Canadian Grade Racism, (Eh!) - Cultivating the Resources and Supports to Address the Hidden Problem of Systemic Racism in Canadian Universities

In the emerging literature on understanding racialized university members’ experience in the post-secondary space, there has been a focus on breaking down the components that make a university environment safer for racialized students, staff, and faculty. Among racialized students, studies have found that students’ experiences at school have significant impacts on student’s mental health and overall-being (Chu et al., 2022). The current work aims to unpack the findings of the Being Raced study in examining aspects of the campus that make post-secondary environments safer spaces for racialized students, staff, and faculty. The study consisted of online surveys (N=177) that were conducted at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) Campuses and interviews (N=37) that were conducted specifically at Laurier’s Brantford Campus. For the purpose of this paper, we focus specifically on the interview data. The participant sample included alumni, current students, staff, and faculty members in the university community. This data was derived from the Being Raced study, and for this paper, the study data was thematically analyzed with a focus on racialized people’s experiences of safer spaces at WLU. In this paper, we focus on the findings where racialized participants and members of the university community expressed a need for more formal supports and resources from the university, as well as emphasized the importance of in-group and peer-group social networks and educational opportunities. Participants also identified the significance of the racial composition of university institutions – including their staff and student body. This research sets the stage for post-secondary institutions in Canada to contend with systemic racism and addresses the ways inequities on their campuses impact the learning and work environment. This paper also contributes to a critical assessment on the ways to create a safer and more inclusive learning and work environments for racialized students, faculty, and staff members, which ultimately impacts valued university metrics such as student satisfaction.