What makes UM a vibrant community for you?

Vice-Provost (Equity) Tina Chen is excited to see UM embrace bold steps for systemic change.

The office she now leads — the Office of Equity Transformation (OET) — was created two years ago as part of the ‘roadmap’ for meaningful change in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, or EDIA. Its eventual formation (after several intermediate steps) fulfilled the ‘leadership’ recommendation of the UM community-led President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion established in 2019 and chaired by Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Diane Hiebert-Murphy.Chen believes equity and action are foundational for meaningful diversity and inclusion in community life.

What makes UM a vibrant community for her?

She says, “To me, a vibrant community is one of collective action, where we centre humanity and human dignity, and where we learn and work together to dismantle systems that marginalize, with the goal of making UM a place where all can flourish.”

The OET is holding its first Town Hall on Nov. 6, open to all students, faculty and staff. The event will provide a report to the community about the work of the office, along with an update on the status of recommendations by the task force.

• Join the conversation: Find out more about this exciting event!

There will also be opportunities for community input and engagement on the question of ‘What makes UM a vibrant community for you?’

“The Town Hall is a moment to celebrate!” says Chen.

“More than talking about the work that has been done,” she says, “it’s a moment to pause, to recognize the work being done at UM — and the people involved — as we advance equity, anti-oppression, anti-racism, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, anti-ableism, and diversity and inclusion.”

This, she says, “is also a moment to continue to build community and energize ourselves for the next steps.”

She adds, “Transformation speaks to the need to change the foundation, to go beyond surface changes — and to be bold enough to undertake the collective work to both dismantle forms of oppression and build new systems that are more equitable.”

Learn more about the Office of Equity Transformation and our commitment to fostering a vibrant community at UM.

Insights from Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity)

Q: Why is this work meaningful to you?

Tina Chen: In this work, I’m able to bring together my research, community activism, teaching, and administrative experience in new ways.

I am pushed to move beyond meta-critique and to be part of imagining and implementing alternative futures.

This takes many forms — leading, partnering, supporting, advising — and doesn’t always appear to be a major or radical change in the short term.

But longer term, the combination of building new relationships, everyday actions, inviting people to think with me about the impact on systemically marginalized groups of how things have been done, and developing higher level strategic initiatives enables me to do my part in dismantling systems of oppression and fostering a vibrant community at UM.

Q: Do you think the community is ready for this work of transformation and why?

Tina Chen: Yes! For decades, many members of the UM community have been leaders for activism, advocacy, research, and teaching in areas of disability justice, human rights, 2SLGBTQIA+, anti-racism and social justice.

So many individuals have also participated in Task Forces, committees, consultations, and broader UM work to identify systemic inequities and make action plans for change. As we weave together this work, we can see a new tapestry forming, a vision of something different, and this builds energy to keep working toward change by, with, and for those who have been marginalized.

Q: What is something unexpected or that surprised you about OET’s engagement with the UM community over the past couple of years?

Tina Chen: I am so impressed by staff and student commitment, engagement, and creativity. There is a desire to learn and work together for transformative change. We see this in the strong demand for the EDIA Foundations course, the amazing participation in the full-day EDIA and Anti-Oppression Student Forum, the success of the Fellows in Equity, Anti-Oppression, and Social Justice program, and the types of projects, events, and activities led by UM community members.

Q: Why the name ‘Office of Equity Transformation’?

Tina Chen: Equity is about fairness and justice in both process and results. It requires that we identify systems, structures, and practices that exclude and marginalize, address barriers, narrow gaps, and mitigate harms.

This is why the Office takes equity to be a foundational principle. Transformation speaks to the need to change the foundation, to go beyond surface changes, and to be bold enough to undertake the collective work to both dismantle forms of oppression and build new systems that are more equitable. Put together, Equity Transformation signals a commitment to action.

About the Office of Equity Transformation Town Hall

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 6

Time: 10 to 11:15 a.m.

Location: Marshall McLuhan Hall, Booths: Room 205

Online and in-person

Doors open: 10 a.m.

Program: 10:15 a.m.

Please RSVP and register now at this link.

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome! This hybrid event takes place in-person and will be live-streamed with closed captioning. The in-person event will also include ASL interpreters.

Join the conversation about the kind of university community we want to create together!

At the event, you can:

• Connect over light refreshments.
• Have your photo taken at the Vibrant Community Engagement Booth — adding to the many diverse faces of our community. (Or provide written feedback or send a selfie-video with your response to the question ‘What makes UM a vibrant community for you?’)
• Enjoy interactive booths that showcase current programs advancing equity, anti-oppression and transformation at UM.
• Receive a beautifully designed OET tote bag! (first 150 guests)
• Pick up a button: Equity Transformation, Bison, Pride or Pronoun buttons available.
• Stay to observe or participate in our Model EDIA Community of Practice following the program.