Future leaders in Canadian and international policy must be able to manage racism, sexism, and gender-based violence in the workplace. At SPPA, we are committed to continuously revising our programs and curriculum so that our graduates will continue to be leaders in addressing these complex issues. We are working with our students to provide the training they need.
The Faculty of Public and Global Affairs EDI resources for students provides information for FPGA students on these issues.
SPPA Anti-Racism Committee (ARC)
SPPA’s Anti-Racism Committee (ARC) was formed in 2021 as part of the School’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and to assist the School to reach the goals of the Carleton Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan. This standing committee includes representatives from students and faculty members. Its mandate is to advise the School on actions necessary to become an anti-racist organization and community, provide recommendations to the School, and plan supports for students.
2024-25 ARC Committee Members
Students: Sneha Ananth , Faculty: Jerry Sabin, Jennifer Stewart
Open Letter to SPPA
On July 8th, 2024 SPPA received an Open letter to Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration regarding issues of sexual violence experienced by students.
The School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) at Carleton University is committed to being a diverse and inclusive community that enables learning and scholarship in which all students, staff, and faculty can contribute and are accepted. We are building a school dedicated to principles of equity and justice that opposes discrimination of all kinds, including gender-based violence. We thank the authors of the open letter for reminding us that there is still much work to be done.
Complaints of sexual harassment are taken seriously by faculty and staff at SPPA. As per Carleton University’s Sexual Violence Policy, members of our community are immediately directed to the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities (EIC) for advice on filing a complaint or alternative options, and for access to a range of support services.
While maintaining the principles of the Sexual Violence Policy, such as confidentiality for complainants and respondents, the School will continue to support its students outside of the formal complaint process. Following a complainant-led approach, these supports include accompanying students to meetings at EIC to explore available options, providing alternative study space, adjusting class schedules, and working with instructors to manage allegations of sexual harassment. The School is committed to supporting complainants fully within the scope of our authority and resources.
Beyond responding to individual complaints, the School will continue to work with EIC to include training as part of Orientation and to provide information to students on EIC services. We will continue our broader work on curriculum design with ongoing discussions of incorporating EDI within our courses and having workshops on EDI at our biannual retreats.
As a School, we acknowledge that there was a gap in ensuring that appropriate arrangements were made for one student in a class and we commit to double checking registration each term moving forward. The EIC also acknowledges that there was a miscommunication about the training requested for the SPPA students. The EIC provided sexual violence prevention information for graduate students during the Orientation 2023 at the SPPA’s request. In addition, the SPPA set up a training session but there were insufficient registrations for the session to go ahead.
We acknowledge that there is more to do, and we commit to continuing this important work and to improving the student experience in the School.
Jennifer Stewart, Director SPPA
Noël Badiou, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusive Communities
