A message from Pam Skinner, Senior Vice-President, College Operations, and Dorita Pentesco, Interim Vice President, Student Affairs:
Since Niagara College’s launch of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Blueprint, individuals and groups across the College have been working collaboratively in remarkable ways to meet the goals and actions within the four key areas of focus – work that directly supports the College’s Strategic Plan.
In celebration of their efforts to make our learning environments and workplace more respectful, inclusive and welcoming, and to acknowledge the tremendous positive change within our community, we are pleased to share an update on our progress to date.
We want to acknowledge just how quickly some of this work has taken place, a real testament to how far we can go when we work together through a collaborative approach.
As we continue to do this important work, we invite you to consider how you can contribute to advancing the goals of our EDI Blueprint and the culture of inclusion and belonging that is at the core of our NC identity. From making small changes in our work, to seeking new learning opportunities on EDI, we are working in unison to enhance the experiences of our diverse NC community and partnerships.
Earlier this month, we announced the EDI Catalysts who will support the goals and actions of the Blueprint, serve as project leaders, and benefit from this growth and development opportunity.
Just as the EDI Blueprint is a living document, our work is far from over. Let’s continue to take strides together while also taking a moment to acknowledge the progress we’ve made.
Indigenous Ways of Knowing, Being, and Doing
Status: There are four goals in this area of focus and each goal has two identified actions. Of those eight actions, 50 per cent are in progress.
These initiatives support the goal by increasing awareness of, and opportunities for, students and employees to learn about Indigenous histories, presents, and futures. They will advance relationship-building with local Indigenous communities and the development of additional resources to enhance the student experience for Indigenous students.
- Indigenous Education Events Calendar and increased land-based programming, events, and learning opportunities
- Expansion of the Indigenous Education team and implementation of the Katsistiyó project
- College initiatives honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Returning the Corn Husk Doll: Dockstader shares grandmother’s powerful story with college community
- Observing Sisters in Spirit National Day of Action for MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ people
Organizational Culture & Structure
Status: There are four goals in this area of focus and each goal has two identified actions. Of those eight actions 50 per cent are in progress
These initiatives support the goal of creating inclusive environments to learn and work through increased representation across physical and digital spaces. Second, they support the goal to review college policies, practices, procedures, and programming to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Accessibility Hub
- Project Refresh
- Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ Training
- Washroom Refresh project
- Accessible & Gender-Neutral Washroom List
- New inclusive Progress Pride crosswalks
Student Experience
Status: There are four goals in this area of focus and each goal has two identified actions. Of those eight actions 50 per cent are in progress.
These initiatives support student’s sense of belonging by enhancing the inclusivity of policies, procedures, and academic programming. The actions help advance faculty’s understanding of EDI and provides them with an opportunity to develop tools to make classrooms and programming trans-inclusive, which supports goals and actions identified in the employee experience area of focus.
- Updated Name Change Request Process
- Trans-Inclusive Health Studies Community of Practice
- Academic Advisor and Career Services Update
- HWAS BIPOC Student Support
Employee Experience
Status: There are four goals in this area of focus and each goal has two identified actions. Of those eight actions 50 per cent are in progress.
These initiatives support the goal of developing and implementing learning opportunities for employees in principles of EDI and allyship that employees can engage with in a way that works best for them. This includes engaging with the learning resources highlighted on the website or attending one of the sessions in-person or virtually.
