Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Survey – September 21, 2023
Mark your calendars! The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will be sending out a survey in September as part of their process to create a roadmap for the College. The results from this survey will help inform the overall College EDI Roadmap. While participation isn’t mandatory, the College community is encouraged to participate and have their voices heard!
The survey will be sent through email on September 21. For more information, contact edioffice@langara.ca.
FAQs
About the EDI Roadmap
- What is equity, diversity and inclusion and why is it important?
- EDI stands for equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is a framework that aims for an organization to remove the systemic barriers and let all individuals have equitable opportunities and access (equity), celebrate the differences that make us unique like race, sex, gender, and more (diversity); and have a practice that makes sure that all individuals are valued, respected and supported in a culturally safe environment (inclusion).[i]
- What is the EDI Roadmap?
- The roadmap outlines key milestones and initiatives as we develop this strategy. It lays out what we’re doing right now, what we want to do, and where we want to go across the three project phases.
- Why has it taken us so long to start EDI work?
- We know that the Langara community has been ready and waiting to see this work begin, as many individuals have voiced these concerns. We listened and we are ready to begin this journey with you. Although several conversations and EDI-related work have been happening in smaller pockets across the College, we are still in the early stages of our college-wide EDI journey. We take our first steps with the desire for continuous learning and relationship-building – and your constructive feedback is always welcome.
- Why haven't I heard about the EDI Roadmap until now?
- We started reaching out to students in September 2023 as they returned to school. As employees were here throughout the summer, we began a series of employee engagement sessions in July 2023 to invite community consultation and conversation. If you are an employee at Langara, you can learn more about these sessions or view our virtual presentation in The Langara Post.
- What’s next after this?
- Once the survey has been completed, the project team will take the results and analyze them. Using those results, the team will meet and begin the process of establishing a roadmap for the next 18 – 36 months.
About the Inclusion & Belonging survey
- What’s the difference between EDI Roadmap and the Inclusion & Belonging Survey?
- The Inclusion & Belonging Survey helps inform the Office of EDI of the understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion across the College community. The results of the survey outline the strategy and steps the College will take in future EDI efforts.
- Why is it important for me to complete the survey?
- As part of the College community, your voice counts! Let us know what your thoughts are and help inform the next steps.
- How can I complete the survey?
- On September 18, a link to the survey will be sent to you through email. It will also be available on our website.
- How long will it take to complete the survey?
- On average, the survey takes between 5-10 minutes to complete.
- Who is being asked to complete the survey?
- All immediate members of the snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College community are being asked to participate: students, employee, faculty, and the Board of Governors.
- How long is the survey going to be open?
- The survey will be open from September 21 to October 4, 2023
- Is participation mandatory?
- Participation is not mandatory as we understand that this survey may ask you to be vulnerable. Your voices, however, are important in shaping our EDI roadmap. The more voices we hear, the better and more accurate our roadmap will be.
The survey design
- What kind of questions will be asked in this survey?
- Inclusion questions on your experiences of belonging, support, and fairness in Langara.
- Demographic questions related to identity.
- Open-ended questions to allow additional feedback.
- How was the survey designed?
- The survey was designed by HRx, Inc. in collaboration with data analysts, social scientists, and diversity experts. The questions are developed through a framework to help manage diversity and foster inclusion in organizations.
Privacy and data collection
- Why are you collecting this data?
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The data and information we gather will be used to inform future EDI planning. This includes:
- Identifying priority areas for key people and departments
- Clarifying roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities
- Inform resourcing needs
- Set out specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals
- Continuing to engage and consult with our internal community
- How will the survey results be used?
- The survey results will lead to a data-driven EDI strategy and action planning. An analysis report will be shared with the EDI Project Team to identify barriers and opportunities for establishing more equitable and inclusive practices across Langara.
- Who is leading this project? Who can I contact with questions?
- Our EDI Project Team, led by Dr. Joy Walcott-Francis (Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and Quinn Bennett (People & Culture) is responsible for developing the EDI Roadmap and engaging our community. Our Project Team is working in partnership with HRx Inc., an agency that specializes in human resources with a focus in EDI, to create and analyze the survey. HRx will be sending the survey directly to you.
- How will my personal information be kept private and confidential?
- The survey is facilitated by an external consultant, HRx Inc., and all responses will remain confidential. Your name and identity will not be linked to the survey, nor will individual responses be shared with anyone at Langara College.
- Who can access and see my individual responses?
- The results will only be accessed by our external consultant, HRx Inc., who will provide a snapshot of peoples’ feelings of inclusion, demographic representation, and comments. HRx will aggregate the data, and the resulting analysis will be shared with the EDI Project Team. Individual responses will not be visible to anyone at Langara College.