Though the University
of Toronto is
committed to employment equity, Aboriginal representation has not yet
been a strong suit. The university is considered one of the country's
best employers - in keeping with its reputation,
U of T has created a new position to address Aboriginal human resource
issues on campus. Kelly Powless, a
professional with over 12 years of experience providing Aboriginal
employment and social services, has been welcomed as the university's
first human resources co-ordinator for Aboriginal initiatives.
"Many people felt that the
university wouldn't hire them on, or couldn't hire them on because
they're not a prof - people aren't always
aware of the different kinds of opportunities that exist here,"
says Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, director of
First Nations House, U of T's centre for Aboriginal student services.
Furthermore, most of the university's Aboriginal staff is concentrated
at First Nations House or within the Aboriginal Studies Program - an
indication that Aboriginal people are often unaccounted for externally,
or unaware of the opportunities that exist at U of T.
The initiative is the product of at
least three years' worth of discussion and strategizing between First
Nations House and the university's Division of Human Resources and
Equity. Since First Nations House deals primarily with students, a new
HR position was created as a necessary step towards attracting and
retaining Aboriginal employees.
Funding for the position was received
through the university and an Aboriginal community group. Though Powless reports directly to Human Resources, First
Nations House works closely with the division. An advisory committee
was set up to connect the two stations and support Powless
in her activities.
Powless' duties are
three-pronged - she will recruit Aboriginal personnel, work directly
with Aboriginal staff and educate other human resource managers on
issues pertaining to Aboriginal community, cultural and social
experience.
She will meet with staff to discuss
their experiences firsthand - particularly staff members that work
outside of Aboriginal programming, without immediate community support.
She will assess university policies based on her findings.
Ultimately, Powless
will work to establish supports for Aboriginal staff, including
cultural accommodations. "Coming to an institution this size,
there's obviously going to be some changes… it could mean that
they're from a community, they're very close to their family, they're
very close to their community, they come here - they're alone,"
explains Hamilton-Diabo. Culture shock is
acknowledged as a problem for students, but it can be just as
debilitating for staff.
Powless will visit with
Aboriginal communities directly to inform them of opportunities
available at the university, and to help them compete for positions. As
a corollary to this, she will coach the university's HR managers on what
to expect from some Aboriginal applicants. "[In] the Aboriginal
community, it's great to have formal education, but to us it's in different manners that people can become
educated. We have people in the community who have worked 20 years in a
position - they don't have the official paperwork behind them, but they
are as proficient or more proficient than
people who have degrees," Hamilton-Diabo
provides as an example.
It's important for Aboriginal staff
members to know that they've been hired based on merit and not the
purpose of diversification. "We don't ever want to have that
perception… You have a skill set that you can contribute, you
have probably a unique way of looking at things - that can be
contributing," Hamilton-Diabo says.
Hamilton-Diabo
also stresses that the Aboriginal staff members Powless
will be working with are self-identifying. "It's not like the
university finds there's an Aboriginal person out there, and they tell
us… not all Aboriginal people need to have that kind of
connection. Some over them are very independent." The supports
will exist for those who need them - not all staff members feel
culturally alienated.
Hopefully the new position will
encourage Aboriginal applicants, increase the school's overall level of
cultural sensitivity and representation, and help to disseminate
Aboriginal staff throughout various departments. Though Powless is currently working only with
administrative staff (faculty excluded), there are many positions
available and many supports that can be instituted to make U of T a
better working environment. "There's some education that needs to
be done," says Hamilton-Diabo, "but
I do feel that the support is there, and that we're not just an
afterthought."
