Is true Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Achievable?

Fanshawe was recently ranked as one of the best employers in Canada for diversity by Forbes magazine. The college ranked 96 out of 200 employers, the second highest rank among Canadian colleges.
Fanshawe has stated its commitment to creating an inclusive environment for all students, staff, and faculty by promoting diverse classroom and learning experiences and actively recruiting employees and faculty from various backgrounds.
Anti-racism and Inclusion Specialist Troy Townsend is crucial in this commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“I would be the first point of contact for students to contact if they’re experiencing any racism, discrimination, or bias they feel might be directed towards them on campus,” Townsend said.
Townsend explained that the EDI team has recently rebranded as the Centre for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CEDI).
“We have a total of seven people on our team right now. So we have exploded from a team of two to seven in the last five months,” Townsend said.
Complementing Townsend’s role, Equity and Inclusion Advisor William Osbourne-Sorrell focuses on training faculty and staff.
“Where Troy is the first point of contact for students, I would teach faculty staff on equity and inclusion issues. I’m currently developing a bunch of workshops for faculty and staff to help them understand what EDI is and how to use EDI in the classroom or their offices,” Osbourne-Sorrell said.
With nearly 20 years at Fanshawe, Osbourne-Sorrell emphasized the importance of being part of the solution and addressing microaggressions.
“A lot of people don’t realize the mistakes or even the microaggressions that they’re making. So, it’s about being part of the solution and trying to help people, being more aware of their actions when talking and talking with others.”
Osbourne-Sorrell and Townsend are also responsible for organizing student events to initiate discussions addressing issues such as racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.
“Every event has opportunities to discuss different languages surrounding EDI and so it helps to start the conversation, so people understand what’s happening,” Osbourne-Sorrell said.
“Since I started this position in 2022, we have tried to roll out about four student-facing events per month,” Townsend added. “We aim to reach everybody by holding at least four monthly events focused on specific areas.”
Simultaneously, the EDI team’s collaboration with different departments and external partners is vital for broadening their impact. This cooperative approach ensures that EDI principles permeate all aspects of campus life. Curriculum Consultant at the Centre for Academic Excellence, Kristibeth Kelly, plays a crucial role in these efforts.
“I work closely with different professors to help integrate EDI into their curriculum, what they do, and how they do it at the college. Plus, I’ve been involved in and helped create the EDI Community of Practice, where professors get together once a week to discuss issues they have in their classrooms, how to implement more EDI, and how to be more inclusive,” Kelly said.
A significant part of Kelly’s work relates to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, particularly around Indigenous language instruction. Fanshawe offers two Indigenous language programs, with Kelly supporting curriculum development and connecting students to resources.
“A big part of preventing racism and xenophobia is helping folks from equity-deserving groups understand their identity and history.”
Despite significant progress, the journey towards a genuinely inclusive environment at Fanshawe is ongoing.
“I think a lot of the groundwork needs to continue. That is budgeting, resourcing, and planning, and we’re taking steps toward that, which is excellent. But sometimes, I would like the steps to be more extensive and more resources and resourcing put towards this,” Kelly said.
For Kelly, it was the tragic hate-motivated attack on the Afzaal family in London in 2021 which led to her pursuing EDI. She reflected on the potential impact of a more diverse and inclusive academic environment, suggesting that comprehensive EDI initiatives could help prevent such tragedies.
“I think, what if that student had more diverse professors, more varied staff that he’d been working with, perhaps more diversity in his student group, and learned from and with them? Maybe that family would have been spared, and that horrific terrorist crime wouldn’t have been committed in our community,” Kelly said.
A report submitted to the London Police Services Board in May of 2024 revealed that hate or bias-motivated crimes increased by nearly 40 per cent in 2023. The report highlighted that people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are among the most frequent targets of hate crimes in the city. Following the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, the Black community is the second most targeted group, followed by the Muslim, Jewish, and South Asian communities.
In this context, the importance of EDI initiatives becomes even more apparent. These efforts are crucial in meeting institutional responsibilities and fostering a more inclusive and understanding community.
“It is all of our responsibility, individually and collectively, to learn, to grow, to understand, to be open and receptive,” Kelly said.