EDID (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization) Committee Terms of Reference

Name

The committee shall be known as the School of Social Work Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) Committee, herein referred to as the EDID Committee.

Status

The EDID Committee is established as a standing committee of the School of Social Work and shall report to the School of Social Work Council.

Purpose of the Committee

The purpose of this committee is to act as a consultative body to the School of Social Work to provide an equitable, inclusive, and just environment for all students, faculty, and staff to feel welcomed and belong in the school. The work of this committee will be in furtherance of the university of Windsor’s Aspire Strategy to “becoming an increasingly equitable, diverse, inclusive and just university”.

Mandate and Functions of the Committee 

The mandate of the EDID Committee will be to actively work to make the School of Social Work environment welcoming, equitable, inclusive, and just for students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented population groups, including Indigenous, Black, and other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons of any sexual orientation and gender identities and/or gender expressions. Each academic year, the EDID committee will decide which of the following functions are priority areas for the School and deserve more attention.  

• Act as a consultative body to the School of Social Work Council on matters regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion for underrepresented students, faculty, and staff of the school.  

• Provide support and guidance to students from underrepresented populations groups to ensure feelings of safety and belongingness in the School of Social Work. 

• Foster the development of allyship among all students, faculty, and staff in the school of social work. 

• Actively work in collaboration with critical allies to promote EDID awareness through regular engagements within the School of Social Work community to improve the experiences of underrepresented populations. These may include organising workshops, panels, and forums to discuss diverse topics. 

• Provide mentorship opportunities for students from underrepresented population groups including opportunities for professional and research engagements. 

• Advise the school of Social Work Council on ways to integrate the perspectives and scholarship of underrepresented population groups in the curriculum, classroom, and the general School of Social Work environment. 

• Promote the recruitment, admission, and retention of students from underrepresented population groups by partnering with community agencies to institute a scholarship scheme for students from underrepresented population groups. 

• Actively participate in recruitment and orientation activities of the School of Social Work. 

• Organise multicultural events to celebrate and promote diversity in the school. 

• Collaborate with the office of the Vice-President of People, Equity, and Inclusion to promote the university’s aim to become equitable, diverse, inclusive, and just. 

• Develop an EDID Action strategy, regularly monitor progress, and update the strategy every 5 years.  

• Provide written reports to the School Council during monthly meetings and an annual report to the office of the Director.

​​​Membership 

This Committee will comprise 7-9 members. To establish its structure, Dr. Moasun will serve as Chair for the first two years and Dr. Mohanty as co-chair. If members of the School Council are interested in participating, please let Dr. Moasun or Dr. Mohanty know. After two years, calls for membership shall follow the regular School of Social Work protocols.  

• Faculty Members 

• Staff 

• Field Education Team  

• Administrative Team 

• Students (BSW, MSW, MSWwp, MSW/JD, PhD) 

• Community Representative/s Chair 

The chair or co-chairs will serve for two academic years, with an option to renew for another two-year term. They will be responsible for developing and distributing the agenda for meetings, chairing meetings, preparing and submitting reports to the school council, and preparing and submitting annual reports.  ​​​

Secretary 

An administrative staff shall act as the secretary to the committee.  

Quorum 

The quorum for a meeting shall be 60% of the membership of the committee.

Meetings 

The committee shall ​​meet at least once a month.  At the beginning of each academic year, the committee shall determine a schedule of meetings for the year. The chair or co-chair shall call for agenda items for meetings and prepare and disseminate the agenda at least seven days prior to a meeting.  Committee meetings may be held in-person or remotely (through zoom, Teams, or any other electronic means) or hybrid. The meeting agenda shall indicate whether a meeting will be held in-person or remotely and shall include such details as the date, time, venue (in-person), or link (remote). 

Members of the School of Social Work community who wish to attend a meeting of the committee shall contact the chair or co-chair to express this intention to be admitted to the meeting. All members of the School of Social Work community, including faculty, staff, and students may submit agenda items for meetings. If a non-member of the committee submits an agenda item, they may be invited to attend the meeting and discuss the matter at hand. To bring a matter for discussion at a committee meeting, an individual would be required to contact the chair or co-chair of the committee at least seven days before the meeting. Non-members of the committee may be invited to exit a meeting during in-camera discussions. 

Voting 

All attending members of the committee, except for the chair, will have one vote.  

Committee decisions will be made by a simple majority vote. In the event of a tie, the chair will have a casting vote.  

Amendments

Amendments may be made to these terms of reference every two years. Applications for amendments may be brought up for discussion at a regular meeting of the committee.  

Approval 

These Terms of Reference (TOR) were approved by the School of Social Work Council on May 21st, 2024.