Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Posted on February 23, 2022 by

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The MRFA is Committed to EDI

  • The MRFA has a long standing commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in its member approved mission statement. However, the Association will be engaging members in discussions on how this statement can best be updated and strengthened with respect to our commitment to EDI within the MRFA and in the wider MRU community moving forward.
  • The MRFA will, also, be developing an Equity Diversity and Inclusion Policy early in the 2022-2023 academic year. Once drafted it will be made available for member comment here.
  • To ensure that the Association’s commitment to EDI is integrated in all of the Association’s operations, the Association will be undertaking an organizational and structural review in 2022-2023 with the plan to bring forward bylaw changes in 2023 which will see the creation of an EDI council that will both reach outward to the MRU Community and be integrated in the MRFA’s standing committee structures.

MRFA Diversity And Equity Committee

The MRFA’s Diversity and Equity Committee (soon to be renamed the MRFA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee) regularly hears from and communicates with the membership on specific and important matters relating to EDI in the MRFA and the MRU community. Members are encouraged to view the committee webpage for more information about the work of this committee.

MRFA 2025 – Building an Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Association

The MRFA has been developing the 2025 Plan since the 2020-2021 academic year, and the plan is to be officially launched on March 25, 2022. For more information on the development of this plan, please view the MRFA 2025 webpage.

The MRFA 2025 Working Group is in the process of developing an annual report card template which will be used to assess progress on the plan each Spring. That report card will be posted here for information and will be shared with the MRFA membership annually at the Annual General Meeting.

MRFA Census – Learning about and from our Members

The MRFA has administered an annual census since 2017. In recent years the census was modified to include self-identification questions and, in 2022, to include questions about members’ experiences of racism and discrimination on campus. The results of the census are analyzed annually to identify concerns and work toward improvements for our members.

EDI in the Collective Agreement

The current Collective Agreement is available here and members are encouraged to refer to the following articles relating to EDI:

  • 22.1 Non-discrimination
  • 22.2 Harassment
  • 22.3 Occupational Health & Safety
  • 24 Diversity & Equity

MRFA’s Events and Observances Calendar

The MRFA Events and Observances Calendar has been developed to serve as a resource for members.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

In creating and operationalizing the MRFA’s Calendar of Events and Observances (E&O), the Association commits to the following guiding principles: 

  1. To increase historically excluded members’ engagement with the Association and representation on its committees and its Executive Board, by:
    1. Recognizing that the membership of the MRFA is diverse and that the events and observances that members participate in are equally diverse. 
    2. Recognizing that no list of events and observances will be able to adequately capture or include all of the events and observances that members participate in. 
    3. Committing to not scheduling Association business on days that have been designated as “high priority” to members.
  2. To create, implement, and support inclusive, diverse, and equitable Association systems and structures, by:
    1. Maintaining a document outlining how the MRFA will operationalize any actions committed to through its Calendar of Events and Observances, that is accessible to MRFA members. 
    2. The Executive Board, reviewing the MRFA’s Calendar of Events and Observances every 3 years. 
    3. Allowing members to contribute/suggest? updates, changes, and alterations as needed throughout the academic year. 
    4. Having the Executive Board review all updates, changes, and alterations of the MRFA’s Calendar of Events and Observances. 
  3. To strengthen the Association’s working environment to prioritize safety for its members and staff, by:
    1. Providing MRFA staff with clear direction related to scheduling parameters. 
    2. Providing MRFA members an accessible communication channel related to scheduling needs and MRFA attendance. 
    3. Providing clear expectations and a definable workload regarding organization of statements and events. 
  4. To build members’ capacity to develop and implement EDI in the Association and across MRU, by:
    1. Maintaining a Google Calendar that is accessible to MRFA members, that lists the Events and Observances. 
    2. Having the Association release messages and/or statements regarding high and medium priority Events and Observances. 
    3. Having the Association coordinate functions regarding high-priority Events and Observances. 
WHAT GUIDED OUR DECISION MAKING

The primary source for the list of events and observances is the Government of Canada website. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/important-commemorative-days.html. In addition to the Guiding Principles listed above, our decision regarding what to include on the list of events and observances was based on the following:

  1. Though we recognize that certain events and observances may be polarizing to the MRFA community, our goal is to avoid (to the best of our ability) the prioritization of certain lived experiences over others. Hence, we’ve included events and observances that are not part of the GOV site but that were suggested by members.
  2. The list is meant to reflect as complete a record as possible within the parameters set out by the Guiding Principles, with full acknowledgment that (a) no one list can ever be fully complete; (b) this is a living document where updates will be needed, encouraged, and addressed; and (c) collaboration with members will be sought to fill in any existing or emergent gaps in knowledge. 
  3. An item’s inclusion on this list does not reflect the personal beliefs of members of the Executive, the MRFA staff, or the EDI Committee. In fact, this list—as much as possible—should be considered agnostic of its creators.

EDI at MRU

EDI in MRU Policy

Content to be added

MRU Joint Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

MRU Taskforce on EDI

Events & Observances

The Faculty of Science and Technology compiled a calendar to assist members of the MRU community to be culturally inclusive. This calendar is available here. Members may add this calendar to their google calendar by clicking on the “+Google Calendar” in the bottom right corner.

(from the Science and Technology Faculty Website) “”The Faculty of Science and Technology is committed to respecting the religious, cultural and spiritual beliefs and practices of all members of our community. This calendar list is a diverse collection of traditions, holidays and celebrations that may be considered when planning events, activities, and course schedules and due dates. The significant days provided here will be updated by 2021 year end to align with the University’s religious and spiritual traditions/observances/holidays.

Our list may not entirely capture representation of our community’s many diverse faiths. We welcome you to share your holy days with us and provide feedback to edifst@mtroyal.ca so that our calendar remains accurate and inclusive.”

Category: Welcome

MRFA Events Calendar

MRFA Events and Deadlines Calendar


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Events & Observances Calendar


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