Humber has identified as its Strategic Priority #7 under Pillar #3, Healthy and Inclusive Community, to continue to build a diverse and inclusive community of exceptional students, faculty, and staff. The specific supporting action is to establish and implement an institutional framework and strategy for equity, diversity and inclusion that addresses the needs of both students and employees.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) bring together employees who share a common identity, characteristic and set of interests. They create a culture of inclusion that enhances employee engagement and further supports organizations’ vision and values.

The Black/African ERG was launched in September 2020 and is one of two ERGs that Humber College currently offers for all eligible staff and faculty. (Source: Catalyst)

Humber employees who identify as Black/African and are interested in joining the ERG are invited to send an email to the Co-Leads, Shernett Bennett at shernett.bennett@humber.ca or Patricia Suleiman at patricia.suleiman@humber.ca.

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:

• unwelcome remarks, jokes, slurs, innuendoes or taunting;
• hazing, stalking or shunning;
• the repeated mistreatment of one employee or student, targeted by one or more employees or students with a malicious mix of humiliation, intimidation and sabotage of performance (bullying);
• displaying derogatory or offensive pictures, graffiti or materials either through printed copy or personal computer;
• verbal abuse;
• insulting gestures or practical jokes which cause embarrassment or awkwardness;
• unauthorized and/or unnecessary physical contact;
• an impassioned, collective campaign by co-workers to exclude, punish and humiliate a targeted worker.

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.

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

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