The Diversity and Equity Taskforce recently hosted a public forum to get input from the university community. The DET will release its final report at the end of the month.

Several new and complementary ideas emerged during a recent Diversity and Equity Taskforce (DET) public forum.

“The university community clearly wants to see further and more substantial progress,” says Adnan Husain, Director of Educational Equity and Diversity Projects. “Their input will help inform our recommendations of what the university should commit to in the coming years and the best structure for accomplishing those goals.”

Participants discussed several topics including:
• The possibility of establishing an equity council and departmental equity liaisons.
• The role of the administration in advancing diversity and equity on campus.
• The opportunities for incorporating diversity and equity into undergraduate curriculum and graduate student training.
• The potential for improving and enhancing student orientation from an inclusivity perspective.
• The merits of using the Queen’s accessibility committee model for diversity and equity.

The DET, which began its work in December 2009, has implemented several recommendations from previous equity and diversity reports. The taskforce’s mandate will conclude at the end of the month, at which time it will submit a final report to Provost Bob Silverman.