The University of Ottawa joins more than 40 other post-secondary institutions in Canada in the signing of the Scarborough Charter, a nationwide initiative to promote inclusivity in higher learning institutions.
anti-black racism
“While the university does not care about our safety, we cannot risk the safety of those here,” said Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce.
In a tale that seems to be as old as time, the University of Ottawa administration has once again come under attack for not doing enough to fight anti-Black racism on campus.
“The very presence of more Black folk validates the [new President’s Action Committee for an Anti-Racist and Inclusive Campus] and validates Frémont’s inaction. Any validation for the University of Ottawa to move forward with the committee is a step against systemic change for anti-Black racism at the University of Ottawa,” said Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce.
“As student representatives to the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa, we want to express our disappointment with the response of the University and many members of our community to the recent racist events occurring on campus,” write Jamie Ghossein & Saada Hussen the undergraduate student representatives on the University of Ottawa’s Board of Governors.
During a public forum promoting inclusion and anti-racism on campus on Thursday, University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont called the June 2019 carding incident of Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce, a Black U of O student, “a good crisis,” drawing backlash from the school community.
University of Ottawa president Jacques Frémont has been reappointed for a second term, which means he’ll lead the school until July 2026. The decision was approved at a Board of Governors meeting on Monday evening.
The U of O should collect race-based data on its student population, improve training for Protection Services officers, and continue making changes to policies governing security on campus, according to the findings of an independent investigation launched after a Black student was carded and handcuffed by campus security in June 2019.
During the second town hall on anti-Black racism to take place this academic year, several Black graduate students spoke of the discrimination that they have faced on campus. Similar to the first town hall, many students called on the school to hire more professors of colour.
A town hall discussion on anti-Black racism on the U of O campus saw more than 30 Black students and staff share discriminatory incidents that they have experienced at the school. Speakers presented a number of different recommendations that the school implement, including hiring more Black professors and changing curriculum.
University announces review of Policy 33, cultural sensitivity training for campus security, formal complaint mechanism and president’s committee for discrimination-free campus
The journey of unlearning and learning is one that is very long, and that will include a lot of ups and downs, but it’s really important that you listen to folks that are affected by it, and kind of follow their lead.
