Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

With a disclosure, you are submitting information to the U of T Engineering Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Professionalism about an incident that you witnessed or were impacted by. Upon your request, the Office will contact you and initiate a conversation on options for next steps.

Once possible options have been reviewed and understood, you may decide whether moving forward with reporting is a desired next step. Formally reporting means that the disclosed case moves from the purview of Faculty's Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Professionalism, to central University of Toronto equity offices/resources as defined by institutional policies such as the student code of conduct or the Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment (PDDH) Disclosure Framework. The University will then take formal action by investigating and potentially taking action for formal resolution of the incident.

Policies such as PDDH Disclosure Framework for incidents of discrimination highlight that a student may reach out to relevant administrators within their Faculty before reaching out to file a formal complaint to an equity office. That said, students should feel empowered to reach out to equity offices such as the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) or the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO) in order to make a disclosure or request filing a report on incident(s) of racial, cultural, gender or sexual orientation based discrimination. The Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre (SVPSC) would be responsible for handling the next steps for a disclosed or reported incident(s) of sexual violence or harassment.

Next steps after a disclosure can differ based on the characteristics of the disclosed incident(s) and the needs of the student. Broadly speaking, after submitting a disclosure, if the student opts to initiate a discussion with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Professionalism on potential next steps, the potential options fall into three (3) broad categories:

• Supports: A student impacted by incident(s) may need specific academic, mental wellness and/or community-based supports
• Informal resolution: Based on the specifics of the case and the student preference, the Faculty may attempt to facilitate pathways to "informally" address and resolve the incident(s) that meets the needs of a student without the incident(s) being escalated to a formal report to the University
• Formal resolution: Based on the specifics of the case and the student preference, a formal report may be filed with the appropriate central University office. Investigation and facilitation of options for resolution of the incident(s) will then be guided by University policies such as the Code of Student Conduct or the PDDH disclosure framework

Ultimately which steps are taken and the form that they take will differ on a case-by-case basis. Unless otherwise stated by law or University policy, the choice of how to proceed is determined by the student.

We acknowledge that students may feel unable to disclose incident(s) due to social and/or power dynamics of a situation (e.g. wanting to disclose an incident involving a faculty member who also teaches and/or employs them). Unless otherwise stated by University policy or by law, any details made within a disclosure (including the student identity) will only be shared with the express consent of the student. However, if the disclosing student wishes for the Faculty to investigate pathways for informal resolution or if the student wishes to file a formal report/complaint under a University-wide protocol, information may need to be shared on a need-to-know basis. The Faculty is committed to mitigating concerns of potential backlash and works with students who make a confidential disclosure on a case-by-case basis to determine the next steps that are the most comfortable to them. While the option to remain anonymous is also provided to students, only general support and resources can be highlighted in such instances.

The speed at which disclosures are initially addressed, resolved or escalated may differ on a case-by-case basis. However, as a Faculty, we understand the importance of ensuring transparency and clear communication throughout the process. Therefore, we are committed to responding to a student disclosure within three (3) business days of receipt. In the weeks to follow, a disclosing student will be able to:

• Meet the Assistant Dean and Director, Diversity, Inclusion & Professionalism, or their designate
• Be guided to general supports
• Discuss potential tailored supports (if desired)
• Request an informal inquiry into the incident (if desired)
• Request a mediated meeting and/or informal resolution (if desired/possible)
• Escalate the disclosure to a formal report (if needed/desired) with escalation to be handled by institutional frameworks defined outside the Faculty

The role or position of an alleged offender of a disclosed incident may impact pathways of formal resolution. This is due to the fact that different institutional policies exist for students (i.e. Code of Student Conduct) than for staff/faculty (i.e. Discrimination Guideline). Additionally, options of formal resources are also influenced by whether the alleged offender(s) are currently affiliated with the University and their connection to University at the time of the alleged incident. Ultimately, the optimal next steps (whether these include supports, attempts at informal resolution, or reporting) are determined on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the wishes of the person disclosing.

The location of an alleged incident may impact pathways of formal resolution. This is due to the fact that the scope of many University policies to provide formal recourse is often limited to incidents that occur within University spaces/resources (including virtual or in-person lectures). The notable exception to this would be incidents of sexual violence or harassment. Ultimately, optimal next steps (whether these include supports, attempts at informal resolution, or reporting) are determined on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the wishes of the person disclosing.

If the incident(s) you witnessed targeted or directly impacted a student, then depending on the situation, the optimal next step may be to get the impacted student involved in the disclosure process. Lack of involvement of the directly targeted party could impact pathways of formal investigation and resolution (if desired). This may also be the case if the incident(s) did not specifically target or directly impact a student. Ultimately, the optimal next steps (whether these include supports, attempts at informal resolution, or reporting) are determined on a case-by-case basis, and in accordance with the wishes of the person disclosing.