Brock University is actively working with the community to make progress aimed at ending systemic racial injustice and to actively and jointly affect positive change in society. The University’s faculty, students and staff have undertaken a number of initiatives and programs to help make positive and constructive change. Much work remains to be done, but together we are committed to this effort.
We share the need to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism across society and Canadian universities, as exemplified in our Institutional Strategic Plan, in particular our goal to “foster a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization.” This goal is being met by action taken in conjunction with faculty and staff as well as the Office of Human Rights and Equity; Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement; and President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization.
A group of faculty members across Canada is organizing two days of action on campuses from coast-to- coast to call attention to systemic racial injustice against Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). These days of action, called Scholar Strike Canada, are planned for Wednesday, Sept. 9 and Thursday, Sept. 10. The organizers of this national action are asking University faculty members to voluntarily suspend all teaching, learning and administrative activities during these two days.
Brock supports the rights of all members of our community to work together for change; to share ideas and opinions; and to engage in constructive discourse. We understand that some faculty members might want to participate in these days of action and we ask that they balance their participation with the needs of our returning students at the start of the Fall Term.
The University asks faculty members who individually choose to participate in these days of action to make use of Brock’s processes and procedures to ensure students are aware of their intentions.
For faculty teaching online, please use Sakai to notify students of any changes to course scheduling and to post course materials that would have been covered on these days.
For those teaching in person who make the choice to cancel a class, please follow the procedure to cancel classes found in the Faculty Handbook, which includes notifying students and your Chair or Director. You can find more in Section 8.8 of the Faculty Handbook.
Faculty members who choose to participate in the days of action are expected to ensure students receive all curriculum and course materials for any classes missed or changed.
These are very challenging times. The Fall Term is just beginning and almost all Brock courses are being delivered virtually.
As the Brock community comes together to call for change and progress, the University thanks the campus community for remembering our joint responsibility to look out for one another, to act with each other’s health and well-being in mind and to be respectful and inclusive in our work and in our studies. Ending systemic racial injustice involves all of us working together to build inclusive and engaged institutions and communities at every level.
