Guest speaker Imogen Coe, founding dean of Ryerson University’s faculty of science, spoke Dec. 1 on privilege and discrimination within academic science for a Carleton faculty of science lecture series.
Coe’s lecture was the second in a series to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in science.
Roe emphasized that white privilege, racism, sexism, ableism and homophobia still exist in Canadian academic science and are issues that need to be addressed, no matter how uncomfortable or difficult it may be to speak about them.
“I really want to start making you feel uncomfortable by putting it right out in front of you,” Coe said during the lecture, titled Uncomfortable Truths and Inclusive Excellence in Academic Science: Building the Toolkit for Change.
“Science, medicine, engineering are places where sexual harassment and gender-based violence happens and we really need to be aware of that,” Coe said.
Coe said many don’t realize issues of discrimination are relevant in Canadian academia today.
Canadian academia has a long history of misogyny and gender-based violence, Coe said, citing as an example the 1989 École Polytechnique de Montréal massacre, an attack that targeted women.
On Dec. 4, Carleton’s faculty of engineering commemorated the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with a video. It encouraged faculty, staff and students to participate in a moment of silence for the 14 women killed in the École Polytechnique massacre.
Evidence shows that academics in STEM experience the highest rate of sexual harassment of any occupation outside the military.
Fifty per cent of women in STEM jobs reported experiencing gender discrimination at work in a 2018 survey, compared to only 19 per cent of men. A 2019 survey of women working in STEM found that 32 per cent of respondents had experienced multiple instances of sexual harassment in their careers.
To create a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in academic science, Coe shared first steps that can be taken: naming and calling out uncomfortable truths, demanding better, and taking individual responsibility.
Coe said accomplishing these goals begins with leadership. In an academic environment, Coe encouraged sharing pronouns, attending support events, hanging up posters to promote safe spaces, and supporting inclusive student events.
Emma Khazzam, a fifth-year food science student at Carleton, is vice president (programming) of the Carleton Science Student Society and attended Roe’s lecture.
Khazzam said it is important to learn about discrimination in academic science even if you haven’t experienced it.
“It was the truth that we all really needed to hear,” Khazzam said.
Khazzam said it is those with power who need to take steps towards creating a culture of inclusion and diversity.
“It is not the role of the historically-excluded faculty, graduate students, or undergraduate [students] or trainees to do this work,” Khazzam said. “It is the role of people with power and privilege.”
Khazzam said these changes can be uncomfortable, but they are necessary.
“Embrace that discomfort,” Khazzam said. “Discomfort can be good. It can lead to more innovation.”
