As the Students’ Society of McGill University’s Equity Commissioner, I will undertake multiple roles this year in order to fulfill my mandate as a resource person for students on their rights and responsibilities under SSMU’s equity policy. This document aims to “create a safe, discrimination-free environment.” My primary role will be to chair the Equity Board, a body composed of McGill undergraduate students and SSMU executives. We will work together to actively engage in student outreach and to stimulate dialogue and equity across campus. One of our main focuses will be establishing how Frosh and equity can coincide.
I will also serve as an equity officer, investigating complaints should they arise. Some of you may be aware of how the Equity Board was involved with a complaint against the campus club Choose Life last year. The Equity Board worked closely with the group to guarantee that their future actions fell in line with SSMU’s equity policy, while still allowing room for discussion on the topic.
In my three years at McGill, I have learned how diversity presents itself in both subtle and overt ways. While it is enriching to engage with people from varied backgrounds, it is important to acknowledge how these differences can disadvantage and privilege certain groups. Being a student at McGill isn’t only about academics; it is just as much about what we learn from the people with whom we socialize. This university is a unique microcosm of the world around us. SSMU has the ability to actively ensure that its members can espouse their own views and engage in dialogue without fear of discrimination or harassment.
There are extremely important resources already in place at McGill for students and staff members alike. Groups and services such as the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office and Quebec Public Interest Research Ggroup have a well-established history of engaging students and the greater Montreal community in dialogue about difference. I aim to establish healthy relationships with these groups and services. For the next couple of weeks, I will continue meeting with different clubs and services on campus to see how my predecessors have been involved with them, and to chart how we will establish an important working relationship.
Lynsey Grosfield, this year’s Social Justice Days Co-ordinator, will be working alongside me. She will be an integral part of our outreach to students. In addition to helping host events throughout the year, she is the primary organizer for McGill Social Justice Days, a week of events early in the winter semester. These events are committed to the discussion and deconstruction of equity issues and alternative political culture in an accessible setting. The tentative theme is social media and its role and influence in social justice.
University is a great learning experience, and, ideally, McGill should be a place that cultivates a mentality of understanding and respect throughout our time here.
Emily Clare is SSMU’s Equity Commissioner, and can be contacted at [email protected]. Lynsey Grosfield is SSMU’s Social Justice Days Co-ordinator, and can be contacted at [email protected].
