King's and Brescia examine racial climate on campuses, find lack of diversity
CBC
King's and Brescia University Colleges have released a joint report on the racial climate on their campuses. The results suggest a lack of diversity among staff and faculty members at the institutions.
The study focused on what kinds of racism campus community members have experienced or witnessed, the perceptions of campus racial climate among members, and which ideas for anti-racist actions could affect the campus communities.
Covert acts of racism such as jokes, slurs, microaggressions, and intellectual put-downs were more frequently done than instances of overt racism, according to the report. Acts of overt racism are defined as "physical assault or unwarranted interventions by campus police."
Among those interviewed were students and staff, and the majority expressed feelings that racism is an issue at both campuses. However, a fifth of the respondents were unsure if racism was an issue. Roughly, another 20 per cent didn't think there was a problem at all, and that racial grievance has no basis.
The report comes after the presidents at both institutions formed a joint Anti-Racism Working Group in September 2020. The group was created to analyze the level of diversity on the campuses and form recommendations on how positive change can be enforced.
While there is a diverse group of students at the Colleges, they felt that there is not enough diversity among those in positions of power. Students also felt that there were not enough appropriate channels to report racism.
Students also complained about administration not doing enough about professors using racial slurs when addressing history or literature. All students who encountered any form of hostility were from racialized communities.
Those interviewed showed support for raising awareness about racism, changing the curriculum to reflect the history and the achievements of people of colour, decolonization of the curriculum, and hiring for diversity.
There are eight recommendations outlined in the study's findings to help foster change when it comes to the ways the institutions address racism:
Findings from these interviews will have additional recommendations that will be submitted in 2022.
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