EDIA at Victoria University

A message from the president

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 

Workplace employment diversity survey

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.