Racism controversies at the University of Ottawa

In recent years, several incidents of apparent racism have occurred at the University of Ottawa, located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Some students and staff members have labelled these incidents as racism.[1][2][3][4]

Students walking on campus at the university

Black student handcuffed on campus (2019)

In mid-June 2019,[5][6][7][8] a Black male student was carded and detained for two hours. This student was later identified as Jamal Boyce, the vice president of the student's association in his program.

Reports state that Boyce was skateboarding. Campus security stopped him and demanded his identification. When he was unable to provide any, they arrested him. Witnesses at the scene felt that security detained Boyce for no reason. Skateboarding on campus is a common activity for students of all races. Multiple witnesses in the crowd questioned why Boyce was being held against his will.

More than a dozen student organizations, including the University of Ottawa Students' Union, authored an open letter saying that the university's response to the incident was insufficient in addressing systemic racism. Various staff members also voiced their support, backing the demands of the student groups. University staff members expected the University of Ottawa to implement student demands, which included an apology to Boyce, carding policy review, training for staff and security members, and transparency to further protect student rights.[9]

Racist comments made during an online class (2020)

In September 2020, students noted that racist slurs were used during a virtual class. At the time, the majority of classes were offered virtually due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Canada and in Ottawa.[10]

The incident occurred without a professor present. Dodek stated that the academia, including the University of Ottawa's law school, had a long history of systemic discriminatory practices, which must be addressed urgently.[11][12]

N-word used in class (2020)
Further information: Controversy over academic freedom at the University of Ottawa

In October 2020, a part-time University of Ottawa Professor, Verushka Lieutenant-Duval, was suspended after she said the N-word - an extremely offensive racial slur - during one of her lectures. A student who attended this lecture filed a complaint to the University of Ottawa's president, Jacques Frémont, and demanded an immediate assessment of the situation. Other students present in the class also supported this complaint. The students from various faculties at the university supported demands for punitive action as the news of the incident made its way to the headlines.[13]

Photo of Tabaret Hall with the Desmarais Building in the background, on the University of Ottawa campus.

Response

In October 2020, 34 professors at the university signed a letter in support of Verushka Lieutenant-Duval.[14] Many students at the university were outraged and condemned the letter. The letter defended Lieutenant-Duval's actions, stating that it was vital the university continues to abolish all forms of systemic racism while ensuring that the transmission of knowledge and academic freedom is still protected. The students' union voiced its frustration, claiming that while these 34 professors responded swiftly in defense of their colleague Lieutenant-Duval, they are often silent when asked to express their support for BIPOC students at the University of Ottawa.[15]

References
  1. "Fundamentals, Core Concepts, Racism". Racial Equity Tools. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  2. "Racism". Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  3. "What is Racism? | Australian Human Rights Commission". humanrights.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  4. "Racism, bias, and discrimination". www.apa.org. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  5. "UOttawa Launches Investigation After Student Carded, Arrested On Campus". HuffPost. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  6. "University of Ottawa investigating after student allegedly asked for ID, detained on campus - Ottawa | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  7. "Black University of Ottawa student arrested by campus security; alleges racial profiling". Ottawa. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  8. "'Humiliating': Black uOttawa student handcuffed in campus carding incident". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  9. Ramlakhan, Krystalle (June 14, 2019). "Black student carded, cuffed at University of Ottawa, prompting review". CBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  10. Crawford, Bill (13 May 2020). "Carleton, uOttawa unveil plans for online learning for fall semester". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  11. "Racist Incidents Online | Dean's Message". Faculty of Education. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  12. Patrick Jones, Ryan (September 22, 2020). "Racist comment mars online class at U of O". CBC News. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  13. "Professor's use of racial slur ignites uOttawa debate". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  14. Mutombo, Yannick (2022-09-20). "U of O professor and APTPUO file grievances following 'N-word' incident suspension". The Fulcrum. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  15. University of Ottawa Students Union (18 October 2020). "Statement on Racist Incidents at uOttawa". Instagram. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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