{"id":43348,"date":"2020-12-03T08:10:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=43348"},"modified":"2020-12-02T08:05:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T13:05:53","slug":"equity-at-the-university-of-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2020\/12\/03\/equity-at-the-university-of-toronto\/","title":{"rendered":"Equity at the University of Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week, I filled out the U of T Student Equity Census<\/a> survey. This survey, which I accessed through my Acorn account<\/a>, was sent out to understand the demographics of U of T\u2019s student population. I think this is a really great initiative, as it will help the university understand demographics of students\u2019 ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and disabilities on campus. Having this information can help the university implement programs that target students of certain demographics on campus, or address larger trends in education which reveal certain populations not having equal access to higher education.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The survey!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The survey itself took only a minute to fill out. It asked me to identify various intersections of my identity, like my ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and whether I had a disability. One thing I especially liked about the survey was that it allowed me to check multiple options for each category. I\u2019m half Sri Lankan and half Slovak, so checking boxes around ethnicity and racial identity have always been hard for me. But, the U of T Student Equity Census survey allowed me to check a \u201cMixed race\u201d and a \u201cSouth Asian,\u201d box, which I thought represented my ethnicity a lot better than the usual survey does. I also checked multiple boxes for sexual orientation, as I identify with both the words \u201cqueer\u201d and \u201cbisexual\u201d and didn\u2019t want to choose between the two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overall, I hope this survey helps the university develop resources and support for students on campus based on their identities. It took me less than a minute to complete, so I definitely recommend filling it out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though resources on campus can of course be more specialized and greater in number, there are already some amazing campus groups and organizations I\u2019ve joined that have supported me in my identity. For example, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office<\/a> hosts some great programming for LGBTQ+ students. One group which I\u2019ve attended throughout my university career, the Queer and Trans Student of Colour Discussion Group, provides a space for students to discuss the intersections of queer and racialized identities. Every few weeks, the discussion group gets together and talks about their experiences in relation to the weekly theme. Not only has the Queer and Trans Student of Colour Discussion Group always felt like a safe space to share my thoughts and decompress, but I\u2019ve met some great people through it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Creds: Sexual and Gender Diversity Office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are a list of some other great organizations on campus that I\u2019ve either used or had friends use which explore sexual, gender, and racial diversity: <\/p>\n\n\n\n