undergraduate student, UBC Okanagan (UBCO)
Building a culture of inclusive excellence
UBC is taking steps to advance inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism in our community. We are grateful to the many UBC community members who lent their wisdom and lived experiences to support the development of the recommendations, goals and actions that will lead us forward to build a more inclusive university and world.
Leadership
UBC leaders have been appointed to support the implementation of plans and recommendations and serve as an important bridge to the community as we undertake this important work to foster change at UBC.
Rehan Sadiq
Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Co-executive Lead for Anti-Racism
Ainsley Carry
Vice-President, Students
Co-executive Lead for Anti-Racism
Arig al Shaibah
Associate Vice-President, Equity & Inclusion
| Saher Ahmed | International Student Advisor, Global Engagement Office |
| Gaya Arasaratnam | Director, Student Wellness |
| Damien Bell | Graduate Academic Services Officer, College of Graduate Studies |
| Shirley Chau | Associate Professor, Faculty of Health and Social Development |
| Rishma Chooniedass | Assistant Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Health and Social Development |
| Kathryn Douglas-Campbell | Projects and Administration Coordinator, Faculty of Health and Social Development |
| Dharshi Lacey (co-chair) | Director, IDEA |
| Jenica Frisque | Equity Education Strategist, Okanagan Equity and Inclusion Office |
| Mary Jung | Associate Professor, Faculty of Health and Social Development |
| Dan Keyes | Associate Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies |
| Cindy Leonard | Ombuds Officer, Office of the Ombudsperson for Students |
| Jessica Lougheed | Assistant Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
| Denise Maines | Research Development Officer, Office of the Vice-Principal, Research & Innovation |
| Earllene Roberts | Manager, Disability Resource Centre |
| Sumer Seiki | Assistant Professor of Teaching, Okanagan School of Education |
| Shilo St. Cyr | Director, Sexual Violence & Prevention Response Office |
| Robert Szilagyi | Associate Professor, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science |
| Leah Terai | Senior Manager, Faculty and Employee Relations |
| Erin Trifunov | Client Services Manager, Information Technology |
| Adrienne Vedan (co-chair) | Senior Advisor on Indigenous Affairs |
| Robin Young | Assistant Professor of Teaching, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science |
| Tareq Yousef | Lecturer, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences |
StEAR Framework
The new Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework has been developed to support the ongoing implementation of UBC’s equity and anti-racism plans and recommendations. The framework reflects the need for individual and systemic-level action and identifies four domains for change – structural, curricular, compositional, and interactional.
Supporting plans
The President’s Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Final Report
Released in April 2022, the ARIE Task Force’s final report outlines 54 recommendations aimed at addressing the many forms of systemic racism at UBC.
Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP)
The ISP sets out a series of eight goals and 43 actions the university will collectively take to advance our vision of becoming a leading university globally in the implementation of Indigenous peoples’ human rights.
Inclusion Action Plan (IAP)
The IAP supports Shaping UBC’s Next Century by operationalizing the theme of inclusion and supporting the themes of innovation and collaboration with five goals and 36 actions to build a more inclusive university.
UBC Trans, Two-Spirit and Gender Diversity Task Force Final Report
Released in 2023, the UBC Trans, Two-Spirit and Gender Diversity Task Force Final Report identifies specific recommendations related to several areas of work, as well as four key recommendations for UBC.
Coming together—join the campus community for events related to culture, inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism at UBC Okanagan by visiting events.ok.ubc.ca.
community Champions
Building equity connections at UBC Okanagan
Guided by her experiences and a strong sense of justice, Dr. Electra Eleftheriadou helps faculty and staff to support equitable learning transformation at UBC Okanagan. Read more about her experiences and why she believes that our biggest resource to support equity and inclusion is each other.
Toolkits
Guides and Resources
We encourage you to make use of these helpful guides and courses, along with the many helpful resources from the Equity and Inclusion Office and other units, to learn more about how you can support inclusive excellence in your work at UBC.
Get started with these featured resources:
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Teaching and Learning
Workplace Learning
This self-paced, free online Canvas course was created for instructors in all disciplines who are interested in developing their capacity to create more inclusive classrooms and learning environments but are not sure of where to start. The content is relevant for anyone involved in supporting teaching and learning in higher education, including teaching assistants, educational developers, or staff who support instructors.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMBEDDING INDIGENOUS HISTORY IN COURSES AND CURRICULUM ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES
Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic
Syilx Okanagan Nation Elders Chris Marchand and Eric Mitchell, along with their daughter, Vanessa Mitchell, Interior Health join UBC faculty for a webinar to share their experiences and perspectives on the importance of embedding Indigenous history in education across the many disciplines of academia.
