Black Excellence at York University (BE YU) provides Black students with the supports they need to transition to university and maximize their student experience on the path to graduation. Through workshops, specialized events, mentoring, academic advising and more, BE YU is designed to champion the academic, professional and personal success of York’s Black student community.
- York University’s Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI) promotes and builds a respectful, equitable, diverse and inclusive university community. We strive to be a leader in providing accessible, impartial, non-adversarial, and confidential programs and services that uphold human rights, facilitate equitable access to opportunities, and champion diversity and inclusion.
- We strongly recommend that all YSGH students, staff, and faculty complete the REDI Online Tutorial and consider earning a REDI© Certificate of Completion
- Why is the Certificate Valuable? Attainment of the certificate can be recorded on resumes and workshops provides participants with an opportunity to connect and network with members of the York community interested and engaged in Human Rights work.
- We strongly recommend that all YSGH students, staff, and faculty complete the REDI Online Tutorial and consider earning a REDI© Certificate of Completion
- The Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI) strives to provide and assure excellence in the fair resolution of human rights-related conflicts and complaints from faculty, staff, and students.
- REI responds to concerns, and complaints under provincial human rights legislation and related York policies and procedures, including but not limited to questions of discrimination on the grounds of age, race, citizenship, creed, disability (incl. mental health and addictions), family status, marital status, gender identity/expression, sex, and sexual orientation. REI also plays an important role in supporting the work of The Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education Office (The Centre) by processing matters under the Sexual Violence Policy.
- REI provides informal and non-adversarial services using a variety of alternate dispute resolution mechanisms. By ‘working together,’ we solve issues from a united front, and empower community members to become pro-active in the prevention and the timely resolution of complex human rights issues. Our team is also available to provide one-on-one advice and consultative assistance to members of the community.
The Centre for Indigenous Student (CISS) Services strives to create a sense of belonging and to support the academic, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of a diverse Indigenous student population. We provide a safe community space that offers culturally appropriate support services and programs to facilitate students’ success throughout their post-secondary studies. Recognizing that our Indigenous students are from all corners of Turtle Island, we welcome and encourage all students who self-identify as Indigenous to register with CISS to access our services and programs.
A list of resources, guides, services, policies & procedures, student groups & clubs, research centres, academic departments, off-campus resources, and external links compiled by the York University Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion.
A funding opportunity provided by the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI) that supports projects, events or new initiatives seeking to enhance a respectful, equitable, diverse and inclusive community at York University.
Under-representation of Black and Indigenous scholars in many disciplines and fields of research and associated careers can become self-replicating without conscious and sustained efforts of supportive mentorship and encouragement. While gaining a foothold to begin a career can be difficult in itself, too often Black and Indigenous scholars face the additional challenges of racism and systems structured implicitly or explicitly to protect others’ privilege. Supportive mentorship and network-building can be lacking or actively denied. The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars begin to address this problem by providing collegial resources, supervision, mentorship, and funded time to successful applicants to seek their chosen careers.
The Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion provides workshops on Acknowledging and Addressing Racism, Challenging Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions, Racial Inclusion and Employment Equity, and Intervening on Racism.
A new speaker series organized by the President’s Advisory Council on EDI and hosted by the VP Equity, People and Culture, Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek. The President’s Advisory Council on EDI is developing an institutional EDI Strategy, informed by speakers, research, practice, and community consultation.
In partnership with the York University School of Global Health, the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research presents a 2-year Seminar Series on “Decolonizing Global Health Research”. This is an Institute-wide commitment towards decolonising global health and addressing racial inequality in and through the research that is conducted.
This is an effort to build respectful and inclusive relationships with the Black community at York University including faculty, instructors, staff, students and alumni. The Framework on Black Inclusion is built on the foundational work of many individuals who have done important work to advance equity and inclusion through research, curriculum, service and programming. In recognition that organizational change must be responsive to and inclusive of Black faculty, instructors, students and alumni, this Framework signals York University’s commitment to addressing systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy that pervades academia.
Working out of the Centre for Human Rights, Enable York (formerly Access York) is an independent body that functions in an advisory capacity to the Presidential Advisory Committee on Human Rights on issues of accessibility, it seeks to foster an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities and those encountering disabling circumstances at York University. In a collaborative framework, it works as an ally to and advocates for, and with, persons with disabilities within York to reduce ableism/disablism as they intersect and interact with gender, sex, race, social class, and religious and ethnic identifications, on the University’s campuses.
The President’s Advisory Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) will use an intersectional lens to develop, recommend and establish institutional priorities, strategies, tactics, actions and measures of success in relation to the subject areas of the Council’s mandate using a multi-year approach to accomplish these objectives. In doing so, the Council will develop a university-wide framework that acknowledges the decentralized nature of York and the significant differences in the demographic composition and organizational climate among Faculties, Colleges, Divisions and units.
The RISE Committee aims to foster an inclusive environment with the purpose of working towards the elimination of racism at York University. Recognizing the intersection of race with other personal identities which fall under the protected grounds of the Ontario Human Rights Code including age, ancestry, citizenship, creed (religion), colour, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity (gender expression), marital status, sex (including pregnancy), place of origin, record of offences, receipt of public assistance, and sexual orientation, the Committee aims to create mechanisms for support and proactive institutional practices to remove barriers and increase access and agency for York’s racialized members.
SexGen York is the University-wide committee responsible for advising and advocating around issues and concerns of sexual and gender diversity. This includes areas such as university policies and procedures (e.g. name change protocols), academic climate (e.g. homo/transphobia in the classroom) or general University environment (e.g. employment and safety). The Chair of the SexGen York committee reports through the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion to the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights (PACHR).
The Indigenous Framework for York University: A Guide to Action builds on the University’s distinct values, traditions, history and vision. Specifically, the Framework addresses the University Academic Plan (UAP) and its call for a pan-university Indigenous strategy. The Framework also echoes broader initiatives within the postsecondary educational system in Ontario and Canada, including the Principles on Indigenous Education developed by Universities Canada in 2015.
As part of a larger equity, inclusion, and anti-racism strategy, we are initiating a working group on systemic and individual racism within the Faculty of Health. The group is being asked to develop a set of recommendations based on broad consultations within the Faculty which will help us move forward in addressing systemic racism broadly, while also foregrounding anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.