EDIA at Victoria University

The development of our EDIA Roadmap is guided by our dedication to creating a diverse and inclusive community that enriches the educational and social experiences of all members. We recognize that achieving equity and inclusion requires deliberate and thoughtful actions, and this plan will serve as our blueprint for driving meaningful change across the university.

Our approach to developing the EDIA Roadmap will be inclusive and collaborative, ensuring that the voices of students, faculty, staff, and external partners are integral to the process. Here is an overview of our plan:

1. Consultation and Engagement: We will conduct extensive consultations with various stakeholders through surveys, focus groups, town hall meetings, and individual interviews. This will enable us to gather diverse perspectives, experiences and ideas that will shape our strategic priorities. 
2. Assessment and Analysis: We will perform a thorough assessment of our current EDIA practices, policies, and outcomes. This will include analyzing data on diversity metrics, reviewing institutional policies, and identifying existing gaps and barriers. 
3. Strategic Framework Development: Based on the insights gathered, we will develop a strategic framework that outlines our EDIA goals, objectives and initiatives. This framework will be aligned with the university’s broader mission and strategic priorities. 
4. Implementation Planning: We will create a detailed implementation plan, including timelines, responsibilities, and resource allocation. This plan will outline specific actions and initiatives to advance our EDIA goals, with clear milestones and accountability measures. 
5. Continuous Monitoring and Evaluation: To ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of our efforts, we will establish mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. This will include regular progress reports, feedback loops and opportunities for continuous improvement.  

Our EDIA Strategic Plan will focus on four key pillars:

• Equity: Ensuring fair treatment and equal opportunities for all members of our community, addressing systemic barriers and promoting social justice.
• Diversity: Embracing and celebrating the rich variety of backgrounds, identities and perspectives that each individual brings to our university.
• Inclusion: Creating a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can fully participate in university life.
• Accessibility: Removing physical, technological, systemic and attitudinal barriers to ensure full participation of individuals with disabilities both physical/visible and less visible, such as neurodivergent individuals and those with chronic illnesses.

Victoria University conducted its first workplace employment diversity survey of staff, faculty and librarians in the spring and summer of 2024 to help us better understand the makeup of our workforce. 

It’s important to have this data so we know who is and is not represented on campus. Our staff, faculty and librarians should be diverse and inclusive and reflect our students and our surrounding community. We also want to ensure we are an inclusive and welcoming workspace and are developing initiatives to address any gaps in how we recruit, retain, promote and support our people. 

This work is another step we are taking to fulfill our “Belonging” pillar of our Strategic Framework, although it also crosses into the other three pillars. Surveys like this are best practice when doing EDIA work and many Canadian universities have already done them, including the University of Toronto. 

The survey asked questions about racial/ethnocultural identity, religious or spiritual affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability. We had a response rate of 38 per cent. 

We will be reaching out in January to units that had a low response rate to raise awareness of why this data is important and give them another opportunity to complete the survey. If you have any questions about the survey or the findings, please reach out to vic.hr@utoronto.ca.

The research is clear: diverse communities achieve more, learn more and innovate more. We celebrate community a lot at Victoria University. Indeed, one of the core deliverables in our five-year Strategic Framework is to “…foster a strong sense of belonging within a supportive community by respecting and connecting the many voices, needs, and histories of its members. We commit to broadening and deepening this sense of belonging.” 

When we bring diverse experiences, histories and cultures to our classrooms, our student programming, our administrative tables and our operations, we get such an energizing range of ideas and perspectives. We can face obstacles and adapt to a changing world faster, and more creatively. We know that where diversity is absent there is a deficit of ideas. And at Vic U, we want to encourage and promote big ideas! 

I have always been drawn to the definition of equity as being invited to the party, and inclusion as being asked to dance. There are so many exciting ideas in our community, and they will come to fruition only if we give everyone a chance to dance. 

As someone who grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, I experienced a search for diversity that ran deeper than skin colour. It was often an exploration of worldviews informed by the history and experiences of the indigenous people and forced and voluntary immigrants. It invited us all to go below the surface and share more deeply with the people in our communities.  

We often refer to this work as Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). I personally use A JEDI – Accessibility, Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion because it connects the value of equity, diversity and inclusion with accountability. (It also appeals to the Star Wars fan in me!) Whichever acronym we choose, it is clear that we are on an important journey together.  
 
— Dr. Rhonda N. McEwen, President and Vice-Chancellor, Victoria University in the University of Toronto