More than 500 employees – many dressed in pink – filled the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre at the Welland Campus, Feb. 28, for Day of Reflection, NC’s annual tradition that brings the college community together for collaboration, learning and reflection of the past year and the opportunities that lie ahead.
With a theme of ‘Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability,’ the half-day event featured a panel discussion and break-out sessions that gave employees a better understanding of the work being done in this area at Niagara College, and how everyone at the college plays a critical role in it.
The event coincided with National Pink Shirt Day, which is held annually on the last Wednesday in February to raise awareness about bullying, particularly in schools.
Karl Doxtator, NC’s Indigenous Education Cultural Consultant, delivered a message of thanksgiving in the Oneida language to open the day, ahead of comments from NC President Sean Kennedy who underscored the importance of the work of sustainability and EDI to the College’s Strategic Plan.
He also commended the day’s emcees, Samah Sabra, Director, EDI and Accessibility, and Nadeen Shehaiber, Senior Director, Planning, Sustainability and Capital Projects. Both are newer college leaders making a significant difference in their areas and the college broadly.
Samah Sabra, Director, EDI and Accessibility (left), and Nadeen Shehaiber, Senior Director, Planning, Sustainability and Capital Projects, emceed Day of Reflection.
Kennedy also introduced Chris McGrath, NC’s new Vice President, Students, who joined the college on Feb. 26. McGrath is leading the Athletics and Student Engagement, Enrolment Services, Marketing and Recruitment and Planning and Institutional Research (PaIR) and Student Services teams.
A plenary session moderated by Taryn Wilkinson, Manager, Sustainability, and Brooke Pasco, Workplace EDI Specialist, featured four panelists who are key college players in social inclusion and environmental sustainability – one of six key areas of focus in the NC’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. The panel included Jamie Consoli, Indigenous Counsellor, HWAS, Danielle Notarianni, Manager, Energy & Assets, Jamie Oresar, Professor, School of Liberal Studies, and NCSAC president Dipel Patel. Over the course of an hour, panelists responded to questions from Wilkinson and Pasco about the work being done now and in the future to improve social inclusion and to be better environmental stewards.
The panel discussion served as an introduction to seven break-out sessions where employees connected and learned more about the many ways the college is committed to being more inclusive and practicing environmental sustainability. Break-out sessions included:
EDI Blueprint in Action: EDI Catalysts – EDI Catalysts Maija Saari, Katie McQuestion and Baljit Bhamber shared about the initiative and how they are moving forward the goals and actions in the College’s EDI Blueprint.
Accessibility in Organizational Design – Jeff Collee and Nazanin Nadri talked about the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) and how to better understand physical accessibility and universal design principles.
Accessibility in Action with the CAE – Whit Ross and Kate Wiley from the CAE led an exploration into how accessibility practices can be put into action at Niagara College. This session gave participants a chance to interrogate assumptions around accessibility and disability, explore key terms and concepts in accessibility and review strategies for enhancing accessibility day-to-day at Niagara College.
Students & Sustainability – Nicolette Nastopoulos and students Lebert Omac (Ecosystem Restoration) and Sierra Savoie (Environmental Management and Assessment) talked about the sustainability-related work-integrated learning taking place at NC, highlighting turtle monitoring and invasive species management projects as examples of living labs on campus.
Project Refresh – Moderated by Nadeen Shehaiber, a panel discussion with Steve Kosh, Jessica Berecz, Michele O’Keefe and Leah Hogan focused on delivering an overview of the project, which incorporates EDI and sustainability into campus spaces, and the topics and themes of the consultation process that goes into making decisions.
Sustainability & EDI Campus Tour – Katie Bristow and Aria D’alimonte led a tour around the Welland Campus to point out the different indoor and outdoor EDI and sustainability key features.
Sustainable Development Goals Crossover – Brooke Pasco and Taryn Wilkinson discussed the connections between EDI and Sustainability. Participants learned about the intersections between these two areas by reviewing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and exploring key areas supporting EDI and Sustainability at NC.
Seven break-out sessions offered participants the chance to learn more about the important work NC is doing (and plans to do) around Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability.
At the conclusion of the break-out sessions, participants were asked to complete a reflection in which they committed to doing one thing related to what they’d learned at Day of Reflection.
Responses ranged from listening actively and making intentional changes to foster equity and inclusivity, to being mindful of privileges and power dynamics and exploring ways to promote responsible consumption.
Day of Reflection will continue to spotlight the areas of focus in NC’s Strategic Plan over the next few years.
Tipping the scales of generosity
Keeping in line with environmental sustainability, NC’s Sustainability and Student Engagement departments put out a call for donations of small household items and clothing, and invited staff and faculty to drop off their donations during Day of Reflection.
On March 6, all donated items were available at Free Stores at both campuses where students could browse and “shop” free of charge. At last count, 458 kgs (1,069 pounds) of items were collected for the Free Store, prompting the Sustainability Team, Student Engagement and NCSAC to commit to hosting a Free Store once every semester to help students in need.
