Last Friday, SSMU hosted the third in a series of strategic summit meetings, this time addressing equity and diversity at McGill. Each of the monthly strategic summits are designed to tackle a different problem that affects SSMU, McGill University, and its students.

Prior to the event, organizers had low expectations for turnout.

“The past two [summit] topics have been big draws … I wouldn’t be surprised if less people come to this one,” VP University Affairs Emily Yee Clare said before the summit.

However, over 30 students, faculty members, administrators, and representatives of relevant student services gathered and exchanged dialogue about key issues the McGill community faces with regards to managing and celebrating equity and diversity on campus.

SSMU Equity Outreach Coordinator Ryan Thom and Equity Commissioner Cassandra Zawilski facilitated Friday’s summit. Thom kicked off the discussion with a question: “What do [you] know to be true about diversity and equity?”

“Equity means, regardless of social or economic background, putting opportunity on a level playing field,” SSMU Senator Max Luke said.

While participants didn’t necessarily agree on all that was said, discussions fostered dialogue and a deeper understanding of the topic.

“This is what I hope today’s summit will be about—finding points of contention so that we can resolve and celebrate difference,” Thom said.

Participants were split into groups and asked to reflect on specific, pertinent issues that pose problems to the growth of equity and diversity at McGill. One group discussed the possibilities for more collective action in order to confront equity imbalances on campus.

“Gaps exist between concept and implementation,” Frédéric Fovet, director of the Office for Students with Disabilities, said.

“There has to be incentive for student groups and societies to work together [to understand differences],” Rafi Azari, Engineering Undergraduate Society Equity Commissioner, said.

In another group, participants expressed the desire to improve transparency and awareness in regard to SSMU’s Equity Policy. 

“A lot of work is being done in terms of policies, but students don’t know about it,” SSMU Environment Commissioner Cameron Butler said. “There’s a bit of a disconnect in terms of communicating that to students…and making sure students know which resources are available and how to access them.”

Such resources include the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) Office. SEDE aims to educate the McGill community issues of diversity and equity, and to foster relationships between the university and external minority communities.

However, participants also expressed frustration with the lack of channels to seek help. The SEDE Office is solely an educational body that focuses on raising awareness about issues of social equity and diversity; it does not handle specific cases. For students who wish to issue a complaint, the process is often long and confusing.

“The system isn’t user-friendly … it doesn’t encourage people to come forward,” Fovet said.

After administration and representatives left at 1:30 p.m., Thom steered discourse to equity and diversity in the context of SSMU and highlighted some issues within its structure.

“At SSMU, there are four equity officers … who are mandated to receive formal equity complaints,” Thom said. “There is also an equity committee … but sometimes things that go through the officers don’t necessarily go through the committee.”

The SSMU equity committee and officers are advisory bodies, not decision-making bodies. Any changes to the equity policy can be done only through SSMU council. However, as Thom made clear, SSMU council does not have equity training.

“Not all people involved in SSMU who have to deal with equity issues are trained or prepared to deal with such issues,” SSMU President Maggie Knight said, to the surprise of many students.

“That is very nonsensical,” U3 arts student Laura Dolan said. “[SSMU members] need to have that training.”

Participants also suggested creating a SSMU information package on equity.

“I think people see the word equity and aren’t exactly sure what it means,” Dolan said. “A basic package would be useful for the student body to reference.” 

Those leading the meeting had their own understanding of equity, which they tried to impart onto participants.

“Equity is a process … it means different things in different contexts,” Clare said.

Thom has tentative plans to create an organized strategy for faculty, administration, and students to send feedback and continue the discussion. Overall, he was happy with how the summit unfolded. 

“I was pleasantly surprised by [the] number of faculty and administration that showed up, and satisfied with the student presence,” Thom said.

“Notes from [Friday’s] summit will be typed up and posted on the SSMU website,” Clare said.