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Conversations on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The PowerPoint presentations of our October 2019 EDI Conversations are now available.

Check the event listing below to find the presentation you are looking for.

Following the release of the report of the Advisory Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, we are organizing a series of events from October 7, 2019 to October 10, 2019.

Come and take part in the ongoing campus conversation on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion!

Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Information session

Monday, October 7, 2019
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion invites all Concordians to an information session about the Working Group’s ongoing work. Topics will include:

  • A presentation of the 3-phase campus conversation on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • A summary of the report of the Advisory Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion released on Sept 30th
  • A review of the plan to address the community priorities for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion consists of a cross-section of students, faculty and staff from diverse areas of Concordia University. Its mandate is to develop a strategy for advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in all aspects of life at Concordia, with the goal of coordinating and enhancing ongoing initiatives.

Coffee and croissants will be served.

Speaker:
Lisa Ostiguy, Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life, and
Chair, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location:
Loyola Campus, Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre, L-RF-335

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Communicating Through Diversity: Ethnocultural Empathy

Tuesday, October 8, 2019
2 – 2:30 p.m.

Institutional interactions frequently entail exchanges with people from diverse social and communicative backgrounds who often hold different basic assumptions, leading to challenging interactions, and, ultimately, miscommunication. Different communicative styles affect the interactants’ ability to effectively participate or negotiate. Lack of congruence between institutional representatives and their interlocutors prevent the interlocutors from obtaining necessary information which, in the context of “intercultural moments” may result in inequality. Displays of empathy, which are vital characteristics of successful outcomes, are not possible if the representative is incapable of placing themselves in the position of the individual or of understanding that person’s worldview. Racial bias, often subconscious, on the part of the institutional representative makes it difficult for successful communication between the interactants. Preconceptions resulting from these biases create ineffective interactions that can result in missed emotional cues from the speaker which could have a serious impact on decision-making. Understanding how missed empathic opportunities in intercultural interactions impact these encounters provides us with an important view on interculturality.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

Speaker: 
Jacqueline Peters
, Part-time Lecturer, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Science, and Member, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location: 
SGW Campus
, Webster Library (LB), Seminar Room S-LB-362

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

A Discussion by the Students, for the Students: Addressing Discrimination in an Ostensibly ‘Woke’ University Environment

Tuesday, October 8, 2019
3 – 4:30 p.m.

With institutions everywhere attempting to transition into more equitable and inclusive spaces, it has ironically started to feel harder than ever to address discrimination due to its latent contemporary presence. This workshop is meant to provide Concordia students with an opportunity to discuss the presence of unconscious bias on campus: What is it? Where and when does it occur? How does one recognize it? How can one reflect upon and address their own and others’ unconscious notions? Students will have the chance to act as resources for each other by discussing and sharing tactics which have worked to target unconscious bias in the environments where they have felt it was hardest to speak up in. As our community strives to become a safer, more uplifting environment for all, it is important to remember that a transition of this scale takes time. During this time, it is most important that dialogue and communication continue to flow.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

Speaker: 
Kajol Pasha,
BA Student, Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Science, and Member, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location:
SGW Campus
, Webster Library (LB), Seminar Room S-LB-362

Building the Inclusive Campus: Where Are We Now, Where Are We Going?

Wednesday, October 9, 2019
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Given the fervor and activity around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on campus, some are surprised at what is perceived as a lack of integration, visibility and progress on EDI issues. There is often confusion as to what is meant by EDI, how diverse our campus is, who is exactly is considered diverse, and whether we are doing too much or too little in this area. The reality is we each contribute to make campus more or less inclusive for all, and there are ways to have our voices heard as we move towards broader, more ambitious plans. This will be an interactive, dialogue-based session in which we apply foundational concepts such as inclusive excellence, unconscious bias and social justice to ask important questions such as ‘what is the current state of EDI culture on campus?’, ‘what are our biggest challenges?’, ‘what are the possibilities for EDI?’, and importantly, ‘what is my role in building the inclusive campus?’

Coffee and croissants will be served.

Speaker:
Mark Andrew Galang Villacorta
, Senior Lead, Equity and Diversity, Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic, and Member, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location:
Loyola Campus
, Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre, L-RF-335

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Information session

Thursday, October 10, 2019
2 – 3 p.m.

The Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion invites all Concordians to an information session about the Working Group’s ongoing work. Topics will include:

  • A presentation of the 3-phase campus conversation on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • A summary of the report of the Advisory Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion released on Sept 30th
  • A review of the plan to address the community priorities for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion consists of a cross-section of students, faculty and staff from diverse areas of Concordia University. Its mandate is to develop a strategy for advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in all aspects of life at Concordia, with the goal of coordinating and enhancing ongoing initiatives.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

Speaker: 
Lisa Ostiguy
, Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life, and Chair, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location: 
SGW Campus
, John Molson Building (MB), S-MB-14.250

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Breaking through Glass Ceilings: Occupational minority CEOs and firm performance

Thursday, October 10, 2019
3 – 3:30 p.m.

Extant literature tends to find that on average women CEOs tend to perform better than male CEOs. This is often attributed to the superior management abilities of women CEOs. This paper challenges this simplistic narrative by bringing the glass ceiling into the picture. Arguably, there exists a discriminatory glass ceiling in almost all hiring practices. Therefore, the average woman who is is a CEO has had to cross many more hurdles compared to her male counterparts. Thus, the superior abilities of the average woman CEO can be interpreted as evidence alluding to the existence of the glass ceiling rather than just a gender effect. To separate the two effects, we divided the firm performance data by ethnicity and gender. We find that while the firms led by white male CEOs demonstrate the worst performance, those led by non-white women CEOs have the best performance. The results are consistent with the existence of a glass ceiling in the society against women and visible minorities.

Coffee and cookies will be served.

Speaker: 
Rahul Ravi
, Chair, Finance, John Molson School of Business, and Member, Working Group on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Location: 
SGW Campus
, John Molson Building (MB), S-MB-14.250

DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

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