Dear colleagues,
I’m writing today to share a documentary that we encourage you to share as a learning tool and to let you know about a recent OCUFA Board motion about campus policing. We’ve heard that members are interested in more resources to help with your own work in your faculty associations around equity initiatives and are sharing this to that end.
The attached documentary on anti-Black racism on campus was produced by The Fifth Estate (CBC’s flagship investigative documentary series). Titled “Black on Campus”, the documentary looks at the experiences of Black students, faculty and staff on Canadian campuses and presents an account of anti-Black racism at Canadian universities through sharing stories of many who have experienced it. The documentary can be watched on CBC television or CBC Gem: https://gem.cbc.ca/
On February 20th of this year, the OCUFA Board passed a motion supporting a policy position around policing. The policy came to be after discussions about how campuses could be safer for all students, staff and faculty and includes the following calls.
OCUFA supports:
• Moving to anti-carceral safety measures on and off campus;
• Supporting community movements and organizations working to change policing systems and increase racial justice and equity
• Increasing mental health supports and funding on campus (both individual counselling services and increased training for all areas of campus including residences, faculty, support staff etc.);
• Moving away from private security firms hired to monitor spaces;
• Supporting Black, Indigenous and racialized faculty and student initiatives for safe spaces on and off campus, and in exploring alternatives to policing including restorative justice models and Indigenous models of truth telling and harm reparations.
You can read the full policy statement here.
In solidarity,
Jenny
Jenny J. H. Ahn
Executive Director
Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
Office: 416-979-2117 ext. 229
Direct: 416-306-6030
17 Isabella Street
Toronto, ON Canada M4Y 1M7