The School of Kinesiology and Health Science upholds a commitment to creating and maintaining an equitable, diverse, and inclusive community where students, faculty and staff feel welcome and valued. We recognize that in order to ensure that our members can thrive in their work as students, faculty and staff, discrimination of any kind must not be tolerated. Meaningful, focused, systemic, and sustained policies, practices, and programs are needed to dismantle the hierarchies that maintain inequity and unearned privilege. Such action must be grounded in the recognition of the intersections, parallels, and differences between all forms of oppression.

We know that the barriers of discriminatory beliefs, attitudes, structures and systems found in the broader society also exist in universities (AUCC Equity Action Plan 2018) and will require ongoing action to address these obstacles to learning and working on our campus. As necessary first steps, we will be undertaking an internal audit and critical self-examination to engage in both short-term and long-term efforts to address these inequities and create positive change at institutional, cultural, and personal levels.

Over the upcoming weeks and months, and with the assistance of an external consultant, the School of Kinesiology and Health Science will be assessing the equity needs and lived experiences of its key stakeholders (students, alumni, staff, and faculty) through such mechanisms as a survey, focus groups, and town hall. The information collected from these tools and events will be vital to understanding what our community members experience within and outside of the School and will inform how we evolve in ensuring equity, diversity, and inclusivity for all.