KPU’s Task Force on Anti-Racism releases 64 recommendations to tackle systemic racism

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With files from Claudia Culley 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Task Force on Anti-Racism (TFA) presented their final report with 64 recommendations on how to address systemic racism at the university on Oct. 7 at the Conference Centre. 

Recommendations were based on data collected over the last two years including surveys, workshops, panel discussions, research literature reviews, data analysis, and consultations within and outside KPU. The task force was created in July 2020 during worldwide protests about race-based state violence. 

The recommendations were made in 10 areas ranging from curriculum and hiring to student engagement with the goal of a call to action and guide that will help KPU students, faculty, and staff take ongoing, meaningful steps to transform the university. 

“This is a bold report which inspires an equally bold response,” said KPU President Alan Davis at the presentation. “We are here to mark its completion and to start the long, hard work to follow.” 

Out of the 64 recommendations, six will be implemented immediately, including establishing an Office of Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence to simplify KPU’s anti-racism-related work. 

The office will provide support and consultation services to senior leadership, committees, and departments reporting to the president, and offer advice on planning processes and KPU-wide initiatives, according to a KPU press release. 

It will also be led by an associate vice-president for anti-racism to coordinate the work at KPU, which will be Dr. Asma Sayed on an interim basis, who is the task force chair and Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies. 

“I think this is a historical day for KPU, as it takes on one more step forward with this commitment to make KPU an anti-racist and inclusive institution,” said Sayed during the presentation. 

According to the report, other recommendations that will be put in immediately are creating an Implementation Committee to evaluate the progress and ensure that the task force’s recommendations are being implemented, forming sub-committees to develop an anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism action plans over the next three to six months, and developing an institutional vision statement and policy. 

The university will also create a set of institutional awards to recognize BIPOC excellence, an annual KPU symposium sharing internal and external research, and research fellowships for employees exploring the topic of racism and anti-racism.

Earlier this year, the TFA created a survey asking KPU employees if they experienced racism during their time at the university, if they feel comfortable reporting it if so, and if the current resources or policies reflect the needs of BIPOC employees and students. 

Although the response rate was 28 per cent, the survey found that 51 per cent of employees who are racialized experienced racism, 30 per cent said they are uncomfortable reporting racism or race-based harassment, and 70 per cent are unsure if resources, services, or policies reflect the needs of BIPOC employees. 

In a follow-up interview with The Runner, Sayed says while she is not surprised by the findings, the report can move KPU forward in a positive direction. 

“KPU is part of a broader post-secondary ecosystem and what we have found at KPU is consistent with what we have seen at other post-secondary systems or institutions,” she says. 

“Our institutions are built on colonial structures, and this report encourages us to move forward in a direction where we can learn from … Indigenous knowledge keepers, BIPOC scholars…. What we have here is an opportunity to move forward and to work towards positive change.” 

Sayed says the recommendations can apply to everyone in the KPU community, whether a student or instructor, and work together to build an inclusive environment at the university. 

“It will allow for the KPU community to really come together and think about how we can change the systems and how we can make KPU a more just and equitable place.” 

She encourages everyone to read the report, especially students, to think about the recommendations and to be involved in making KPU a better place. 

“You can make it better, and one way of making it better is [to] get involved. Ask questions, be part of deliberations, be part of consultations, show up at events like this and be part of it.”