Students are calling for racial equity at Carleton. The racial reckoning is here.
However, systemic change is not immediate or all-encompassing. It will take time to implement all of the calls to action.
One way for the university to keep itself accountable while implementing these calls to action would be to track and publicly disclose Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) student admission and retention rates. The university should also track and publicly disclose BIPOC faculty hiring and retention rates.
Tracking race-based data is essential for ensuring racial equity and implementing necessary support structures. How can Carleton aim to support BIPOC community members if it doesn’t know the BIPOC population?
Public race-based Carleton data would also help prospective BIPOC students understand whether the school will be a welcoming environment for them. For current students, public race-based data can highlight inequities and form the basis for systemic change.
For example, Ryerson University’s new journalism course on race would not have been implemented had students not petitioned for it. Likewise, the petition may not have launched or received the outpour of support that it did had Ryerson’s race-based data on the journalism industry been private.
Carleton has the means to collect and analyze race-based data. The university already tracks full-time and part-time student demographics based on sex, residency, and fee status.
If Carleton has nothing to hide and is truly committed to anti-racist action, there shouldn’t be a problem with tracking and publicly releasing race-based data. Actions speak louder than words.
Featured image from file.
