Last spring I received an email from Camosun asking me to complete the college’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) survey. I opened it up and read through it. Of the questions in the survey, the most notable asked what the terms “equity,” “diversity,” and “inclusion” mean to me as a student, and what more the college can do to advance the values of equity, diversity and inclusion on campus.
For a moment, it got me thinking about my place at Camosun. There are approximately 19,000 students here, each with a different story. Students from around the world. Students from every walk of life. Students with different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities.
As an able-bodied white male of majority age, there are relatively few external obstacles in my educational path, but I have my fair share of challenges and baggage. I have a unique story, just like every other student registered at Camosun. My time at Camosun will be short, but this policy will affect my peers for years to come. I can’t help but wonder if I have a responsibility as a student to get involved with the policy and tell my story—and if I do, where do I start?
DECISION BY COMMITTEE
Beginning last November, committees made up mainly of Camosun staff and students started meeting to shape and develop policy around EDI, an area that falls under the authority of Camosun vice president of student experience Joan Yates.
“The EDI policy will have broad statements about what we believe,” says Yates, “and what the college expects in terms of us all being members of the college community. That’s the critical document to get input on. It sets the stage, because what we have found is that without a solid framework, we end up with policy development that is contradictory.”
Yates says that elements of equity, diversity, and inclusion were covered in different areas of college policy, but in order to be effective, Camosun needs to wrap it all into one clear and specific policy.
“The older ones were more about, ‘you shouldn’t do that’ or ‘don’t do this,’ as opposed to ‘why don’t we do this?’” says Yates. “We’ve realized that it is about the philosophy and the values that we thought needed to be a driver, rather than a set of rules.”
Yates says that the college shifted the way it builds policy about two years ago, beginning with the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy. Rather than policy being driven by the college, she says it’s more like a community development organization.
“We’ve done a ton of survey work, a ton of focus-group testing, and we’ve gone to various groups to get input,” says Yates. “We’ve asked questions about what would make life at Camosun better and have gotten some very thoughtful responses. The summer has been spent writing a policy to reflect that, but it’s very much a draft. We have to go back to the community in the fall and show them what we’ve got.”
Yates says that once the draft is reviewed and finalized, the next step will be adding guidelines around specific areas related to EDI.
“We might have specific actions for students with disabilities, for example,” says Yates. “That may mean addressing things like space, or access to services. It extends to things as simple as ‘I want to be referred to by this name, and not the name I was given.’ That is a very, very small thing administratively, but a huge thing to a human being. To really understand and make those changes, you have to have a mindset that encompasses all. That’s what the policy is going to do.”
While it all sounds great—and looks good for the college—Yates recognizes that the difficulty is in producing lasting, tangible results.
“Policy on paper is worth just that: the paper it’s written on,” says Yates. “Our policy isn’t going to change attitudes overnight. It is a line in the sand where the college says, ‘This is what we think is acceptable, and this is the type of college we want to build.’ That is the goal. It sets the standards. When you do this type of work, it has to have accompanying it clear education and communication. Education is a key component.”
Yates says that there needs to be discussion in classrooms and in general forums not only about what the college is trying to do but also about why the college wants to do it.
“When you talk about fairness versus equity—and that’s the real key of what we’re looking at—fairness means we treat everybody the same way. If you, for example, are able bodied, have great resources, and are treated a certain way, that’s great. But someone who may not have started with what you have may need some help to get to that level. That is what equity is about, and that may be what the organization needs to address. If I get something to support me in my work, either as an employee or as a student, it’s not taking away from anybody else, it’s just the organization helping me get to the same finish line as everybody else.”
THE STUDENT VOICE
Eleanor Vannan is a third-year University Transfer student; she is also the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) student wellness and access director. Her mandate is to advocate for students who need accommodations to make learning accessible. Vannan is also a student representative on the steering committee that is helping to develop the EDI policy.
Vannan joined the steering committee soon after being elected to the CCSS; she’s been involved through the data collection and analysis phase, and she says that they are now ready to write up a draft of the policy.
“I wouldn’t be on the committee if I didn’t like what they are doing,” says Vannan. “I am not a representative of the college; I’m a representative of the students. I am shockingly happy with what has been discussed and the way it has been discussed. Even when students have said, ‘This is dumb,’ the folks involved with EDI have said, ‘I want to understand why you feel that way.’ We are very diverse, and part of that diversity is political opinion. I’m really happy with the respect to differing opinions that the committee has given. They really want to understand where students are coming from, even if they aren’t in the majority opinion.”
Vannan says that EDI is largely about acknowledging just how diverse student struggles are. She speaks from experience, adding that her life as a student with a disability is very different from that of most of her peers.
“I am a great advocate for myself,” says Vannan. “That is another skill I had to develop, and not all students have those skills naturally. EDI is a framework for the students who are fighting within the system to say that the institution values your place here. It values the fact that we have a right to be here, we have a right to any needed accommodations, and we are giving students a framework to navigate that. It’s the same thing for discrimination along racial lines. There will be framework in place.”
According to Vannan, there have been a wide variety of issues brought forward by students. From her perspective, questions about accommodations for students and how those accommodations are granted are among the most important to address.
“There have been a few instances where, even when accommodations are met, instructors take a very hostile position toward students,” she says. “So that is a big concern. Also, inclusion for racialized communities and Indigenous students, and gender expression is another big one. EDI is really similar to the human rights code, or the [Canadian] Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We need to ensure that Camosun is also in line with protecting those groups and ensuring that no matter who you are and what you need to access education, that it is done in a fair and equitable manner.”
While the development and writing of the policy is important, Vannan recognizes that it’s the implementation that will bring about lasting change, and that won’t come instantly.
“Things are going to happen,” says Vannan, “but if we know how we are going to deal with them, we are better equipped to jump in, and to jump in with action to create solutions. Part of EDI is about education, making sure that when it comes to different cultures, gender expression, or disabilities, people who may not have lived that experience have an opportunity to understand more about it. There is certainly an educational component that is going to come along with the policy.”
The steering committee is not open to the public, but Vannan says that there are still opportunities for students who would like to be heard. There is a larger group, open to students and faculty, that meets every second Monday, alternating between campuses. The next meeting is September 24; at press time, Vannan couldn’t confirm details, but she says that students who wish to attend can contact the CCSS for details.
THE OMBUDS VOICE
One of the key questions surrounding policy development at a post-secondary institution is this: just how much student involvement should there be? Perhaps the right person to answer that question is Camosun College ombudsman Carter MacDonald. MacDonald has been the ombudsman for 10 years; he describes his role as an advocate for fair process for students.
“I deal with a wide variety of issues,” says MacDonald. “We are essentially independent, impartial, and confidential. I can be independent because I am co-funded: half by the college, and half by the student society. I am impartial. I don’t take sides.”
Due to his impartial stance on student issues, MacDonald says that he is highly effective in a policy-development role. He adds that he has been involved in several policy development committees, most notably for the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy. He has watched closely and acted as an advisor in the EDI policy development. MacDonald says that the college has gone above and beyond on the EDI project, and that fact reflects the college’s commitment to its students. The group involved in the development of this policy is the biggest single policy development group MacDonald has ever been on at the college, and he says everyone is represented at the table.
“To say that all 19,000 students should attend the meetings is almost like suggesting that the sitting government would need to consult with all of the citizens of British Columbia in the development of policy,” says MacDonald. “Certainly we have student representatives who actually sit on the committee. There are responsibilities of the Camosun College Student Society to be aware of what is going on in the development of this policy, and the dissemination of that information. Policy development is not something that a lot of students are actively concerned about. Students live very busy lives. Between their studies, some holding down part-time jobs, some are single parents… I don’t need to tell you what the life of a student is like, and the details, the minutiae of what happens isn’t even on the radar. This is a very broad policy initiative.”
Two people I spoke with for this story told me that there are people who say that the policy just sounds like a bunch of buzzwords that are nice to hear, but MacDonald believes that Camosun is definitely moving in the right direction. He says that he’s hopeful that he will continue to be involved with policy development, and that he thinks more specific language and policies will come out of the process of getting the EDI policy together.
“It’s a combination of student input from the survey and research on the policy initiatives of other post-secondary institutions in the province of British Columbia, graphed out in a way that shows where Camosun College may need to look at updating our policies,” he says. “Then there is group input in a wide series of exercises. People can put down their thoughts in something as simple as a sticky note pad and go up and submit them. There are times, and I can’t think of specific examples at the moment, where students have suggested something that hasn’t been suggested by employees of the college. All input is valued.”
OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Camosun’s students are very diverse and come from all over the world, and it can be difficult for individuals to relate to one another. CCSS external executive Fillette Umulisa says that this leads to groups forming, and there are a lot of misunderstandings as a result.
“That leads to mental-health problems, identity crisis, and students feeling like they don’t fit in,” says Umulisa. “That is what I think EDI is trying to prevent. We might be diverse, we might be from different worlds, but we need to have people in the faculty who make us feel valued. If we don’t have something to govern that, I don’t think it’s going to work. If we don’t have ground rules that unite us, it is going to be hard for people to incorporate. We want people to look at the foundation of their relationship, the foundation of Camosun College, and why we are building this policy. We want everyone to know that it exists for them to bond on, and for them to feel accepted, welcome, and to not have to deal with staff that doesn’t have ground rules to look back on.”
The solution, according to Umulisa, is to keep relationships simple and professional.
“Just don’t be focused on the smallest things there is,” says Umulisa. “If you’re my instructor, I am your student. Consider me as such. I don’t see how your mind should be skipping off my race, my identity, and my sexuality. I am your student—treat me as such. You only get specific if you create a steady relationship between people, and I don’t think a student/teacher relationship should get down to specifics.”
Over at the Camosun College Faculty Association (CCFA), Al Morrison is stepping down after completing his term there; he has been the acting president throughout the development of the EDI policy. Morrison has nothing but good things to say with regard to the EDI policy development.
“I am only speaking on my behalf,” says Morrison. “I haven’t polled the greater faculty to get opinions on it, but I hope they have all chimed in. To me, what happens when you build a policy, or take something out of our strategic plan, it turns that promise of who we are into something a bit bigger. It shows a commitment. It says to the community that works at Camosun, and to the community we serve, that this is really important to us as an organization. It’s a commitment that we’re sharing in writing. It represents a signpost of the direction we are going in as an organization. For me, it cements our culture.”
As was granted to the students, there was an opportunity for faculty to chime in with a survey in the early stages of the EDI policy development. Morrison hopes that all staff took the time to participate, because, he says, the policy will be a lot more inclusive if everyone is involved in the decision-making process. In order to create a lasting culture change here at Camosun, Morrison says that active participation is likely the answer. He points out that it’s one thing for the government to mandate change in organizations, but we have to find ways to make that change work in our culture.
“I’m in my 60s, so I know that the generation in my classroom lives in a different world,” says Morrison. “It is important for me to understand their world and the diversity it brings to the classroom. I think a lot of the times people are slow to change, it’s because they’re nervous or they don’t understand what it’s going to look like.”
Morrison says that the college is providing programs and workshops for faculty.
“We need to watch what’s changing in the world,” says Morrison, “and they are usually right on top of these issues. I’ve taken sexual violence and misconduct workshops, for example. They have a program about understanding Indigenous culture. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, but these workshops are fabulous ways to deal with it in a very safe environment. If we learn about things, and create an understanding, we can bring it into the classroom once we have that knowledge.”
Even though Camosun’s email got me thinking about things, I didn’t complete the college’s survey. There was no reason, really; I closed the email and just forgot about it entirely until months later, when I saw a reminder email, which I initially thought was spam. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the only student who failed to complete the survey, so I took to the pavement to do some research of my own.
It didn’t quite go as planned.
I wouldn’t have guessed it, but squirrels outnumber students on the Lansdowne campus in late August. I spent an hour or so walking around the courtyard, through the empty library, and eventually to the bookstore, where I found some students in line. I interviewed five students as they left the store. Not one had completed the survey, or even heard of the policy, but they all agreed that Camosun was doing a good job promoting the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. It’s a small sample, I know, but it does raise questions around the way the college communicates with the student population.
Will the policy have any lasting effect? That really depends on how Camosun proceeds with the subsequent policy initiatives that extend into specific areas. More importantly, it depends on how the college deals with isolated incidents where there is breach of policy. And it remains dependent on students, and the college community as a whole, continuing the discussion as we move forward.