A message from the Director on the International Day for the Elimination of Racism

Dear School of Art community and alumni,

On this International Day for the Elimination of Racism, it is an appropriate moment to reflect on the role the School of Art (SOA) has contributed to issues of systematic racism in the past and the actions to which the SOA will commit to address issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), anti-oppression, and systematic racism.

Let me begin by acknowledging that insupportable events have occurred through the years and that people have been harmed. Let me be frank: these incidents are unacceptable—not just for an academic unit such as the SOA, but for an institution whose primary mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to educate, challenge, and inspire a new generation of citizens. Speaking more broadly, we have come up far short when addressing concerns of equity, diversity, and systematic racism—issues that pervade so many fabrics of our culture and society. Thank you to those individuals who showed real courage by sharing your personal experiences with racism at the SOA. You help us to learn and move forward. One such individual is our alumna, Divya Mehra, to whom I want to personally apologize, on behalf of the school and the university, for the mistakes made and harms done. We commit to learn from you and do better. 

The SOA must make every effort to recognize how, where, and why we have failed our students, faculty, and staff. However, it is not enough to apologize and say we will change. We collectively need to move forward and pledge to make this change a fundamental principle of who we are every day. To this end, let me offer some commitments from the SOA.

  • We shall name an administrative lead on matters pertaining to anti-racism in the SOA.
  • Continue the important work in which the Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been involved for the past few years.
  • Establish an anti-racism policy for the SOA.
  • Facilitate anti-oppression and anti-racism training for all faculty and staff.
  • Re-examine the SOA’s hiring policies to ensure they explicitly incorporate unconscious bias training and ensure EDI matters play a fundamental role in all aspects of the search process.
  • Continue to review the curricula in the SOA’s programs through the relevant School committees, using an EDI lens as often as possible as the basis for these school-wide collegial conversations.
  • Organize teaching circles to discuss pedagogy, using EDI issues as the point of departure for these discussions.
  • Facilitate workshops and discussions among students, academic staff, and support staff on EDI matters.
  • Offer panel discussions and guest speakers on topics pertaining to anti-oppression and anti-racism.
  • Implement an embedded student counsellor for SOA students.
  • Create a Safe Working Space policy for the SOA.
  • Undertake other EDI, anti-oppression, and anti-racism initiatives that may arise from discussions with students, support staff, and academic staff.

I would like to close by pledging that complaints on any matter, and about anyone in the SOA can be made in confidence to the Director, one of the Associate Directors, the SOA Student Advisor, or the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management.

Dr. Edward Jurkowski

Director, School of Art

March 21, 2024