Smith’s Approach to Progress on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity (EDII)

Smith School of Business has made it a strategic priority to expand its EDII initiatives to address implicit and systemic barriers to access, inclusion and thriving in all aspects of the School’s operations. The stories shared recently by Smith students and alumni about their experiences of inequity, exclusion and racism during their school experience cannot and will not be ignored.

Smith is committed to taking action and making meaningful and transformative changes necessary to cultivate an exceptional academic and work environment. Without true diversity and inclusion, we cannot be a world-class business school.

The elements to be addressed include: in-classroom atmosphere and instructional content; respectful interactions; student government, clubs and events; accessibility of degree programs (outreach, admissions processes, and financial aid); inclusivity and equity for in-program students; diversity of faculty members and staff; the responsibility of members of the Smith community to advance EDII; and physical and virtual spaces that afford a sense of belonging.

There is much work to be done. Superficial or performative actions will not result in progress. It is thoughtful approaches, intentionality and execution of planned actions that will drive short, medium and long-term change with measurable impact. This is Smith’s strategy.

In addition to the oversight and existing governance structures of the University Senate and the Board of Trustees, the Dean established the Smith EDII Task Force and a working group structure to accelerate progress on a number of fronts and amplify the participation of students, staff, faculty and alumni. Currently there are six working groups and they are focussed on:

• Physical spaces (public spaces in Goodes Hall in Kingston and SmithToronto) and virtual spaces (e.g. the Smith web site, student portals);
• Incorporating EDII into teaching and learning (courses and across curriculum);
• Research and thought leadership in EDII;
• Policy, process and practice reform e.g. outreach, recruitment and admissions, award adjudication, clubs;
• Advancement and alumni engagement in EDII initiatives;
• Advancing EDII through communication and open dialogue with students, staff, faculty and alumni.

More working groups may be established as required.

Working groups draw on student, faculty, staff, and alumni for membership. Further, the working groups operate consultatively and collaboratively welcoming and inviting others to participate and share their experiences and perspectives.

Each working group addresses their respective area of focus through an EDII lens, reviews relevant university reports and existing actions plans, identifies issues and how they may be resolved. Recommendations require concrete action plans with timelines, defined performance indicators and metrics. This work is overseen and coordinated by the Task Force.

The plans and progress of the Task Force and working groups are being made public via the web site: smithqueens.com/inclusion.

Commerce Program Admission & Achieving Diversity

Undergraduate recruitment and admissions at Queen’s is managed centrally in collaboration with all faculties and schools. Smith’s undergraduate business program, the Bachelor of Commerce, receives many thousands of applications for an annual intake of typically 500 students.

Process Overview

Commerce admission is a two-stage, blind process.

The first stage of review, managed by Queen’s Undergraduate Recruitment and Admission, is a purely academic assessment: checking for fulfillment of required academic pre-requisites, and overall marks. Those applications which meet the requirements and fall at or above a mark cut-off move into the next stage of consideration. This pool of candidates is still in the order of multiple thousands each year.

The second stage is the review of the applicant’s written application which includes the Personal Statement of Experience (PSE) and Supplementary Essay (SE). The purpose of the written application is to provide a more rounded basis for admission than purely academic performance. The written application requires the individual to answer three questions in writing, two of which are specific to Commerce.

Identifying information such as name, high school, location, family, gender, or economic means is not available to evaluators during the assessment of the PSE/SEs.

The Commerce questions change year-to-year and also change throughout the single application season to mitigate against sharing.

The written applications are reviewed by a team of staff, faculty, and alumni who must assess according to a scoring rubric. All reviewers receive a training session in advance. All written applications are read by at least two reviewers. Where substantially different assessments are generated by the two reviewers, a third reviewer is added.

After the two stage of review, offers of admission are made based on the assessment of the written application. The final make-up of the class is determined by those applicants who accept their offer of admission.

Revisions to the Written Application

Traditionally the written application asked for demonstrations of leadership capacity and extracurricular interests. However, recognizing the unintentional bias that could favour students of higher socio-economic status, a revision was made.

In addition, beginning in the 2019 recruitment cycle, the application questions changed multiple times to minimize the use of external support. To ensure the integrity of the process, Smith Commerce also does verifier checks on specific activities listed on the written application.

Through the work of the Commerce EDII Committee (made up of students, staff and faculty) in 2018 the written application and scoring rubric were substantively changed to focus instead on how the individual would contribute to diversity within the class.

The value and role of the written application continues to be examined as part of the university’s admission process. Smith continues to work with Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment to expand and strengthen outreach, and increase access and diversity. This work will include the use of the PSE.

In addition, a working group on diversity policy and procedures has been mandated by the Dean of Smith to explore new ways to diversify the applicant pool through outreach, targeted recruitment, and increasing awareness and opportunities for needs-based financial assistance. It is expected this working group will coordinate with university-wide initiatives in this area.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Tuition

The University determines the appropriate tuition fees, within the government’s tuition framework, to achieve the mission, goals and objectives of the institution. Fees are ultimately approved by the Board of Trustees. The overall university context for tuition and fees can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s web site here.

The undergraduate domestic Commerce tuition was reduced by 10% in 2019 and has not changed since.

Tuition is driven by the cost of delivering an exceptional program which is structured to ensure students achieve course-level learning outcomes and degree-level expectations and outcomes.

All academic components of the program must be met, no matter the delivery platform. Smith has invested significant resources to ensure our students receive a quality learning and academic experience in 2020-21. Where remote delivery will be used, content, program elements, and extracurricular components – such as career services, events, etc. – have been reconceived for remote platforms. By investing in faculty training, technology, and digital tools for content delivery we are able to deliver an exceptional remote educational experience.

Once we emerge from the COVID restrictions on gathering sizes and physical distancing, Smith will resume in-person teaching as well leverage the strengths and opportunities afforded by alternate delivery modes.

Fees serve to offset costs of faculty, staff, infrastructure, systems and facilities, scholarships and bursaries, as well as additional supports for students such as career services and student wellness. We recognize that the tuition can be a barrier for many students. Specific support for students in financial need have been established and are detailed below.

Financial Aid

Currently 27 per cent of Smith Commerce students receive some form of financial aid.

There are student awards designated for BIPOC students, and students from equity-seeking groups.

There are two types of financial awards – merit-based and needs-based. Students applying for needs-based awards demonstrate their financial need when applying for Queen’s bursary assistance (see more at Student Awards and Bursaries, Office of the University Registrar). Queen’s currently administers 65 awards most of which are need-based funds with specific EDII selection criteria. In 2019-20, $1.8 million was distributed to 596 recipients across the University through these funds.

In addition, in 2019-2020, 100 Smith students received an alumni-funded class award/scholarship or bursary with a total of $366,550 awarded. The majority of the class awards are for students with financial need in Commerce. Other class awards are for MBA scholarships, exchange (financial need), and health & wellness.

Specifically at Smith, we also have the following student awards:

• Four Student Awards for Indigenous Commerce students – Birch Hill Equity Partners Achievement Award, Strathaven Award, Upadhya Family Indigenous Award, and Hungerford Family Award;
• Three Visible Minority/Black Student Awards – PwC Diversity and Inclusion Bursary, Nissan Commerce International Exchange Award, and BCom ’81 Award.

Many donors have chosen to add a preference to their endowed or expendable fund which help EDII at Smith. Examples of preferences added to Terms of Reference include: financial need; supporting female Commerce students excelling in finance; female scholarships for Smith MBA program; students from public high schools or under represented geographic areas; and first generation to attend university.

In addition, the Dean’s Innovation Fund has supported the hiring of the Indigenous Recruiter, the Undergraduate Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator, as well as health and wellness programming, embedded counsellors, and support for the Reconciliation on Bay conference.

Started by the Commerce Class of 2013, and now supported by other individual donors and classes, the Commerce Health & Wellness Fund supports a variety of initiatives in the Commerce program including adding support for embedded counsellors at Smith.

The MBA Legacy Fund supports female MBA students to attend the Forté conference.

Growing the available funding for needs-based support is critically important for EDII.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that the announced bursaries and government aid programs cannot eliminate financial challenges and uncertainties faced by students and their families. The university has been working to assist students by providing short-term emergency funding, including dedicated support for international students. More than $3 million in emergency bursary assistance has been distributed to Queen’s students in financial need since mid-March, 2020.

International Students

About 15 per cent of those admitted to 2019-20 Commerce program are international students – 73 of 472 first year students.

Unlike for domestic students, universities do not receive provincial funding for international students. Tuition for international students increased by 5% for fall 2020 reflecting the increase in underlying costs. Domestic tuition fees were reduced 10% in 2019 and have since been frozen as directed by the provincial government despite increases in operational costs.

There is limited financial support for international students, despite fundraising efforts. With a university focus on globalization, fundraising efforts are expected to increase.

Data & Demographics

Demographic data are not used to determine admission in the Commerce program (see details on Commerce Admissions process). Smith regularly receives aggregate data from Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment, which includes a demographic profile of the Queen’s applicant pool, containing age, gender, geography, citizenship, and the number of self-identified Indigenous and First-Generation applicants.

Additional class profile information has in the past been generated by student surveys but, as with any survey of this nature, unless significant response rates are achieved, they do not provide a complete picture of the class. In addition, surveys rely on students’ willingness to self-identify according to fixed categories.

Smith’s EDII Task Force has a Data and Dashboard project which is specifically focused on establishing meaningful and appropriate EDII key performance indicators (KPIs). This includes improving the data foundation regarding application and admission to the Commerce program.

The Data and Dashboard team are sourcing data from across Queen’s – such as from the Human Rights and Equity Office, the Office of the University Registrar, and Institutional Research and Planning – and Smith. They are looking at options to gather additional meaningful diversity data from Commerce students to provide benchmarks and track progress going forward.

In 2019 Smith began gathering self-identified demographic information from applicants to the professional graduate programs, which will be used to ensure these programs are attracting a diverse pool of students.

Smith Staff & Faculty Hiring Practices

Diversity of faculty and staff has been and will continue to part of Smith’s efforts.

Based on the work of a Hiring Equity Taskforce, Smith School of Business adopted a series of EDII faculty and staff hiring practices three years ago. We also work directly with the university’s Human Rights and Equity Office to ensure our hiring practices fully embrace EDII initiatives.

Importantly, all applicants for any position are asked to voluntarily self-identify if they belong to one or more equity seeking groups. We use this information to ensure there is a diverse pool of candidates for posted jobs. Our hiring over the past few years has reflected this increasingly diverse pool of candidates. We must report our hiring practices and outcomes to Queen’s Human Rights and Equity Office.

For all hiring, equity and diversity training (such as increasing awareness of implicit bias and how to mitigate against it) and a designated equity representative are required for all hiring panels to ensure equity considerations are top of mind.

EDII will continue to be a central consideration for hiring and faculty appointments on an ongoing basis.

Student Code of Conduct & Non-Academic Misconduct

All Queen’s University students are bound by the Student Code of Conduct (“the Code”) which can be found in full here. The Code outlines behavioural expectations for students and defines the scope and jurisdiction of the university as it relates to addressing non-academic misconduct.

The Code applies to all students at Queen’s and they agree to enter into this contractual relationship annually by accepting and agreeing to be subject to the university’s policies, rules, and procedures (including the Code). The school of business does not establish separate codes or processes as it is important to have one consistent, university-wide approach.

Smith staff and faculty can and do refer matters, where appropriate, to the Non-Academic Misconduct Intake Office. Students may also report concerns related to non-academic misconduct to Campus Security and Emergency Services.

For more information on the Non-Academic Misconduct system at Queen’s please visit the Non-Academic Misconduct website.

Sexual Violence Prevention & Response

Students and alumni have shared reports of being subjected to or having witnessed sexual aggression and sexual violence. This is a serious issue and, although not always distinct from discrimination and racism, its importance requires a stand-alone comprehensive response.

University-wide Approach

Queen’s University has established processes, resources and awareness efforts on sexual violence that are university-wide and therefore apply to and include the School of Business. There is no tolerance for sexual violence in our community.

Oversight of the prevention and response strategies is with Queen’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Task Force. It is a network of students, faculty and staff convened to mobilize efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault on campus. The task force is co-chaired by the Vice-Provost and the Dean of Student Affairs, and the AVP Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion. The task force works collaboratively to effect change at the individual, institutional and cultural levels, to contribute to a safer campus environment for Queen’s students.

The Policy on Sexual Violence Involving Queen’s Students outlines the university’s approach to sexual violence on campus and aligns with provincial legislation and regulation. When the policy is revised, extensive consultation takes place. There is an active consultation on proposed changes to the policy running until the end of September, 2020 and information can be found here.

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, Regulation 131/16 (Sexual Violence at Colleges and Universities) defines sexual violence and requires the collection and reporting of data across institutions using a consistent definition and methodology; one element being formal complaints. That reporting began in September 2018.

Prevention & Education

Queen’s has enhanced the profile of its sexual violence support services on and off campus, introduced new education programming for students, and new resources and training for students, staff, and faculty. That awareness effort begins at Orientation Week for new students.

In 2015 new sexual violence prevention and education initiatives and resources were put in place for Orientation Week including bystander training for all Orientation leaders and student volunteers, and dons and residence student leaders. Incoming students receive training and information on topics such as communication and consent, bystander obligations, supporting others, and the nature of sexual violence. More than 2,500 Queen’s students participate in student-led Bystander Intervention Training every year. Smith augments these initiatives with supplemental training on topics such as hazing, and group dynamics.

In 2017 an annual Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Framework was developed. It is a joint effort between the Alma Mater Society, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator, and the Division of Student Affairs. It is intended to contribute to increased collaboration and coordination among staff, student-affiliated groups, and other community partners who plan and organize prevention and awareness activities.

Resources & Support

The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator is the central point of contact for students, staff and faculty, and leads campus-wide education, response, support, training and advocacy activities. She can be contacted at Bjl7@queensu.ca.

Any student in need of support can also contact Student Wellness Services at 613-533-6000 ext. 78264, Empower Me, or Good2Talk, a 24/7 confidential and anonymous post-secondary student helpline at 1-866-925-5454.

The sexual violence prevention and response website provides on-campus and off-campus resource information.

Privacy

Due to privacy considerations, the university will not speak publicly about specific persons or the outcomes of specific incidents.

Staff & Faculty Roles & Obligations

The obligations of Queen’s staff and faculty when made aware of sexual violence involving students are specified in the sexual violence policy. This includes obligations around confidentiality and when and how information can be shared with the sexual violence prevention and response coordinator. Regular education and training occurs.

A consultation is underway currently on proposed changes to the policy and members of the Smith community can participate here.

Smith-specific Needs & Actions

It is important that the Smith community uses the processes and resources established by the university to ensure that sexual violence matters are handled consistently, are compliant with legal and privacy requirements, and importantly, align with the guidance of experts.

Proactive efforts are very much part of the approach within Smith and across campus including ongoing education and promotion within programs, residences, student resources, and events.

Student Government and the Commerce Society (ComSoc)

The Commerce Society (ComSoc) falls under the jurisdiction of the Alma Mater Society (AMS), the student organization for Queen’s Undergraduate students. Student government operates separately from the university including its faculties like the business school. ComSoc has its own constitution and policies under which it operates.

Smith and Commerce staff meet with ComSoc leaders and committees throughout the year and have done so for many years. Efforts to encourage improvements in operations, structure, cost management and accessibility have resulted in some important changes; however, the onus on making changes lies with ComSoc rather than the university administration.

At the same time, the actions of all student government and committees fall under the Student Code of Conduct and the non-academic misconduct process. Members of the campus community including administration may report behaviours or actions carried out by ComSoc -- individuals, clubs, or groups -- that violate the Code of Conduct.

While the administration does not directly control or direct the Commerce Society, ComSoc does operate with the endorsement of the school as the official student government. As a result, the school expects ComSoc to manage its activities within the Code and all other relevant policies and laws, and to promote a positive and inclusive experience for students.