Laurier condemns racism and offers support to those who experience it

There have been reports locally and across Canada of racism and stigmatizing comments directed at people of Chinese and Asian descent as the world struggles to understand and contain the novel coronavirus.

As a community that values equity, diversity and inclusion, Wilfrid Laurier University condemns such behaviour and urges everyone to treat one another with respect and understanding.

There is a lot of speculation and unverified information about the novel coronavirus being shared via social media. This is not helpful and can contribute to the spread of misinformation and fear. Laurier encourages you to seek information from public health authorities such as Public Health Ontario and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

If you are a member of the Laurier community who has experienced racism, the support resources listed below are available to you.

For Students

If you would like to connect more personally, please feel free to visit Kate (Waterloo) and/or Adam (Brantford) in the Dean of Students Offices. The resources listed below are open to all students, so please feel free to reach out.

• Office of the Dean of Students
• International Student Support
• The Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • In Waterloo: diversity@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x4584
  • In Brantford: lburrows@wlu.ca or 519.756.8228 x5459
• The Office of Dispute Resolution
• Laurier’s Special Constables Service

For Staff and Faculty

• The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) available through Laurier’s Human Resources department
• The Equity and Accessibility team in Human Resources at equity@wlu.ca
• The Office of Dispute Resolution