Vice-President Academic and Provost (Acting); faculty Dr. Ornella Nzindukiyimana and Dr. Shelley Price; sta members Krista Hanscomb and Lee Anna Osei; (May-December 2021) community members Ann Sylliboy and Sabrina Skinner; and students Ella Mulvihill, Che Morales, and Gord Gallimore. e committee is currently reviewing StFX’s policies, procedures, and practices to ensure alignment with equity and inclusion, and is working to produce a comprehensive, university-wide, anti-racism action plan that touches all aspects of the university. is includes reviewing information from those who’ve come before them in this work at StFX and researching other organizations with demonstrated leadership in anti-racism to distill key learnings on what’s needed to support change.
POSITIVE ACTION
In a few short months, PACAR has seen positive impact. e VP Students O ce and the Human Rights and Equity O ce reports implementations including:
BETTER
• A new Harassment and Discrimination Policy. e revised policy incorporates best practices for process, signi cantly compressing process timelines, and includes de nition of microaggressions. •Investigation resources have been added to provide trauma informed investigation as well as a human rights education and response advocate position has been added who will receive disclosures and reports under the policy. • e Human Rights and Equity manager also developed a workshop, which highlights the new policy and supports managers, faculty, and sta knowledge of it. Regular reporting is critical to accountability and trust, PACAR says. •Developed You Belong @X, a 60-minute self-directed online anti-racism student resource, one of three interactive modules o ered to students for the rst time this year. e modules help students understand why these policies are important and provide exercises to deepen ability to comply with the polices or seek support. Senate has mandated that this module will be mandatory for rst-year students. •New equity modules for faculty and sta . •Introduced the #Being Xaverian Campaign, in partnership with
Marketing and Communications, which upholds positive expectations for student behavior and zero tolerance for racism. •Established free counselling services for Black and Indigenous faculty, sta , and students. ( e People’s Counselling Clinic o ers virtual services for StFX members who identify as persons of
African Descent by contacting (902) 832-1593 jj.wilson677@gmail. com. Andrea Currie, in partnership with StFX, provides counselling for StFX members who identify as Indigenous.
Email andreacurrie03@hotmail.com.) Additionally, the Vice-President Academic O ce highlights the following initiatives: •StFX’s Teaching and Learning Centre designed and o ered two multi-day retreats during the summer focused on topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. e rst of these virtual teaching retreats was entitled Mawita’yk Mawkina’masultimk (Come together; Learn together) and the second, Black Students Matter.
e sessions were well received, described as “eye-opening and informative,” and helped build relationships and hope. A second Black Students Matter teaching retreat took place in November.
For more on PACAR, please visit www.stfx.ca/pacar
