Cultural appropriation is rampant during Halloween
Watch the first video for the Your Words Have Power campaign in which Natalie Wong, International Relations student at UBC Okanagan discusses cultural appropriation.
Cultural Appropriation from UBC Okanagan Equity Office on Vimeo.
This series of videos is produced by the Equity and Inclusion Office by Lucie Woolgar, Jenica Frisque and collaborators from the Inclusive Language Campaign.
Candlelight vigil will honour transgender people and remember lives lost
What: Kelowna’s Transgender Day of Remembrance
Who: Okanagan Pride Society, UBC Okanagan’s Pride Resource Centre and Equity and Inclusion Office
When: Friday, November 20, 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: UNC 200, University Centre Ballroom, UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna
A candlelight vigil to remember transgender lives which were lost to hatred and violence will be held at UBC’s Okanagan campus as part of Kelowna’s Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20.
During the vigil, the names of those lives lost will be read, and a short non-denominational service will take place. There will also be poetry reading and two guest speakers from the transgender community will speak to participants.
The event is being co-hosted by UBC Okanagan’s Pride Resource Centre (PRC), UBC Okanagan’s Equity and Inclusion Office and the Okanagan Pride Society (OPS).
Sydney Lawson, OPS director of Transgender Community Development says the cruelty that humans show to other humans is disgusting and has to stop.
“I’m saddened and disgusted that we live in a world where people are tortured and murdered for simply being true to themselves,” says Lawson. “Since I began my transition I would avoid this event each year because I didn’t want to know. I couldn’t bear to know that there is such cruelty in humans that they could torture and kill another.”
Lawson feels strongly that people need to know that transgender people are tortured and murdered in many cultures around the world. Co-hosting the Transgender Day of Remembrance not only honours those people who lost their lives, but also brings awareness about the hate crimes.
Kelowna’s Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place November 20 at UBC Okanagan’s University Centre Ballroom, starting at 7 p.m.
Jenica Frisque, with UBC Okanagan’s Equity and Inclusion Office, encourages all members of the public to attend this free event. Refreshments will be provided.
“I feel that this is an opportunity to send a message to transgender students and staff, and to the Okanagan’s transgender community in general, that Kelowna recognizes that transphobia exists, that violence against transgender people exists, and that there is still a lot of work to do to end that violence,” says Frisque. “Building community takes time and takes commitment by all members to speak out against violence and to work collectively to create respectful spaces where everyone feels included and dignified.”
For more information, please contact equity.ubco@ubc.ca , visit equity.ok.ubc.ca or call 250-807-9291.
The Halloween party season is just around the corner and many students at UBC are planning their costumes. The Equity and Inclusion Office would like students to consider their costume choices and to remind everyone:
Read: When Halloween costumes cross the line, with UBC Faculty of Education professor Mona Gleason.
It is important to consider your choices before you dress up and be aware of the hurtful racist or sexist stereotypes that are sometimes portrayed in costumes. For whatever reason, this is the one time of year when it is often perceived to be OK to be blatantly and unabashedly racist, and in many cases sexist. Racist and sexist stereotypes aren’t funny, and culture, ethnicity, and race shouldn’t be considered as costumes.
Learn more about cultural appropriation and inclusive language at our next workshop. October 28 12:00-1:00pm in UNC 334. Presented by Equity and Inclusion Office and S.A.R.A (Sexual Assault and Rape Awareness). Register here
Everyone can do their part to create a respectful environment at UBC. We encourage you to share the information widely on social media and with your clubs, fraternities, sororities, residences and classrooms.
Best wishes for a safe and respectful Halloween.
The Equity and Inclusion Office
Join UBC Okanagan’s Rule Out Racism committee in a conversation about what anti-racism initiatives currently exist on campus and in Kelowna, and discuss what those initiatives could look like in the future.
Date: Tuesday, October 13th
Time: 3:30-5:30pm
Location: UNC 200 Ballroom
Everyone welcome
Sign up now for this free workshop from the Equity and Inclusion Office:
Inclusive Language Workshop:
Have you ever been challenged in class or at work for saying something inappropriate? This workshop focuses specifically on the power of language to create oppressive or alternatively, inclusive spaces. We will explore concepts of power and privilege, and discuss ideas and tips on how to enhance communication by incorporating inclusive language in discussions or written content.
Wednesday, October 28, 12:00-1:00pm UNC 334
All workshops are free and open to UBC students, faculty and staff. Registration is required > Register now
Welcome to the start of another school year at UBC.
Whether it’s making new friends or being introduced to ideas and perspectives different than your own, the first year of university can be a challenging time. Apart from the hard work involved in homework and assignments, UBC offers a special opportunity for all students to learn how to foster an inclusive and respectful environment in class and across campus.
Here are some suggestions from the Equity and Inclusion Office on how you can help make UBC a respectful and inclusive place to learn, live and work.
Positive Space Campaign
The Positive Space Campaign is an initiative intended to help make UBC more receptive to and welcoming of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* (transgender, transsexual, trans-identified), two-spirit, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBT*TQIA+) communities, individuals and issues of sexual and gender diversity on campus. Register now.
The Inclusive Language Campaign is a new initiative intended to help make UBC Okanagan a more respectful place simply by encouraging students, faculty and staff to use more inclusive language and supporting them to speak out against discriminatory language. The campaign invites people to share why they already use inclusive language and to share which words they find offensive and why.
How can I get involved?
Email equity.ubco@ubc.ca for more information on how you can get involved or join the conversation online with #UBCOinclusion and #changetheconversation.
Join the conversation on facebook
If you experience any difficulties related to a human rights conflict you can contact our office to receive confidential advice and support. If you are searching for information or support for other concerns our staff can help refer you to the appropriate campus service. Contact us with your questions at equity.ubco@ubc.ca
Are you interested in human rights issues in Canada and abroad? Follow the Equity and Inclusion Office on facebook and twitter.
Dr. Sara-Jane Finlay joined UBC in March as the new Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion.
From Toronto originally, she earned her two undergraduate degrees in Ontario before hopping over the pond to Loughborough University in the UK, where she completed her Masters in Women’s Studies and her PhD in Communication and Media. She lectured in Media and Sociology and then Media and Cultural Studies, with a focus on gender, race, class, culture and identity, before returning home to assume an administrative role in the Office of the Vice President and Provost at the University of Toronto.
In her new role, Sara-Jane is charged with bringing to life UBC’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and mutual respect on both campuses.
Read the One-On-One interview at UBC.ca
The 2015 Equity Enhancement Fund results have been announced with a total of 19 groups receiving funding for new initiatives designed to enhance equity at UBC. Funding was approved for 14 applications from Vancouver and five applications from the Okanagan. Read below for an overview of the successful applications.
“I am pleased at the number of high quality applications we received this year,” said Sara-Jane Finlay, Associate Vice President, Equity and Inclusion. “The projects chosen are closely aligned with the University’s commitment and responsibilities to enhance equity across campuses and we look forward to seeing the results of these innovative initiatives.”
Due to more flexible application guidelines, a greater number of applications from students were received with 9 of the 19 proposals from student-led organizations. The Equity and Inclusion office received a record number of applications for 2015 with 57 from Vancouver and 15 from the Okanagan.
The Equity and Inclusion Office notes the support of Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Cynthia Mathieson, Provost and Vice-Principal at UBC Okanagan, and the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity at UBC Okanagan and Vancouver.
Read about the projects below:
Project name: Healthy Masculinities Leadership Program
Recipients: AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC)
Description: The Healthy Masculinities Leadership Program is a multi-faceted project, which will promote healthy masculinities, healthy relationships and work towards gender based violence prevention on the UBC campus. The projects goal is to eradicate the damaging stereotypes that society teaches boys about what it means to be a man and to recruit male identified leaders on campus who will model strength without violence to create a safer campus community
Project name: 6th Annual F-Word Conference
Recipients: Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice Undergraduate Students Association (GSJUSA)
Description: The F Word Conference showcases student research and community collaboration across activist and academic disciplines. The conference provides a venue for feminist scholars, students, and community members to learn each other’s skills, knowledge, and experiences. The conference will be held in May 2015.
Project Name: Nehiyo-paskwa-itsimowan Pow-wow Celebration (2016)
Recipients: First Nations Studies Students Association (FNSSA)
Description: In response to the lack of inclusive cultural celebrations at UBC, members from the Indigenous Students Association (InSA) and the First Nations Studies Students Association (FNSSA) collaborated to host UBC’s first pow-wow in April 2015 which they now aim to make an annual event.
Project name: Implementation of the School of Social Work Equity Action Plan
Recipients: School of Social Work
Description: The School of Social Work is currently engaged in the implementation of a comprehensive and progressive Educational Equity and Diversity Strategic Plan.
Project name: All Our Voices
Recipients: Student Radio Society of UBC and CiTR 101.9 FM
Description: The objective of this project is to improve the overall diversity of CiTR’s membership and programming in the areas of Indigenous programming, women’s programming and programming for and by those with disabilities. Radio content will be broadcast on air and available online.
Project name: Building ethnic diversity into Canada’s Stem Cell donor database
Recipients: UBC Stem Cell Club, UBC Faculty of Medicine
Description: The UBC Stem Cell Club is a student initiative founded in 2011 to strengthen the quantity and quality of membership on the Canadian stem cell donor database. They have developed a partnership with Canadian Blood Services and are the first student-run group worldwide that is accredited to independently run stem cell drives. Their project aims to improve diversity on Canada’s stem cell database.
Project name: Indigenous Students Association Speaker Series
Recipients: Indigenous Students Association
Description: In response to the lack of inclusive Indigenous cultural events on campus, our goal is to host an Indigenous Speaker Series throughout the 2015-16 school year to celebrate Indigenous knowledge, culture, and history, as well as to engage the UBC and Vancouver community in a productive and supportive relationship to discuss Indigenous topics.
Project name: Race Literacies – A Black Canadian Scholar’s Series to promote transformative curricula and research
Recipients: Faculty of Education, Department of Language and Literacy Education
Description: The project will consist of an eight month speaker series with high profile African Canadian speakers who will share their research and exchange curricula ideas with UBC. The speaker series will provide a forum for critical dialogue, transformative curricula, research and innovative analyses.
Project name: Perspective and Strength: Changing the discourse on Vancouver’s Eastside through improved student orientations
Recipients: UBC Learning Exchange
Description: In collaboration with Downtown Eastside (DTES) residents and organizations the Learning Exchange will develop a new orientation curriculum and materials for the students and faculty who join the Learning Exchange as part of their co-op, intern, and practicums each year. The new curriculum will help students and faculty better understand the strengths, opportunities and challenges of social inequity facing communities like the DTES.
Project name: Beyond the Binary @ UBC – A Gender Inclusion Toolkit and Best Practice Resource for UBC Faculty and Staff
Recipients: Human Resources, School of Population and Public Health, and the Equity and Inclusion Office
Description: This project will enhance UBC’s reputation as an equitable employer by providing training and developing resources that specifically address issues faced by trans* and gender variant staff, students, and faculty to help create a more inclusive and welcoming campus.
Project name: Targeted Work Group Based Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training at UBC Vancouver
Recipients: Health, Wellbeing and Benefits, Human Resources
Description: The goal of this project is to increase mental health literacy within staff and faculty groups on campus by offering Mental Health First Aid training, particularly those working in front-facing roles with staff, student or faculty populations.
Project name: Reducing Unconscious Bias in Academic Medicine
Recipients: Equity Committee, Department of Medicine in partnership with the Department of Surgery
Description: The project will include a series of workshops to increase awareness of unconscious bias amongst faculty and trainees in the Departments of Medicine and Surgery. By teaching faculty and trainees to recognize unconscious bias they will have the tools and strategies to mitigate the effects of unconscious bias in their careers and in their delivery of healthcare.
Project name: From Camps to Coast: UBC’s Student Refugee Program Now and Beyond
Recipients: Faculty of Arts, International Student Development and Enrollment Services
Description: The project will be led by the WUSC-UBC Working Group to train current WUSC-SRP Scholars from around the province in developing interactive workshops to enhance local understanding of the experiences of student refugees. These workshops will be delivered to students, staff and faculty at the participants’ respective schools, including both UBC campuses.
Project name: UBC Hua Dialogue
Recipients: UBC Hua Dialogue student group
Description: Their vision is to provide various kinds of events and platforms for students to discuss issues related to Chinese communities in a respectful manner. The dialogues are organized and targeted to students from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Canada but are open to all UBC community members.
Project Name: Indigenous Art Week
Recipients: Indigenous Student Association
Description: In partnership with UBC and the Alternator Gallery they will host an Indigenous Art Week aimed at providing an accessible platform for dialogue among audience members of all backgrounds. The primary objective of the event is to facilitate cross-cultural healing, cognitive decolonization, and an overall appreciation for Indigenous artistic expression.
Project Name: The Pedagogy of Place: As Principle Element in Indigenous Arts
Recipients: Department of Creative Studies
Description: The project will bring together established Indigenous artists from across the country to meet and work with local Okanagan artists and Elders to present new work, develop collaborations, and integrate Indigenous methodologies around art and daily process into the fabric of UBC Okanagan and the Kelowna community at large.
Project Name: LEAD (Leadership, Engagement, Awareness and Diversity): Engaging ambassadors for change
Recipients: UBC Student Union of the Okanagan and the National Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
Description: This one-day workshop will be held in collaboration with NEADS (National Educational Association of Disabled Students) and will include speakers and student workshops. The purpose of the event is to engage students with disabilities and develop student leadership skills to create ambassadors for disability awareness and inclusion practices on campus and in the community.
Project Name: Diverse Needs of Faith-Based Communities
Recipients: International Programs and Services
Description: The objective of this project is to provide practical solutions to some of the barriers students face in their religious practices by making the campus Multi-Faith Space (UNC 328) more amenable to students. These include the purchase of new resources for the Multi-Faith Space (mats, shoe holders, room dividers, tables and chairs for studies and meetings).
Project Name: Peer-driven Indigenous, racialized, and/or queer youth capacity-building: A symposium and student/youth mentorship project
Recipients: Faculty of Health and Social Development, School of Nursing and School of Social Work; Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies; and Gender and Women’s Studies, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences
Description: The purpose of the project is to develop a peer-driven community-based project that builds spaces for greater inclusion of queer, racialized, and Indigenous students. A multidisciplinary team will partner with campus groups to organize a symposium and provide training and mentorship to students to support them in carrying out outreach with youth in the wider community.
The Positive Space Campaign is an initiative intended to help make UBC more receptive to and welcoming of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* (transgender, transsexual, trans-identified), two-spirit, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBT*TQIA+) communities, individuals and issues of sexual and gender diversity on campus.
It aims to foster a welcoming atmosphere and inclusive, respectful dialogue on campus for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities by identifying spaces where sexual and gender diversity is supported and valued.
Sign up for the next Positive Space workshops – register now.
All workshops are free, accessible and open to everyone at UBC Okanagan.
Learn more about the Positive Space Campaign at UBC.
At Rule Out Racism week this March, a number of events were held at the Okanagan and Vancouver campuses that focused on the need for greater literacy and conversation about race and racism within the UBC community.
Jenica Frisque, Rule Out Racism coordinator from the Equity and Inclusion Office said “It was inspiring to see a variety of groups come together, such as the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, the Muslim Student Association, the Indigenous Studies Program, the AlterKnowledge, and RAMA – Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture, to collectively offer a wide variety of events to spark discussions on some of today’s most pressing issues.”
More than nine events were held from March 16-21 including a panel discussion on “Canadian Racism and its Complexities,” the Fourth Annual Indigeneity Panel, a screening of “My Legacy” a documentary on residential schools, presentations on Islam, an AlterKnowledge Discussion Series presentation on “The Welcoming Okanagan?” and a community conversation on migrant workers in the Okanagan.
“Learning about Islamophobia, white privilege, the legacies of colonialism, and migrant labour rights, does not happen in every class or conversation,” said Frisque. “In addition, the #itooamUBCO photography project (tumblr, facebook) organized by Fern Helfand (Associate Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies) was a powerful reminder of the racial micro-aggressions faced by racialized students on our campus. I feel that it is imperative that we continue to provide intentional spaces for storytelling, for the exchange of ideas and opportunities to re-imagine our community.”
The week’s key event was a panel discussion on “Canadian Racism and its Complexities,” moderated by UBC’s Director of Intercultural Understanding, Alden Habacon. Panelists included Bonar Buffam (Assistant Professor, Sociology), Susana Caxaj (Assistant Professor, Nursing), Jada Larkin (Staff, Undergraduate Student Sciences), Gabrielle Legault (PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies), Ashok Mathur (Associate Professor, Creative and Critical Studies), and Kay Nguyen (Social Justice Activist, UBC Okanagan Alumnus).
Panelist Susana Caxaj appreciated the opportunity to participate on the panel. ”I found the format to be open to the sharing of ideas and experiences. I learned so much from my fellow panelists – from their courage and their resilience and their thoughtful reflections on how to navigate everyday racism.”
International Relations Student and event volunteer Madison Tardif said “I was very inspired by the panel to continue addressing micro aggressions against minorities that are often institutional by nature. In general, I feel that the discussion was a great gateway to open up the conversation about racism, which is often stigmatized as taboo or “no longer an issue”. “
Elise Hjalmarson, a UBC Okanagan Graduate Student and organizer with the community group Radical Action with Migrants in Agriculture was encouraged by her involvement in Rule Out Racism week.
“Our Permanently Temporary public forum sparked provocative discussion on the subject of temporary foreign workers in Canada and the role of migrant labour in the Okanagan Valley. I was encouraged to see people actively participating in the conversation, asking bold questions, and challenging each other’s perspectives. As a student, participating in the events for Rule Out Racism week is consistently one of the highlights of my academic year.”
“I think Rule Out Racism is so important because it is a reminder of the fact that racism still exists in our world and it provides spaces in which people can get together to discuss this,” said Lucía Woolgar a student volunteer. “Rule Out Racism events provide learning opportunities for anyone that attends. My favorite part about Rule Out Racism week was the discussion panel. It was wonderful to hear the thoughts of individuals that are passionate about racism, its challenges, and how we can bring about change. I also really enjoyed the movie screening for the film “Dear White People” because we had a discussion afterwards. I think that we all learned from each other during that discussion. That is where change occurs, through conversations.”
Reflecting on the week’s events Frisque concluded “we learned that students would like to see more evening events, more workshops, better promotion and more frequent Rule Out Racism events. Indeed, discussing race and racism is not reserved for just one isolated week a year. Our ROR committee debrief meeting led to plans for an October event, so stay tuned!”
Rule Out Racism is held each year in recognition of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21.
If you would like to be active in the Rule Out Racism Committee or be informed of upcoming events, please email equity.ubco@ubc.ca