AUFA Equity Statement

AUFA is committed to equity for all members. Equity includes fairness and justice in the way members are treated, the elimination of systemic discrimination, and a commitment to principles of diversity that support the substantive representation of groups whose labour is systemically marginalized and extracted by neoliberal academic institutions. These groups include, but are not limited to Indigenous people, Black people, and people of colour (IBPOC); Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming (2STNBGC) people; lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer (LGBQ) people; disabled people/people with disabilities and neurodivergent people; sex workers; those who are poor and working-class; those who migrate, including those without status and refugees; and women. 

The principles outlined herein are also adhered to by staff associations, not simply in prioritizing the negotiation of equity provisions in our collective agreements, but in our commitment to entrench equity and transparency into our governance, collective agreements, bargaining and accountability structures.    

1. Decolonization

AUFA supports the Nukskahtowin Plan, the TRC Calls to Action, and UNDRIP, all of which recognize the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and nations.

As colonization has framed many of our institutions and relationships, decolonization involves setting right all our relations, both individually and collectively. We recognize that remedial attempts to secure equity take place in contexts of settler colonialism. Claims to equity for marginalized groups therefore risk reproducing dispossession if they simply replicate a tokenistic or performative multicultural nation-state. AUFA is committed to transformation through real relationship-building, consistent decolonization practices, and Indigenization. While respecting the interrelationships of land, culture, and language, we strive to resist empty declarations, prioritizing action and solidarity across social movements.

2. Oppression

In alignment with CAUT’s Policy Statement on Equity, we believe that the goals of equity and inclusiveness in our working and teaching environments should be grounded in a commitment to social and economic justice. This includes challenging overt or covert expression and systemic maintenance of colonialism, racism, sexism, transphobia, ableism, classism, homophobia, and all forms of oppression. We recognize that these systems of injustice have been historically established, are socially sanctioned, and rewarded within the neoliberal university. They have persistent and disproportionate negative effects on our members’ health, relationships, and livelihoods, including the ability to engage in and the full breadth of their scholarly and pedagogical work. AUFA is committed to dismantling institutional and interpersonal oppression, to addressing the maintenance of unearned privilege, and to supporting our marginalized members.

3. Centering Marginalized Members

AUFA commits to the important and sustained work of centering the voices and experiences those who are often excluded from full participation in the academe. We aim to redress the inequitable distributions of power which consistently ignore or devalue the perspectives and contributions of intersectionally positioned, marginalized groups. We believe that knowledges held in these communities are essential to meaningful and sustainable institutional change. We further recognize that inequity constitutes a workload and bargaining issue, given that members of equity-seeking groups are most frequently called upon to undertake additional work that receives little official recognition. This work can take a toll on the well-being of particular members. AUFA thus commits to continued advocacy for recognition of members' full workload, adequate compensation, and fair promotion practices.  

4. All our Relations and Coalition Building

Equity statements, like other statements of recognition, have become common practice at the neoliberal university, yet their routine deployment is sometimes unsubstantiated or does not lead to any genuine or deep transformation. This equity statement is therefore only one step towards an ongoing commitment to social justice and tangible, lasting change. We recognize that social justice work is most effective when it happens in the context of responsible, collaborative, and intersectional relations. We oppose the production of precarity and the framing of equity in terms of competition between groups for scarce resources. We aspire towards genuine solidarity, collegiality, and coalition. We believe that fostering the growth of relational collectives that are grounded in honouring, learning from, and respecting difference can counter dominant forms of oppression. This social justice work, in turn, facilitates space for our member’s creativity, wellbeing, and a thriving academic community.

Feedback

This statement was written collaboratively by the AUFA Equity Committee between April 2020 and June 2021. We invite your feedback to help us develop this living and collective document. Please email us at aufa-equity@athabascau.ca, fill out the below anonymous feedback form, or show your commitment to these guiding principles by signing publicly below.

Equity Statement Endorsements