Centering care and supporting community-led affinity spaces in response to global events: A message from the AVP
6 October, 2022
On September 27, a university statement was posted to express concern for the situation in Iran emerging after the death of Mahsa Amini, and to acknowledge the courage of those standing up for human rights and freedoms. As the situation unfolds, and thousands of change agents and allies continue to gather in Iran, in Canada, and around the world, it is clear that the impacts on the Iranian diaspora and international scholars and learners at UBC will be protracted and profound.
In addition to a symbolic statement of support from the institution, there is much we can do as individual colleagues and as a collective community to demonstrate substantive actions in support of members of impacted communities. In particular, unit/people managers and academic instructors are encouraged to review the Equity & Inclusion Office’s Guidelines for responding to collective tragedies and hateful incidents, which center an ethics of care. An ethics of care invites us to exhibit compassion towards and afford flexibility for impacted students, faculty, and staff in the classroom and the workplace in the aftermath of such tragic global events. This guidance document is relevant for other current, ongoing, and future global and local events that profoundly impact the campus community given our rich diversity and our deep value for human rights and freedoms.
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