After the June 12 carding incident involving Jamal Koulmiye-Boyce at the University of Ottawa (U of O), administration released a report which said race played a role in the incident.
Following the carding of Koulmiye-Boyce by safety staff, a similar incident took place. Another Black student, Wiliston Mason, was carded by a security guard as he tried to enter his residence building on Sept. 14.
Following the release of the report, several U of O student groups, including the University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU) and the Black Student Leaders’ Association (BSLA), published an open letter to tell administration they must do more.
The letter recommends anti-oppression and anti-racism training for all university staff, and the implementation of accountability measures to ensure staff are complying with the anti-racism policies and applying consequences to those who are not, among other things.
This includes “enforcing permanent bans on officers who engage in racial discrimination on campus,” according to the press release. U of O only temporarily suspended the officers involved in the carding incidents.
Implementing this recommendation is important to ensure that universities do not protect employees, such as safety staff, when they engage in racist behaviour. Their top priority should be making their campus a safe place for all students, including Black and Indigenous People of Colour—not a place where they are targeted by university employees.
File photo.
