Tag: EDI | Blogs

DC’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team empowers campus community

Posted on December 10, 2024 at 8:25 am.

Everyone at Durham College (DC) should feel safe to show up on campus as their authentic selves in a way that does not impede the rights of others, says Dr. Sadie Goddard-Durant, Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI).

To support this vision, the OEDI team is dedicated to cultivating an enduring sense of belonging for all members of the DC community through education, consultations, individualized support, and service navigation.

“At DC, fostering a culture of equity and inclusion is not just an initiative—it has to be an ongoing personal commitment by all of us to ensure every individual feels valued, heard, and empowered to thrive. Our role in OEDI is to equip each individual to do this in their sphere of influence,” says Goddard-Durant.

The OEDI’s work is rooted in an understanding that people want to do the right thing when they have the right tools and knowledge. “I start from the position that people are inherently good. People inherently want to do the right thing. But if you haven’t learned how to recognize and challenge your own power, privilege and biases, or learned about the impact of this on other people’s daily lives, or learned how to make everyday decisions that resist stereotypes, and instead include and foster access, then you can’t,” she explains.

For DC employees, this means providing training, education, and consultation to help staff support students and each other to foster inclusivity in classrooms and departments. “Where department leaders want to have an EDI lens in enhancing or developing policy or programs or processes, we offer that as well,” says Goddard-Durant.

Education extends campus-wide through initiatives that recognize significant occasions like Black History Month, International Women’s Day, and various religious and cultural holidays. On International Human Rights Day, for example, the EDI Office hosts a workshop for the entire campus on becoming allies for upholding everyone’s human rights.

“By recognizing these days of awareness, we bring visibility to the contributions, cultural and religious beliefs, practices of and challenges faced by these equity-deserving groups in a way that increases our collective knowledge about each other,” says Goddard-Durant.

The team also collaborates with community organizations to help prospective students from equity-deserving communities overcome barriers to accessing post-secondary education and set themselves up for success.

“The evidence is clear that dismantling structural oppression in education requires institutions changing the policies and procedures which create those conditions. It also involves transferring power to affected persons so they have the skills and confidence needed to access the supports they need and deserve. In this way, they can maximize on the potential a post-secondary education can offer. This is the framework guiding this program,” says Goddard-Durant.

Support for Those Who Need It Most

At the heart of the OEDI’s work is providing a safe space for conversations about oppression.

“If a student believes they’ve experienced harassment, discrimination, hate, racism, or some form of oppression, they can come to our office. “We support them by listening to what their experience has been, and determining what resolution can entail,” explains Goddard-Durant.

The OEDI helps students determine if an incident meets the criteria for a violation of DC’s harassment, misconduct, and discrimination policy, guided by the Ontario Human Rights Code. If it does, from there the OEDI outlines reporting options, ranging from mediation to formal external investigations, and connects them to on- and off-campus resources to address the impact of their experiences.

For those experiencing sexual violence, a dedicated Sexual Violence Education and Prevention Coordinator enhances the team’s ability to provide specialized support. They help students to access on- and off-campus resources to facilitate healing from the experience, understand their reporting options, and obtain academic accommodations.

Beyond these supports, the EDI team also offers support with designing accommodations based on family status and creed, based on the criteria articulated in the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Creating Inclusive Spaces

Ensuring everyone feels welcome on campus involves creating inclusive spaces, says Goddard-Durant. Recent projects include revamping the Multi-Faith and Quiet Space and increasing access to gender-neutral washrooms at both campuses. These developments are always done in collaboration with the community.

Whether it’s creating spaces to make the community feel safe, taking the time to raise awareness about how they live culturally, or speaking up about challenges they face, every action is taken in consultation with equity-deserving groups.

“We can’t do anything for a community without that community,” says Goddard-Durant. “They know best what they need. Sitting in an office and deciding what works for them would just perpetuate the oppression we’re trying to dismantle.”

Through ongoing collaboration, education, consultations, and tailored supports, DC’s EDI Office is aiming to help build a community where every member knows they belong.

Durham College supports survivors of sexual violence

Posted on April 25, 2024 at 9:50 am.

At Durham College, the Sexual Violence Education and Prevention Coordinator ensures that students who have experienced sexual violence are supported and safe.

In advance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in May, we sat down with Marisa Mei (she/her) to talk about her role and work to support students as the Sexual Violence Education and Prevention Coordinator in DC’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI).

A 2009 graduate of the Police Foundations program, her interest in sexual violence education, prevention and support comes from her own lived experiences combined with bearing witness to the profound impacts sexual violence has on the survivor, their loved ones and the ripple affect it has on a community.

For members of the DC community who have experienced sexual violence, support and resources are available. Marisa spoke to us about the services DC and the OEDI offer, the importance of supporting survivors, and more.

What is sexual violence?

The definition DC uses (Durham College, Standard Definitions – March 2024) is any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without the person’s consent, and includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual exploitation.

Tell us about your experience in your field.

I have more than 13 years of experience in providing direct support to survivors of gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, domestic abuse and violence and sexual violence. I’ve also done a lot of public education work with youth and adults. It’s something I’m extremely passionate about.

How would you describe sexual violence?

Sexual violence is a form of gender-based violence that is rooted in gender inequality and injustice. It is a human rights issue. While anybody can experience sexual violence, women, girls and gender diverse people are at an increased risk (Source: National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence). According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF), 30% of all women age 15 or older have reported experiencing sexual assault at least once, and two thirds (65%) of people in Canada know a woman who has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Indigenous women and girls, racialized women, girls and gender diverse people, persons with disabilities, homeless or underhoused women are at an even higher risk due to additional discrimination and barriers they face (Source: CWF).

What is your role at DC?

My role at DC is to provide support, resources, and education awareness opportunities for our campus community on ways to prevent or reduce incidents of sexual violence or gender-based violence. If someone has concerns or questions about whether or not they are experiencing any form of gender-based violence, or has experienced sexual violence, our office can be a place of support. It is important for survivors to know that support is available to help to facilitate healing and recovery, and I can assist them in getting connected to those services.

How does DC support victims of sexual violence?

Durham College has a specific policy to address sexual violence. All members of the DC community have a right to work and study in an environment that is free from any form of sexual violence. The policy and procedure guides how sexual violence and rape culture are addressed through survivor support, awareness, education, training and prevention programs, the appropriate handling of complaints and disclosures of sexual violence incidents, and fostering and promoting a culture of consent.

How do you help survivors at DC?

We can be the first point of contact for someone to reach out and get immediate support. Students can come to our office and make informal reports of sexual violence. Survivors may come to us and share the experience that they have had, and I’m providing immediate emotional support, engaging in safety planning and assessing what other immediate needs the survivor may have. That may include exploring any personal and/or academic accommodations that they may require, or working alongside our Office of Campus Safety if there are any interim measures that need to be put in place to increase the survivor’s safety and well being. I also help students and survivors connect to any other supports or services that they may need to facilitate healing and recovery. Our on-campus resources include our Campus Health and Wellness Centre, physicians, nurses, mental health and wellness team. We also provide referrals to various organizations in our community that provide counseling and long term supports for survivors of sexual violence.

Are survivors required to speak to the Office of Campus Security or the police?

No. It is the survivor’s choice, and their choice alone, to determine if they want to take those next steps. When someone comes to our office and makes a disclosure, it is confidential.

What do survivors of sexual violence need to know?

If you are experiencing any form of gender-based or sexual violence, it is not your fault! Everyone has the right to healthy relationships that are free from all forms of abuse and violence. You deserve nothing less than healthy relationships that help you to feel loved, supported, empowered and encouraged, where you can be your authentic self and communicate openly and honestly without fear of judgement, harm and violence. Help is available and you don’t have to go it alone.

How can someone help a victim of sexual violence?

Listen without judgement and believe them. Respect their choices as to what and how much they disclose about their experience.
Validate their experience and feelings. Help them to know that what has happened to them is not their fault, and that sexual violence is never the responsibility of the survivor.
Inform them of the resources and services available on- or off-campus including emergency medical care and counselling.
Recognize that disclosing their experience can be traumatic and an individual’s ability to recall the events may be limited and/or lack clarity and consistency.
Make every effort to respect their confidentiality and anonymity.

What does your role at DC mean to you?

Being the Sexual Violence Education and Prevention Coordinator at Durham College gives me the great privilege of working with both members of our campus community and external community partners who are all committed to finding solutions to ending all forms of gender-based violence. What I love most about my job is that I am entrusted by survivors who courageously share with me their lived experiences and that I get to be a small part of someone’s healing and recovery.

Durham College is committed to supporting survivors of sexual violence, and addressing and challenging the beliefs, values, systems and structures which support and perpetuate sexism and sexual violence.

Any member of our campus community who has been affected by sexual violence is encouraged to seek support and resources from the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI).

Survivors can make an informal report, which will provide access to supports and accommodations regardless of their choice to make a formal complaint/report to the Office of Campus Safety and/or the police. Informal reports can be made in confidence in-person to the OEDI in room C106 (Oshawa Campus, Gordon Willey Building, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm), or room 1-8A (Whitby Campus, Main Building, Friday, 8:30- 4:30 pm) or by emailing SVsupport@durhamcollege.ca.

If you have immediate safety or medical concerns, please call 911 or Campus Safety and security at 905-721-2000 ext. 2400.