Humber’s Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) would like to highlight faculty member and researcher Savdulla Kazazi, PhD, after a successful research project completion with Hamilton Plastic Systems Ltd., funded through a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
While this is Savdulla’s first NSERC project supported by ORI, he embodied the mindset of a seasoned Humber researcher and always kept the experiences of his students at the forefront.
What is Workplace Harassment?
Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber (hereafter referred to as "Humber") is committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive culture in which all members of the Humber community study, work and live free from discrimination and harassment. Humber has the right and the legal and moral responsibility to ensure that all Humber community members are treated fairly, equitably, and respectfully and to provide a learning, working and living environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Harassment is a form of discrimination and a breach of the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code) and Humber's Human Rights Policy.
What is Harassment?
Harassment in section 10(1) of the Ontario Human Rights Code and workplace harassment (personal/psychological harassment) in section 1(1)(a) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) are defined as "engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome." This definition includes any behaviour that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be offensive, embarrassing or humiliating to other individuals. Such conduct may or may not be based on any of the prohibited grounds identified in the Code and includes visual representations, electronic messages including emails and social media posts, written messages, and verbal and/or physical conduct.
Examples of harassment include but are not limited to:
What isn't harassment?
Harassment or workplace harassment does not occur when a supervisor/manager gives legitimate direction or instructions to an employee in the course of their employment. It also does not occur when performance reviews are conducted in accordance with the College's Faculty Evaluation Procedure, or its equivalent.
Incivility is generally defined as an instance of behaviour such as rudeness, discourteousness, or impoliteness. Incivility, while inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, on its own, would not meet the threshold of harassment.
For more information, please see Humber's Human Rights Policy at humber.ca/policies/human-rights-policy.
For questions pertaining to Humber's Human Rights Policy and Complaint Resolution Procedure, please contact humanrightseducation@humber.ca.
Thank you for your continued commitment to fostering an inclusive working, learning and living environment at Humber.
Brenda Webb has worked in the Faculty of Social & Community Services within the Child and Youth Care program for more than 20 years. She has been a professor, a curriculum expert, a program coordinator, and an award winner, she has sat on too many committees to list, she is a mentor and a fierce advocate for quality postsecondary CYC education.
Brenda has supported hundreds of students to overcome challenges and barriers to complete the advanced diploma in Child and Youth Care. This is because Brenda is truly dedicated in every sense of the word to student success and believes in the potential of each person she encounters. Brenda is truly strength-based in her approach to teaching and leadership. Every colleague and student who has worked with Brenda in her time at Humber has grown and benefitted from her as a role model. Brenda inspires people to be kind, hopeful, open-hearted and believe in themselves.
Brenda has demonstrated a sincere dedication to being current and innovative. She never wavered from her belief that, as professors in helping professions, we must practice what we teach. Many of the great things in our CYC programs here at Humber exist due to Brenda's dedication and hard work. She will be missed as she moves onto retirement but the lessons she has taught many will remain part of how we work. We would like to wish Brenda a wonderful retirement and to enjoy the next chapter!
June MacDonald-Jenkins
Senior Dean, Faculty of Social and Community Services
Principal of Lakeshore Campus
Lynn Bachinski exemplifies selfless dedication and excellence to faculty and students alike during her more than 13 years at Humber. She is a strong social justice advocate and a champion for student success on and off campus. As a dedicated professor and program coordinator, she has a remarkable history of dealing with students in a way that serves up professionalism with a personal touch. Even before she was a PC, students would be lined up outside the office near the end of term so she could tell each one of them individually how they had done in her course. This commitment to individual attention was impressive, and she went out of her way to deliver it.
In 2019, Lynn received the League of Innovation’s Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions and leadership. That same year, students in the Community and Justice Services Program (CJS) nominated her for the Student Appreciation Award.
Lynn has left an indelible footprint on the Faculty of Social and Community Services and the Community and Justice Services program that will remain for years to come. We wish her happiness in the next chapter of her journey.
June MacDonald-Jenkins
Senior Dean, Faculty of Social and Community Services
Principal of Lakeshore Campus
Hello Humber,
It is with mixed emotions that I share that Nancy Simms will be retiring on August 31. Before that date, she will be using up some well-deserved vacation time starting in mid-July.
Nancy began at Humber fourteen years ago and has been a tremendous leader of her team within the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion, across the college and the post-secondary sector. Initially, Nancy was the manager of the Human Rights, Diversity and Equity program in Humber’s Human Resources Department. With the contributions of several team members, external consultants and community partners over the years, she expanded and transformed the program into Humber’s Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion.
As the Director for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion at Humber College, Nancy successfully weaved and embedded equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the College community. She was instrumental in leading Humber’s EDI work as the lead of the EDI Taskforce, which launched the EDI Framework and Strategy in April 2022 and the EDI Toolkit in June 2022.
Some other key accomplishments under Nancy’s leadership include:
Nancy is a recipient of several awards, including the Osgoode Hall Law School Adjunct Faculty Award 2021, the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award 2016, the CAPDHHE Distinguished Administrator Award 2017 and Humber College’s Administrative Distinguished Service Award 2017.
While Nancy will be greatly missed at Humber, she will continue her passion for lifelong learning and will be teaching at Humber part-time in the fall.
Nancy leaves behind a legacy of commitment, caring and compassion that will be carried on by those who have had the pleasure of working with and learning from her.
Please join me in thanking Nancy for her years at Humber and wishing her the best on her retirement. Nancy’s Humber email will be active until August 31, for those who wish to reach out directly to Nancy to wish her well.
Sincerely,
Lori Diduch
Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness
Please join me in welcoming Christine Hsu in the position of Manager Education & Training, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion.
Christine is a first generation immigrant settler who moves through the world as a nonbinary, genderfluid and queer woman of colour. While she is temporarily able-bodied and grew up with lean body privilege as a multi-sport athlete, she lives with an invisible disability and chronic pain. They use their lived experiences of simultaneously being targeted for her identities and accessing privileges to connect and inform their intersectional anti-oppression practices.
They have been doing intersectional 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion work for more than 12 years, particularly at the intersections of social justice and body movement including systems change work to enable trans and nonbinary inclusion in all levels and specifically high performance sports across Canada. Her EDI work experiences, including gender-based violence prevention and support and body liberation and disability justice work, have ranged from being in healthcare, nonprofit, government, to tech and private corporate, and higher education settings.
They have designed, developed and delivered training on topics such as EDI, AODA & human rights compliance, trauma-informed care, leadership development and management training, relationship and consent education, and conflict transformation. She has facilitated and coached executive leaders on EDI for systems change work with success. Their work has been done with a focus on enabling access, safety and autonomy in collective community care with trauma-informed and healing-centered approach. Grounded in minimizing harm, transformative justice and community relationships building, she practices her core values by ensuring that the experiential learning in EDI centers the livelihoods of and directly benefits the very communities that are vulnerabilized and marginalized.
They are an Ontario certified educator (I/S), and movement coach with a Bachelor of Physical & Health Education from University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Education from Ontario Institute of Studies In Education, and an Adult Education Certificate from St. Francis Xavier University. They are in the process of obtaining their CTDP designation.
Christine starts her position on July 4, 2022 and will report to the Director, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion.
Kind regards,
Nancy Simms
Director, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion
Beginning on Thursday, June 23, a new COVID reporting process will be in place for students.
A new self-reporting form for students, which can be found at www.humber.ca/covidreporting, is based on current legislation and guidelines from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Toronto Public Health.
Based on the responses provided, an automated response will be generated with next steps, which might include guidance related to self-monitoring or isolation, as appropriate.
The COVID Reporting Team will no longer be providing case management for student cases of COVID-19 and will no longer be emailing related program contacts with information about the case. With this change, students are responsible for advising their professor/program coordinator/associate dean of their situation, as needed.
Staff are still to contact Humber to confidentially report to covidreporting@humber.ca or 416.675.5007. A representative from the team will still be in touch to follow up.
Details are available online on when and how to report.
Humber, it’s time to change to the new.
Change where you save files, work that you do.
Say bye to the H-Drive.
And hello to OneDrive.
A great gift from ITS to you.
This is a friendly reminder the H-Drive will be decommissioned June 29, 2022.
Register for OneDrive training and get those files transferred out of our H-Drive!
June is Pride Month. All month, the 2SLGBTQ+ ERG will be putting out Communiqués with reminders, information, and history relevant to Pride.
Can you attend Pride events as an ally? Yes! Just remember, Pride isn’t about you. Be respectful and give priority to those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. You are a guest in this 2SLGBTQ+ space (source). More information about allyship.
Read on for some helpful hints about attending Pride, whether for the first or the fortieth time!
And most importantly, have fun.
On Thursday, June 23, in recognition of the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, flags on campus will be flown at half-staff.
