Task Force Report

COMPLETE REPORT

The full list of recommendations and final report from the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force is now available.

Committee reports

The efforts of the six constituent ARIE TF committees—namely the Indigenous Committee, Blackness Committee, People of Colour Committee, Staff Committee, Students Committee and Faculty Committee—resulted in the completion of six individual reports.

---

Recommendations and Implementation

While the Task Force has put forward a total of 54 recommendations, a select number received sufficient support to be implemented during the 2021/22 academic year. They include:

• The need for sustained Anti-Racism training and education.  
  Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) members of the UBC community face race-based discrimination in the classroom and in work spaces. The task force recommends ongoing education and professional development to increase knowledge and skills necessary to reduce and prevent racial discrimination.
  
  
• Increasing recruitment and retention of Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) faculty.  
  IBPOC faculty are underrepresented among UBC faculty. The task force recommends UBC make intentional efforts to recruit and retain faculty members from underrepresented groups, especially Indigenous and Black scholars.
  
  
• Create pathways for IBPOC success within the talent pipeline: recruitment, hiring, performance, succession planning, retention.  
  The lack of defined career pathways negatively impacts career advancement of IBPOC faculty and staff. Many IBPOC faculty and staff leave UBC due to systemic barriers impacting their career. The task force recommends UBC improve career pathways – recruitment through retirement – to increase chances to attract and retain IBPOC applicants and employees.
  
  
• Develop and establish mechanisms of accountability through race-based data and reporting.  
  UBC lacks disaggregated racial data. As a result, employment and pay equity is clouded, institutional knowledge of racial representation is minimal, and racial incidents remain unanalyzed. The task force recommends a systemic approach to institutional data collection and reporting on disaggregated race data for students, faculty, and staff.
  
  
• Improve Black student mental health and wellness.  
  Black students face an increasing amount of stress and anxiety. However, Black mental health services are limited. Therefore, the task force recommends increased Black representation in health and wellness services, education and training of service providers, increase resources to support understanding about race and racism, and bolster emergency health services.   
  
  
• Racial justice commitment  for  change.  
  Many institutions have adopted racial justice statements to express their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The task force recommends amplifying efforts to eliminate racism by introducing several anti-racist statements in a race-specific commitment.
  
  
• Improvements in the system for handling complaints involving IBPOC.  
  UBC’s systems for handling complaints are flawed. IBPOC members are left feeling vulnerable and unheard. The task force recommends revised policies and procedures to resolve complaints, including and especially cases involving IBPOC.

---

About the Task Force

The Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force convened for an intense period of work in April 2021. Its six committees representing Work and Study constituencies and Equity Deserving Racialized Groups has put forward 54 recommendations which are currently under review by the relevant stakeholder groups. The Task Force was created as part of the response to UBC’s commitment to build a more inclusive university community. The work of the Task Force was supported by the Office of the President and the Co-Executive Leads for Anti-Racism.