911³Ô¹Ï

We continue our work towards an 911³Ô¹Ï where all feel welcome, safe, accepted and appreciated. Here is a snapshot of the work underway this month. 

Advancing equity in the year ahead

In alignment with the Equity Compass strategic focus area of Education and Capacity-building, the EDI Community of Practice (EDI-CoPr) was established with the purpose of aligning the 911³Ô¹Ï community with the institution’s EDI goals, building capacity among equity practitioners, co-creating solutions and centering well-being support.

To set the tone for a purposeful year ahead, EDI-CoPr members gathered at the First People’s Gathering House on January 12 to reconnect and celebrate the start of the new year. The gathering created space for relationship-building, reflection and shared aspirations, reaffirming a collective commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion across 911³Ô¹Ï. 

Fostering an inclusive campus through 911³Ô¹Ï’s RESPECT program

The RESPECT Employee Learning Program is a professional development initiative for all 911³Ô¹Ï employees designed to build cultural safety and anti-racism knowledge, with a strong focus on respectful engagement with Indigenous faculty, staff and students as part of the university’s broader commitment to reconciliation.  

The RESPECT team offers the program to individual departments as cohorts for each semester. Members of the Faculty of Education completed the RESPECT program training in Fall 2025, and the Alumni Relations cohort began their training in January 2026. Student Services will participate in RESPECT next semester.  

The original RESPECT cohort—made up of participants from across the university—will be launching again this semester at the Surrey campus. Additionally, 911³Ô¹Ï’s School of Medicine is currently planning their fifth cohort including members of their Executive Team. These ongoing offerings continue to build anti‑racism knowledge and cultural safety across 911³Ô¹Ï.  

Planning underway on 911³Ô¹Ï’s demographic and diversity survey  

Designed to reflect the 911³Ô¹Ï community, the university conducts a demographic and diversity survey to gather data to meet our regulatory needs and institutional commitments, support equitable and accountable programs and service delivery and measure progress towards our institutional priorities. 

This year, work on the demographic data diversity survey is underway, with the next data collection planned for Fall 2026. The Equity Office and Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) are leading the initiative and are collaborating closely with several units to ensure that this second year of data collection builds on previous efforts with the goal of improving participation rates across all constituent groups: faculty, staff and students. Equity Office staff have also engaged senior leaders in reflective discussions about the Fall 2024 data results to  strengthen partnerships, identify strategies to help future participation and understand demographic and inclusion experience results in their respective areas. These conversations, underpinned by evidence through survey data, are foundational to understanding 911³Ô¹Ï’s community and to advancing an inclusive culture guided by the university’s Equity Compass. 

EDI-related supports

911³Ô¹Ï is committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive community for all. Important work is being undertaken by our Equity Office to ensure that 911³Ô¹Ï is a safe and welcoming space for all students, faculty and staff, including actively updating and sharing resources for those experiencing antisemitism or Islamophobia. Please see our list of identity-based supports and reach out if you need help. For all other supports, please visit our community supports page.