As an institution and as a community, we have been concerned by recent incidents of anti-Asian racism here at U of T, in our city-region, and indeed across North America. It is our collective responsibility to develop strategies to dismantle barriers and enhance inclusivity for Asian members of the U of T community.

To that end, the University of Toronto has established an Anti-Asian Racism Working Group, to be led by co-chairs Mr. Vikram Chadalawada, Assistant Director, Student Information Systems, Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) and Information Technology Services (ITS), and Associate Professor Carol Chin, Principal of Woodsworth College.

The Anti-Asian Racism Working Group will review programming, activities, processes, and practices in place at the institution, and make recommendations to support the University’s response to anti-Asian racism. Its primary aims are to:

• Consult with University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, and librarians about their experiences of anti-Asian racism on our three campuses, and invite their recommendations on how to foster a more inclusive and respectful environment for Asian community members;
• Develop a tri-campus inventory of existing resources, initiatives, and projects that are addressing systemic and individual anti-Asian racism and advancing inclusion and excellence for Asian community members;
• Review the University’s existing practices, processes, and policies to determine whether existing tools are appropriate to i) address anti-Asian racism and ii) advance inclusion and excellence for Asian community members; and determine whether additional policies and processes are required;
• Review previous recommendations regarding anti-racism practices made by members of the U of T community, and at other research-intensive universities for addressing anti-Asian racism and fostering inclusion and excellence for Asian community members;
• Develop recommendations about actionable steps to help the University achieve a more respectful, accountable, equitable, and inclusive community, and to help combat anti-Asian racism on its three campuses; and
• Present a final report and recommendations to the President; the Vice-President and Provost; the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture

We invite you to learn more about the Anti-Asian Racism Working Group and its Terms of Reference. A call for nominations for additional members of the Working Group will be issued shortly.

We also encourage all members of the U of T community to engage with the Working Group and provide feedback and insights at anti.asian.racism@utoronto.ca. In the coming months, additional opportunities to share concerns and recommendations with the Working Group will be made available to students, faculty, staff, librarians, and other members of the U of T community.