OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021 - 58

RESEARCH
While this research serves simply as a
snapshot of microaggressions experienced by
equity-deserving groups in engineering across
higher education in Ontario, there are
immediate steps that can be taken
to address the issue.
EDUCATE
It is important, now more than ever, to record and document these
instances so that pressing topics, like microaggressions, can be
addressed immediately with faculty, and governing members at
respective institutions.
Hosting workshops and/or webinars, interactive sessions, and
other forms of communication to discuss what some of these terms,
like microaggressions, mean are vital to bringing everyone together
and ensuring there is no reason for anyone to not be on the same
page. It serves a timely reminder that silence plays an important role
in perpetuating systems of oppression and injustice.
EXPAND
Collaborating with other institutions and organizations and
bringing together Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)
and other grassroots organizations that are striving to make a
positive difference can play a strong role in fostering meaningful
relationships that could be the start to an impactful journey for
many students.
individuals is a growing concern that often goes unnoticed; and
3. Gender biases and double standards towards women is a
common form of micro- and macro-level aggressions that
have appeared across both in-person and virtual learning
environments.
While this research serves simply as a snapshot of
microaggressions experienced by equity-deserving groups
in engineering across higher education in Ontario, there are
immediate steps that can be taken to address the issue. OSPE's
Diversity and Inclusion Task Force was consulted in establishing
these mitigation strategies.
INVEST
As institutions strive to achieve greater enrolment numbers for
equity-deserving groups, they rely on members of the community
to advocate for the change they want to see. It is important for
leadership to invest in students by creating more paid opportunities
to actively foster inclusive environments at the institutions.
Examples of paid opportunities could include, for example,
developing research projects, jointly funded by an industry and an
academic institution.
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THE VOICE December 2021
ENGAGE
While equity-deserving persons sometimes feel that the onus is
always on them to raise awareness and educate others about why the
experiences they have undergone are dismantling, it is important to
recognize the power that equity-deserving groups' voices can have
in our society, especially in higher education.
This research is a snapshot of microaggressions experienced by
equity-deserving groups in engineering across higher education in
Ontario. It aims to be a starting point for a series of discussions and
conversations that are much needed to embrace and foster a culture
of inclusivity among all equity-deserving groups across higher
education. Starting with higher education does not diminish the
value of having these conversations in other institutional settings.
Rather, this research aims to create a domino effect for sparking
more conversations on this topic so that microaggressions are
far out of the question and eliminated well ahead of engineering
students' careers.
ON THE WEB
Please visit OSPE's website here to read the full report.
OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021
