Equity Case Studies Report - School of Social Work - University of ...

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UBC school of social work equity and diversity strategic plan: A compilation of case studies 29 Equity Committee, Initiative, and Plan were established independently from the University of Manitoba initiatives. Acknowledging that the work to achieve and sustain equity and inclusion within universities is ongoing, the School’s plan is considered, “a ‘living document’ that is reviewed and critically reflected upon on a regular basis. Description of Educational Equity Initiatives The Educational Equity Committee, which guides the Equity Initiative, is composed of faculty members, community members, alumni, and students. Currently (2011), the composition of the committee consists of five faculty members, several students (mostly MSW students, and two PhD students), and three community members. Each member on the committee belongs to one or more minoritized groups. The Educational Equity Committee is supposed to include staff members; however, there are currently (as of May, 2012) none in the committee as no one has stepped forth to join. Funding for the initiative has been provided by the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Social Work, grants from Culture and Heritage Canada, and from Human Resources and Development Government of Canada. There is also an Indigenous Caucus made up of Indigenous faculty members. The Indigenous Caucus and the Educational Equity Committee often work together. For example, through joint efforts they have provided workshops on equity issues, as well as writing a joint paper for program review. Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework behind the Equity Plan, Equity Initiative and the Educational Equity Committee was originally based on liberal affirmative action principles. However, more
UBC school of social work equity and diversity strategic plan: A compilation of case studies 30 recently, there have been attempts to apply other frameworks, such as structural 6 and antioppressive practice principles 7 . Additionally, there are attempts to incorporate intersectionality 8 principles into their Equity Plan and Initiative. Processes and Practices: Working Strategies Since 2006, the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba has changed their mission statement and looked at how to change structures within the Faculty to promote educational equity. Leadership, Governance, and Strategic Commitment The purpose of the Equity Initiative is to achieve equality in professional education so that no person shall be denied educational opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability. In the fulfilment of this goal, the aim is to correct the conditions of disadvantage in professional education experienced by Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, immigrants and refugees to Canada, and persons who are, because of their race or colour, a visible minority in Canada. The Educational Equity Committee believes that giving effect to the principle of educational equity means more than treating persons in the same way; it also requires special measures and the accommodation of difference. Accessibility and quality education have been priorities of the Educational Equity Committee and the Equity Initiative at the Faculty of Social 6 Structural theory in Social Work practice involves exposing and opposing the socio-economic structures and social relations that oppress people (Hick, 2010). 7 Anti-oppressive social work “involves intervention that is not confined to individuals but that spans the social structural level of society. It involves critical reflection about oppression and its harmful effects on clients and action based on learning from such reflection” (Heinonen & Spearman, 2010, p. 138). 8 “ ‘Intersectionality’ refers to the interaction between gender, race, and other categories of difference in individual lives, social practices, institutional arrangements, and cultural ideologies and the outcomes of these interactions in terms of power” (Davis, 2008, p. 68).
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