An “emergency meeting” was called on September 19 by SEC, LGBTOUT, and Rainbow Trin to discuss a coordinated response to news that the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office might be closing its doors, effective at the end of the month.
Jude Tate, Officer of the SGDO, has accepted a new position at the University of British Columbia, and the Office’s Programs Coordinator, Adam Morrison, is leaving to work for the Ontario Government.
Because there was no formal announcement from the University of Toronto, LGBTQ student leaders were thrown into a panic this past week; it appeared the university was delaying new hires, effectively closing the office until further notice.
“The university has known I’m leaving since my announcement in June. Ideally, they would have presented a plan then, and there wouldn’t be any confusion now. … It should be really simple,” noted Tate. Instead, she spent hours dealing with a rampant student “rumour mill.”
Justin Gordon-Deacon, Internal Coordinator for LGBTOUT, said that the university’s options are limited: close the office, review the office’s efficacy with a temporary staff member in place, leave it closed pending review, or begin a hiring process immediately.
“They certainly need two full-time staff,” he stressed, noting that otherwise, LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff will “lack the resources they need.”
Simon Bredin, member of Rainbow Trin and Director of Public Affairs for LGBTOUT, was concerned about the unclear scenario. “We are trying to be cautious and avoid an overreaction, as students are wont to do in these kinds of situations. That said, the … situation [is] definitely worrying, and we will respond as more information becomes available.”
Still, the University of Toronto Students’ Union thinks something is afoot. Corey Scott, VP Internal & Services, demanded a second meeting with LGBTQ campus groups, arguing that UTSU needed to be involved to represent student interests.
While Tate suggested that a review of the office’s efficacy when the main staff member leaves would be “entirely normal,” she remained clear about the “importance and continued operation” of the office.
Gordon-Deacon agreed. “Maybe we student groups could take on a bit more with programming … but we need someone within the university hierarchy to advocate [when there’s discrimination],” he said.
In response to enquiries from The Varsity, Jill Matus, U of T’s Vice-Provost, Students, clarified the situation.
“The University does plan to continue to staff the SGDO office. We are actively seeking an interim staff member to ensure continuity. The departure of two staff members provides us with an opportunity to reconsider the staffing model and a letter will be going out from the [Vice-Provost] Human Resources and Equity before the end of the week to student leaders to solicit their input.”
Despite these assurances, Scott sent a strongly-worded email to various administrative offices.
“We were disappointed to learn that though the university was aware of the need to fill these vacancies for several months, it took no action to do so,” he wrote. “This is especially important to us as the office was created through a sustained student effort. … In the absence of adequate human resources, we are concerned that the services which this office was created to provide will be downloaded onto student groups and put further pressure on our already scarce resources.”
The Sexual Diversity and Gender Office was created following a 1999 referendum held by the UTSU (then known as the Students’ Administrative Council) in response to complaints of heterosexism and homophobia on campus. The office first functioned in a part-time capacity within the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students.
Currently, the SGDO is part of a broader gamut of equity services offered by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Human Resources and Equity. Its work includes counselling and other direct support for LGBTQ students and programming support for various campus clubs.
