Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity and Accessibility (EDIIA) Committee

Terms of reference

FIFSW’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity and Accessibility (EDIIA) Committee contributes to the Faculty’s strategy to build equity structures and processes that are sustainable, ensure engagement with key stakeholders, support communication and accountability, and provide a breadth of equity-related knowledge and expertise to inform FIFSW’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

This Committee is not intended to subsume all equity, social justice and human rights work occurring within FIFSW. Rather, it ensures that there are Faculty-wide EDI initiatives and strategies with formal accountability in the Office of the Dean. The Committee is not responsible for implementing the equity plan but overseeing its overall development.

The Committee acts in a resource and advisory capacity to

recommend training and policies that promote an inclusive climate at FIFSW,

offer and promote recommendations that infuse EDI principles and practices across FIFSW

recommend practices and policies that promote the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty and is aligned with the University of Toronto’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Excellence, which can be found within the University of Toronto Governing Council’s Statement on Equity, Diversity (see Appendix A for the DEI Committees Guiding Values and Principles).

Committee members

FIFSW’s EDI Committee is comprised of representatives from the Faculty’s staff, students, faculty, alumni and community partners. Committee members meet 4 times a year and are responsible for determining FIFSW’s EDI priorities and advising and participating in working groups. A Core Team of Committee members meets regularly to support broad planning and implementation of the working group priorities.

2024-2025 Diversity & Equity Committee Chairs:

Shahana Arain, Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Tanya Sharpe, Associate Professor; Factor-Inwentash Chair in Social Work in the Global Community

Accessibility Lead: Harry Taylor, Assistant Professor

Professional Development Lead: Tin Vo, Assistant Professor

Learning in the Classroom and the Field Lead: Kyle Ganson, Assistant Professor

Committee structure

Operational

Includes: Director of EDI

Responsibilities:
Provides administrative oversight of committee business including:

facilitating EDI meetings
Organization and dissemination of key documents
Preparation of agenda
Communication of committee business between members and faculty at large

Core Team

Includes: Director of EDI + 1 representative each from: Staff, Faculty, MSW students, PhD students, Alumni

Responsibilities:

Meets on a regular basis to support broad planning and implementation of working group priorities.
Where possible, collaborates with working groups to operationalize actions by addressing gaps, navigating systems, and supporting communications.

Committee

Includes: Representatives from Staff, Faculty, MSW/PhD Program, Alumni and Community Partners

Responsibilities:

Meets 4 times a year
Determines Faculty’s EDI priorities through designation of working groups
Acts as an advisory council, focusing on activities of the working groups
Decision making at quarterly meetings.
Each committee member participates in at least one working group
Responsible for recruiting working group participants and documenting working group activities.

2024-2025 Working Groups

Working groups membership: composed of interested staff, student, faculty, alumni and community across FIFSW.

Working group #1:
Accessibility

Working group #2:
Professional development

Working group #3:
Learning in the classroom

Interested in getting involved?

All members of FIFSW communities are welcome to attend Committee meetings and volunteer to participate in working groups. Past committee experience is not required! FIFSW values a diversity of voices and perspectives reflecting our broad community.

Faculty who are appointed to the EDI Committee share a “call out” via email and newsletters for Committee members and working group participants from FIFSW’s student, alumni, staff and program partner communities each fall.

Upcoming EDI Committee meetings will be posted on this page when the schedule becomes available. For more information, please contact FIFSW’s Director of EDI.