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The recent calls for administrative leadership on anti-racism, from staff, faculty, and especially students, have been heard clearly and action will be taken.

To this end, and with guidance from our Associate Vice-Principals, Stephanie Simpson and Janice Hill, I have prepared a Declaration, on behalf of the university’s administration, to address racism, systemic as well as individual.

All members of the senior leadership have endorsed the Declaration as a signal of their commitment to action to root out the causes of racism within the university and to ensure that those who ​experience racism and related forms of injustice are treated equitably and are able to participate in the life of the university, fully and authentically.

Queen’s University Administration’s Declaration of Commitment to Address Systemic Racism

Persistent racism, systemic as well as individual, has brought our society to a crisis point. Queen’s University is not immune to this pervasive and destructive force which, at its most pernicious, silently influences the shape and functioning of our culture and institutions, entrenching longstanding abuses of power that have diminished the humanity of Black, Indigenous and racialized people.

Right now it is imperative that all parts of the Queen’s community understand, confront, and do what is necessary to alter the deeply entrenched behaviours and structures that perpetuate such inequities. Frank and difficult conversations will be required, not for the purpose of laying blame, but rather to help us to reflect on and then undertake the hard work of change. Each of us has a role to play in addressing racism.

We must ​resist forever the kind of binary thinking in which one group’s right to opportunity and equitable treatment is perceived to be dependent on the disadvantaging of another. Such an attitude will only guarantee a continuing decline in ​our ability to attract and retain the best and brightest minds among diverse communities, and, eventually, in our ability to make a meaningful contribution to the improvement of humanity and our world.

As leaders of Queen’s University, we commit ourselves to addressing systemic racism through the critical examination of our own roles in its perpetuation and in the practices and policies that may support persistent inequities. To this end, we pledge to undertake the following:

• Increase financial support and promote and centralized academic supports for under-represented students;

• Review and strengthen our institutional policies and procedures for addressing acts of racist violence and hatred, with an emphasis on trauma-informed care for those victimized;

• ​Provide additional anti-racism training and education for all staff and faculty;

• Increase mental health supports for students, staff and faculty affected by racism on campus;

• Introduce campus climate metrics to measure campus culture, progress and impact of anti-racism initiatives;

• Incorporate EDII as a major focus of the university’s vision for the future to be integrated into every leader’s annual goals and planned initiatives.

The items noted are for immediate action and some are already underway. The list is not exhaustive; rather it is an indication of our ​intention to ​act boldly and swiftly to continue to enact the changes that can be made in the short term. The work will continue to evolve and the broader project of creating an anti-racism culture at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ will take time.

There is much to do and there are many issues to be addressed. We will work tirelessly to unite our community, improving the experience of every member so that all may enjoy the benefits of our institution equally.

Signed:

• Patrick Deane - Principal and Vice Chancellor
• Stephanie Simpson - Associate Vice Principal, Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion
• Kanonhsyonne (Janice Hill) – Associate Vice Principal, Indigenous Initiatives & Reconciliation
• Mark Green – Provost and VP Academic
• Karen Bertrand – VP Advancement
• Michael Fraser – VP University Relations
• Donna Janiec – VP Finance and Administration
• Lon Knox – University Secretary and Corporate Counsel
• Lisa Newton – University Counsel
• Teri Shearer – Deputy Provost Academic Operations & Inclusion
• Kim Woodhouse – VP Research
• Brenda Brouwer – Interim Dean, Smith School of Business
• Barbara Crow – Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science
• Kevin Deluzio – Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
• Sandra den Otter – Vice Provost International
• Hugh Horton – Vice Provost and Executive Director, Bader International Study Centre
• Rebecca Luce-Kapler – Dean, Faculty of Education
• Jane Philpott – Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences
• John Pierce - Vice Provost Teaching and Learning
• Fahim Quadir – Vice Provost and Dean, School of Graduate Studies
• Ann Tierney – Vice Provost Student Affairs and Dean of Students
• Michael Vandenburg – Interim Vice Provost and University Librarian
• Mark Walters – Dean, Faculty of Law

August 13, 2020
Kingston, Ontario