CUPFA initiated its own Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion service for members in spring 2020 to promote interactive discussions, support, and training. CUPFA’s EDI team has since expanded to three experienced staff available to help their CUPFA colleagues build fair, respectful, and equitable treatment in and beyond the classroom and workplace.
Our EDI team lead is Jacqueline Peters, a researcher and author on themes of language and identity, including the role of ethnocultural empathy in dealing with racism. She is active in the Concordia community, participating on the Anti-Black Racism Task Force steering committee, as co-lead of the Employment Initiatives subcommittee, Coordinator of the Caucus of Black Concordians and was a member of Concordia’s Advising and Working Groups on EDI.
Jacqueline mobilizes the expertise of EDI staff for confidential assistance on EDI-related matters such as race and racism, gender and sexual identities, classroom language and behaviours, disabilities, health, wellness, and other pertinent situations identified by members.
Contact EDI@cupfa.org to share your thoughts, talk about those sometimes difficult conversations, and get the information and assistance you need.
Participate in a growing list of workshops such as:
- “Seeing the Unseen”: Encountering and Countering Microaggressions in fall 2021 helped participants recognize subtle exclusionary actions and offered responses to help minimize occurrences.
- “Seeing the Unseen” – Part 2: Micro Interventions” followed in winter 2022, introducing micro interventions with accessible strategies and solutions for EDI related situations on or off campus.
- “Language in the Classroom: Inclusion and Exclusion” started in spring 2023 with a focused sharing of knowledge, insights and experience on current language challenges and practical perspectives on inclusiveness.
- Followup workshops on managing more specific and controversial offensive language – scheduled fall 2023.
