October 22, 2014

The University of Toronto’s Positive Space Committee is pleased to welcome David Kim as the new Chair of the Positive Space Committee on the St. George campus. Appointed by Professor Angela Hildyard, Vice-President, Human Resources & Equity, David Kim, currently the Acting Dean of Residence at the University of Toronto Chestnut Residence, steps into the role to lead the Committee. He takes over for the out-going Chair, Dr. Sara-Jane Finlay, who held the role for six years, and her student Co-Chair, Stephanie Sawah.

About the Positive Space Committee

The University of Toronto’s Positive Space Campaign raises the visibility and awareness of safer and more inclusive spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students, staff, faculty, alumni and allies at the University of Toronto.

The Campaign is organized by the Positive Space Committee which is made up of students, staff and faculty volunteers who work to create and distribute educational materials and host events and programs throughout the year to help to raise the visibility of LGBTQ identities and issues on campus and more broadly. The most visible symbol of this campaign is the inverted rainbow triangle sticker and poster that you will see in many places across U of T’s three campuses.

Over the last few years, the Positive Space Campaign has undertaken a number of important initiatives, including:

• Developing posters and distribution materials
• Hosting educational events, such as the panel discussion titled “Positive Space in the Classroom”
• Participating in the Rotman Commerce Pride Alliance case competition
• Letter writing campaigns
• Hosting 5-Buck Lunches at Hart House

The Positive Space Campaign engages in tri-campus initiatives whenever possible and works closely with U of T’s equity offices and policies in order to continue to build LGBTQ positive and inclusive learning, working and living environments on campus.

There is a Positive Space Committee on each of the three campuses.  Each Committee meets on a monthly basis. For more information about each of these committees or to learn more about how you can get involved, email positive.space@utoronto.ca.

Bios

Incoming Chair David Kim is currently the Acting Dean of Residence at the University of Toronto Chestnut Residence.  He has previously worked as the Acting Dean of Students for Woodsworth College and has served as the Chair of the Student Life Professionals Group.  David has given eight years of service to the University of Toronto and looks forward to taking on this new leadership role at the University of Toronto.

Outgoing Chair Dr. Sara-Jane Finlay has served as the Chair of the Positive Space Committee on the St. George campus for the last six years.  Sara-Jane is currently the Director of the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty and Academic Life and has worked at U of T since 2004, when she started as a faculty member in Visual Culture and Communication at UTM.  In her role as Positive Space Chair, she has worked collaboratively with the leaders and members of all of the other Positive Space Committees, including those on the Scarborough and Mississauga campuses, in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and across other equity initiatives across the University.

Outgoing student Co-Chair Stephanie Sawah served on the Positive Space Committee for two years.  She is a student in the Sexual Diversity Studies program and helped to make important connections to the student communities on campus.