University of Alberta Students’ Union adopts equity, diversity, and inclusivity political policy

News Staff - Fri Apr 12, 2019

Edmonton, AB - The University of Alberta Students’ Union has officially adopted a policy which strengthens the organization’s commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Students’ Council unanimously passed second principles of the equity, diversity, and inclusivity political policy on April 9, formalizing the approach that the Students’ Union will take towards advocating on and addressing these issues. Collectively, the 26 resolutions in the policy mandate the Students’ Union to take a leading role in ensuring that the University of Alberta will be a place of learning that is accessible, safe, and inclusive for students of all identities and lived experiences.

“The university has recently been making strides in this area, including the launch of their equity, diversity, and inclusivity strategic plan, but we need to continue to hold them accountable for their commitments,” says Andre Bourgeois, Vice President Student Life of the Students’ Union. “With the passage of this policy, we now have a range of specific outcomes which we will prioritize in our advocacy to the university. These outcomes will meaningfully reduce barriers faced by students from marginalized communities.”

The policy also directs the Students’ Union to take steps internally as part of its own pursuit of a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus environment. These steps include securing sustained funding for programs that promote the involvement of underrepresented groups in university governance, prioritizing research into the lived experiences and oppressions of marginalized groups, providing food options at major events which meet diverse cultural and dietary needs, and intentionally recruiting staff from diverse backgrounds.

“I am very pleased that Students’ Council has strongly affirmed its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusivity within the Students’ Union itself, as well as the broader university community,” says Reed Larsen, President of the Students’ Union. “We serve students from a wide range of diverse and often intersecting backgrounds and identities. No matter who they are, they deserve to have a university and a Students’ Union that are accessible and actively work to reduce any barriers that they face.”

The Students’ Union is the official representative of more than 32,000 undergraduate students at the University of Alberta.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:

Robert Nelson
External Advocacy Advisor
University of Alberta Students’ Union
780-492-4241
eaa@su.ualberta.ca

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