Laurier launches its Dimensions EDI Self-Assessment Team

Nov. 23, 2020

In 2019, Wilfrid Laurier University pledged its support for the federal government’s new Dimensions EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Charter and was selected as one of 17 Canadian institutions participating in the two-year Dimensions Pilot Program.

To coordinate EDI data collection and perform an in-depth assessment of the university’s culture, practices and systems, Laurier’s office of the Associate Vice-President: EDI has established the Dimensions EDI Self-Assessment Team (EDI-SAT). The EDI-SAT will work to address EDI barriers, gaps, and trends to support the effectiveness of EDI initiatives on campus, including the work of Laurier’s Strategic Planning Committee, EDI (SPC-EDI) in its development of EDI Strategic Plan.

In its pilot-stage, the Dimensions EDI-SAT is composed of members with dynamic backgrounds in EDI and institutional research from the Laurier community:

• Ann Curry-Stevens, EDI Faculty Colleague and Associate Professor
• Barrington Walker, Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Ciann Wilson, Co-Director of the Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action and Assistant Professor
• Eden Hennessey, Manager of the Student Centre for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Research and Programs Director for Women in Science and Adjunct Faculty
• Emmanuel Songsore, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Facilitator
• Gus Hill, Associate Dean, Indigenous Field of Study
• Martha Hook McGregor, Director of Institutional Strategy and Analytics
• Michael Woodford, Associate Dean and Associate Professor
• Pam Cant, Chief Human Resources and Equity Officer
• Rachel Barken, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Facilitator
• Rebecca Smyth, Dimensions Program Coordinator and EDI-SAT Chair
• John Fraser, Assistant Vice President: Integrated Planning and Budgeting
• Lara Fullenwieder, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Facilitator

Student participation is also integral to the work of the EDI-SAT, with undergraduate and graduate student committee members:

• Alishau Diebold, Faculty of Social Work
• Daniel Thompson-Blum, Faculty of Science
• Danielle Louzado, Faculty of Arts
• Diana Odunze, Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
• Sonya Bisol, Faculty of Science

The objective of the Dimensions program is to foster change within the research ecosystem at Canadian postsecondary institutions through addressing systemic barriers faced by members of historically and currently underrepresented or excluded groups in research. The program is jointly administered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Achieving Laurier’s EDI commitments and aspirations is an ongoing process. As the EDI-SAT proceeds with its activities, it is committed to equitably engaging with diverse stakeholders in the Laurier community. The university will continue to communicate updates on the critical work of the Dimensions EDI-SAT throughout the Dimensions pilot program.