The Recommendations
The Task Force came together in 2020 to examine the University’s existing practices, processes, and policies in relation to anti-Black racism and Black inclusion and excellence. The task force wanted to know if existing tools were adequate and whether additional policies and processes were required to promote Black inclusion and excellence on the three UofT campuses.
Systemic Recommendations
| # | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| 1.1 | Recommendation that EDI considerations be a publicly listed criterion for selection by the Governing Council. |
| 1.2 | Recommendation that all members of Governing Striking Committees and the Election Committee complete annual unconscious bias training. |
| 1.3 | Recommendation that the Governing Council Secretariat focus its efforts on building a more diverse pool of candidates for election to Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni and Community positions. |
| 1.4 | Recommendation that the the Governing Council Secretariat, in consultation with the Executive Director of EDI, and the central Communications office, develop an EDI outreach plan to build the pool of Black, Indigenous, and racialized candidates for election to faculty, staff, alumni, and community roles. |
| 1.5 | Recommendation that the the Governing Council Secretariat develop partnerships with the Black Research Network, Black Faculty Working Group and the Black Alumni Association. |
| 2.1 | Recommendation that every faculty and college appoint a senior divisional lead on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and ensure that combatting anti-Black racism be a primary component of this leader's work. Differences in structure and size would dictate that these arrangements would vary across faculties and colleges. ...Also recommended that additional staffing resources be committed to the Office of the Executive Director of EDI and the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) to support and address the increasing EDI requirements across the University. |
| 2.2 | Recommendation that a new mandatory section be added to the Deans’ and Chief Librarian’s annual performance report to the Provost. This section would detail disaggregated race data for students, faculty, and staff. In this section, they would be required to report on progress in attaining EDI goals that are set either within the division or between the Provost and the divisional leader. |
| 2.3 | Recommendation that an Associate Vice President/Associate Vice Provost for EDI faculty-supported position be created. This position could have a dual reporting function to the Vice-President/Provost and the Vice-President of Human Resources & Equity. |
| 2.4 | Recommendation that a Provostial Faculty Fellows program be established. |
| 3.1 | Recommendation for a bold new all-employee communications campaign focusing on why the Employment Equity Survey is important for understanding our workforce and how it would be used to promote a more inclusive and welcoming community. |
| 3.2 | Recommendation for the development of an annual diversity report to assist divisional leaders in assessing how their divisional diversity compares to that of other units, and allow for more open, informed conversations and strategic planning on Black inclusivity |
| 3.3 | Recommendation that the Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity strike a committee, with Black voices well-represented, to assess ways in which existing employee data can best be collected and presented in ways that are respectful of the law and privacy needs, but that enable the community to assess accurate rates of employee representation across the University. |
| 3.4 | Recommendation that results from Student Equity Census is shared at minimum annually with faculties, colleges and campuses, to facilitate access programs and recruitment strategies geared towards Black students. |
| 4.1 | Recommendation that all major EDI funding emanate from the office of the Vice-President/Provost or that an EDI budget is allocated to the Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity. |
| 4.2 | Recommendation that the Black Research Network (BRN) should receive ongoing support from the Provostial budget for operational and administrative costs. |
| 4.3 | Recommendation that the Division of University Advancement build capacity to attract donors to a Black excellence campaign at the University. |
| 5.1 | Recommendation that the University endorse space(s) that support Black students. |
| 5.2 | Recommendation that the University supports art representation across the three campuses that amplify the contributions of Black Canadians and/or the Black experience. |
| 6.1 | Recommendation that the University strengthen and update the anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policy in addition to developing communications for U of T stakeholder groups that illustrate the complaints process in an accessible, clear, nonlegal language, or with the use of multi-media tools. On a yearly basis, all U of T staff and faculty should be required to sign and acknowledge the policy on Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment electronically. |
| 6.2 | Recommendation that central Human Resources offices develop a confdential online system to track at the institutional level all concerns or disclosures, as well as field complaints, regarding prohibited discrimination of any form. |
| 7.1 | Recommendation that central Human Resources & Equity communicate the existing training offerings related to anti- Black racism as well as develop a suite of well-publicized online modules on anti-Black racism that are attuned and accessible to staff, student, and faculty stakeholders. |
| 7.2 | Recommendation that every year, completion of a minimum of one mandatory module on anti-Black racism be required for all University managers, employees at the PM-5 level and above, all campus police officers, and employees holding appointments under the Policy on Appointment of Academic Administrators. |
Students & Curricula Recommendations
| # | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| A.1 | Recommendation that the new Institutional Access office, in consultation with the divisional offices, create permanent dedicated institutional funds to support access programs where departments collect and report data on Black student representation. |
| A.2 | Departments report on numbers of Black Students in the program and use this information to prioritize access programing. |
| A.3 | Departments/units with low numbers of Black Students utilize data to intentionally create access programs. |
| A.4 | Recommendation for the expansion of a focused Black student recruitment portfolio and ongoing funding to support access and outreach. |
| A.5 | Recommendation that every faculty, college and campus work with EDI to conduct a review of its Admissions processes and consider a data-driven and holistic application process for Black students, who remain one of the least represented groups of students on campus. Each division/program to collect data about Black Students upon entry into program. |
| A.6 | Recommendation that the institutional recruitment offices include intentional, invitational language in recruitment brochures and admission applications acknowledging and welcoming Black student and the Black experience. |
| A.7 | Recommends that the Division of University Advancement develop a central campaign to secure funds for Black Excellence entrance scholarships for new Black students. |
| A.8 | Recommendation for the creation of central and divisional Black student welcome orientations day(s) that would include international students, who often miss pre-term events. |
| A.9 | Recommendation that institutional counseling services increase the number of Black mental health professionals, and that this option be made available to all undergraduate and graduate students upon registration with counseling services. |
| A.10 | Recommendation that the University’s teaching and learning centres enhance the number of workshops and learning circles focused on anti-racist and inclusive pedagogies. Anti-Black racism pedagogy workshops should be offered throughout the university and should be prominently advertised to all instructors. |
| A.11 | Recommendation that the Division of University Advancement build partnerships with the numerous Black student associations and clubs across U of T to consider the development of a list of Black alumni who are willing to engage with current students. |
Faculty, Instructors & Librarians Recommendations
| # | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| B.1 | Recommendation for the creation of a Presidential Black Excellence in Research Lecture Series, sponsored and coordinated by the President’s Office. |
| B.2 | Recommendation that the faculties or departments that are recruiting fellows through the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program strongly consider creating a Contractually-Limited Term Appointment of one to two years that would commence upon completion of the fellowship. |
| B.3 | Recommendation for the creation of an institutional Black Doctoral Scholars of Excellence program, to build a pathway to the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program and to faculty positions at the University. |
| B.4 | Recommendation that the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life and her team develop additional mandatory EDI accountability mechanisms to build into all faculty and librarian hiring committees, which the Vice-Provost must review before approving a new faculty hire. |
| B.5 | Recommendation that the fundamental reframing of the Diversity in Academic Hiring Fund as an award of excellence that can and should be celebrated as additional Black scholars join the University through the program. This reframing must include a sophisticated internal and external communications campaign to ensure deep and wide awareness of the Fund among all faculty members, unit leaders, and hiring committee chairs, as well as among potential recruits to the University. |
| B.6 | Recommends that the Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life strike a similar committee of Black faculty members and researchers to immediately develop template job posting language that all departments may draw upon in their searches. |
| B.7 | Recommendation that the Chief Librarian and the Dean of the Faculty of Information work to secure funding to support scholarships for Black students in Library and Information Sciences concentrations within the Master of Information program. In addition, the Chief Librarian should further develop outreach to Black Student groups on campus regarding careers in library science. |
| B.8 | Recommendation that that the Vice-President, Research & Innovation and the Institutional Strategic Initiatives portfolio create start-up funding awards and research awards for Black researchers. |
| B.9 | Recommendation that CTSI works in collaboration with ARCDO immediately to develop a robust communications strategy notifying all sessional lecturers and adjunct professors of their offerings, and that they immediately work to dismantle any technical barriers to registration by sessional lecturers for their offerings. |
Staff Recommendations
| # | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| C.1 | Recommendation that central Human Resources & Equity develop, in consultation with U of T Black and racialized employees and EDI experts, a guide to best practices in recruitment and selection, to be used by all hiring panels and HR representatives at the University. |
| C.2 | Recommendation that central Human Resources & Equity develop an online module on unconscious bias in hiring practices that all members of hiring panels at the University be required to complete prior to participating in a hiring process. |
| C.3 | Recommendation that the Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity strike a committee with the appropriate University membership, including representation of Black employees, to develop language that encourages Black candidates to apply, and that should be included in employee postings. |
| C.4 | Recommendation that central HR offices grow partnerships with greater Toronto area community agencies and groups to attract more Black candidates, as well as partnerships with Black student groups and clubs on campus to encourage students to consider staff careers at the University. |
| C.5 | Recommendation the creation of specialized online or written onboarding materials for Black-identifying staff to ensure that all new Black employees are aware of affinity groups, opt-in Black staff email lists, and other programs across the University that may be of interest to them. |
| C.6 | Recommendation that central Human Resources work in consultation with the relevant unions to develop a formal, mandatory performance assessment and career development process for all unionized appointed staff at the University. |
| C.7 | Recommendation that central Human Resources offices expand the number of leadership training workshops and programs, to ensure that every manager of appointed employees is appropriately trained in delivering supportive annual performance reviews that incorporate EDI best practices. |
| C.8 | Recommendation that central Human Resources offices incorporate a rating level on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the performance assessment process for all Professional/Managerial, Confidential, and Advancement Professionals, rather than simply a “pass-fail” type indicator that says the employee “met” or “did not meet” expectations in this area. |
| C.9 | Recommendation that central Human Resources offices conduct an equity-focused review of all central mentorship programs, examining selection criteria, inclusion, and outcomes, with the goal of creating updated programs that are inclusive of Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees’ needs and aspirations. |
| C.10 | Recommendation that the creation of a centrally funded and supported mentorship program for Black employees, similar to the program recommended for Black faculty and scholars at all levels. |
| C.11 | Recommendation that central HR offices work with faculties and campuses to adopt intentional succession strategies by creating pathways for Black staff, including anticipation of future vacancies in senior leadership positions. |
| C.12 | Recommendation that Human Resource offices “leverage existing programs and talent pools to identify suitable Black staff for special project/secondment/promotional opportunities” across the University that are not only related to EDI issues, but that are focused on core operational projects. |
| C.13 | Recommendation that central Human Resources offices create additional pathways for sponsorship and coaching, or leadership programs for Black employees who can be trained and developed to easily transition into senior leadership roles when they become available. |
| C.14 | Recommendation that the Vice-President, Communications develop regular communications plans to feature Black staff accomplishments and profiles at the University, and that EDI considerations be infused into all staff excellence and award streams. |
| C.15 | Recommendation that an annual recognition event be held to bring together Black staff and senior leadership from across the University to increase trust and recognition across the University. |
| C.16 | Recommends that the University's Employee and Family Assistance Programs be expanded to include racial-based trauma counseling and a roster of Black care providers to support Black employees when requested in recognition of the particular needs of our Black employees. |