Joint Board and Senate Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Dear Members of the Bishop’s Community,

The Joint Board and Senate Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion held its first meeting on Tuesday, September 8.

I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Jenn Cianca will Chair the Task Force and Nikki Baribeau and Sufia Langevin will be the Vice-Chairs.

The Task Force’s mandate is to make recommendations in the following areas:

1. Hiring, promotion and retention objectives and practices for faculty, research chairs, staff, librarians and management
2. Training for faculty, research chairs, librarians, staff, managers, students and governors
3. Governance
4. The academic curriculum including research programs and activities
5. The University’s policies, procedures and guidelines.

The Task Force is also charged with making recommendations as to what data should be collected, how it should be collected and communicated and what metrics should be used to measure the University’s progress.

The Task Force will identify any structural or systemic barriers, injustices or biases at the University and to make recommendations about actions to dismantle these barriers and advance equity, diversity and inclusion at Bishop’s.

The Task Force is composed of:

Two members of the Board of Governors named by the Board

• Abel Bosum, Grand Chief, The Grand Council of the Crees
• Tova White’92, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Giant Tiger

Two faculty members of Senate named by Senate

• Darren Bardati’94, Full Professor, Environment and Geography
• David Webster, Associate Professor, History and Global Studies

Five students representing the :

• Caribbean African Student Association: Sarah Maria Onyango, 3rd year Education student
• BU Pride Alliance: Genève Juneau, 3rd year Psychology student
• Indigenous Cultural Alliance: Nikki Baribeau, 4th year Education student
• Students’ Representative Council (SRC), at least one of whom is a member of a racialized minority group:
  • Sabrina Kone, 5th year Business Administration student
  • Sufia Langevin, 2nd year student in Education and Social Studies

Two members of the Bishop’s Council named by the Council

• Junior Sirivar ’99, Partner and Co-Chair International Arbitration, McCarthy Tétrault
• Heather Thomson, Retired Campus Minister

One faculty member or librarian named by Faculty Council

• Jenn Cianca’01, Associate Professor, Classical Studies

One manager named by the Managers’ Council

• Theresa Gagnon, Manager, Counselling, Career and Student Accessibility

One member named by the Association of Professors of Bishop’s University (APBU)

• Layachi Bentabet, Full Professor, Computer Science

Two members of the Administration named by the Executive Committee

• Nick Andrews, Associate Vice-Principal Human Resources
• Stine Linden-Andersen, Dean of Student Affairs

One member of the staff named by the Staff Council

• Monika Mitchell, Administrative Assistant, Building and Grounds

The Principal

• Michael Goldbloom, Principal and Vice-Chancellor

The Committee may name up to two members

• Chérif Nicolas, Head Coach, Football
• Heather Lawford, Full Professor, Psychology and Canada Research Chair

The Principal may name one member

• Yolande James, Chair, Bishop’s Council

Supported by: Maëli Émond, HR Advisor and Denise Lauzière, Chief of Staff.

The Task Force will make a preliminary report to the Board and Senate on or before November 30, 2020. It may propose that its mandate be extended or that other structures be established in order to ensure that meaningful progress is made and monitored.

The striking of this Task Force does not preclude actions being taken to advance equity, diversity and inclusion while the Task Force is pursuing its work.

Michael Goldbloom, C.M.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor