Microagressions in the Online Classroom

The professor forgets to do a land acknowledgement at the start of the term, or they offer the land acknowledgement in a way that is incorrect or offensive. One student politely raises this as an issue in the course discussion board. Everyone else is silent.

------

I have had this happen to me, actually, on a few occasions (I host many events, often, so these things happen). I remember recently that someone mentioned it to me at the intermission. It was on my list of things to do at the top of the show, but I hadn’t noticed missing that.

In the moment, I thanked the person for raising the oversight. Then, at the start of the second half, I let the room know that I’d forgotten my land acknowledgement, and unpacked a little why it was important for me to include it. I talked about my love of the Okanagan, and the importance of knowing its history, and trying to come to terms with being a settler on the land. I’m an uninvited guest, at best, which is why speaking to that history is important. I also mentioned that being a good guest is being grateful. And to put that gratitude into practice, for me in my position as a settler, is to also learn some of the history of how we all came to be here. To not take this place, and its original peoples, for granted. (Michael V. Smith, Department of Creative Studies, UBCO)

------

In the moment, I would write in response on discussion board, “Thank you [student name] for bringing that to my attention. The land acknowledgement is important and I made a mistake. I am sorry. I want to do the land acknowledgement correctly so I will get educated and do it correctly next class.”

Then, at the start of next class, I would say, “To start class, I would like to thank the students who correctly pointed out that I made an error at the start of term when I did not [correctly] offer a land acknowledgement. The land acknowledgement is important and I made a mistake. I am sorry. I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.”

If I made a land acknowledgement that was offensive, then I may say more. For example, I might say, “this is what I said and it was offensive because …” and invite further comments from students. If I forgot the land acknowledgement, then I would say, “it is important to include a land acknowledgment to recognize the history here at UBC and beyond which we are not going to be silent about and to build a more respectful relationship with the Musqueam people.” Then, I would transition into the lecture by saying, “please email me if you have any comments or concerns.” (Anka Lekhi, Department of Chemistry and Vantage College)*

------

Resources on land acknowledgements:

• Territory acknowledgements in online courses: See Classroom Climate Online (Module 2.6) in the Online Teaching Program for ideas for how to offer thoughtful territory acknowledgements in synchronous and asynchronous online class formats.
• Considerations for Practicing Land Acknowledgements in the Classroom (PDF): This downloadable handout points to this iterative wiki page that helps you better understand the importance of land acknowledgements and ways to integrate them into teaching and learning practices.
• Musqueam & UBC on the Indigenous Portal website: Get started with understanding the important relationship between the UBC Vancouver campus and the Musqueam, and watch a traditional welcome from Musqueam Elder Larry Grant
• UBC Okanagan/Syilx resources:
  • Indigenous Engagement at UBC Okanagan
  • Indigenous Voices shares ways UBC-O researchers are engaging with Indigenous communities, and a video of the traditional welcome by Richard Armstrong.

The instructor tries to incorporate discussion on historic and continuing racial inequalities. While a discussion is happening on Zoom, certain members of the class use body language and the chat function to dismiss the topic. They are seen on video rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. Someone shares a link to an ‘All Lives Matter’ article in the chat and gets a bunch of thumbs up.

------

For me, one of the most noticeable differences between an in-person class and an online synchronous class is the presence of what I think of as secondary channels of communication. The actual class discussion may be happening verbally in the primary channel of a Zoom window, but what’s happening in the chat function, or visually on the screen, is sometimes where the real story is going on.

In a situation like this I would not ignore these conversations, but rather bring them into the primary channel so that problematic statements can be addressed. If this was a big enough class that I had a teaching assistant (TA), I would ask the TA to explicitly monitor the secondary channels and bring the main thread of conversation to my attention in real time. If I am teaching on my own it can be very difficult to pay attention to the chat at the same time as moderating a discussion — I am learning to multi-task that way, but in the meantime, I might have to save and review the chat afterwards and address the issues in the next class.

If I saw that comment and the thumbs up in the chat, I would introduce it into the discussion in the last 15 minutes of the class. I would say:

I have noticed that ‘All Lives Matter’ has showed up in our chat. As many of you know, this is a provocative and potentially triggering statement for some of us, and particularly for any of our Black colleagues here. In a way, I am glad it has entered our space because let’s face it — it’s out there in the discussions on this topic, and our conversation on justice and equality would not be complete without addressing it. At the same time, if you are personally impacted by this statement, or if you have already explained to ten other people why it is problematic and don’t want to have the conversation again today, you absolutely should not have to be in this conversation now. I am giving you a very free pass to skip this next part of class. The rest of us are going to jump in and dissect All Lives Matter, and it’s not on you to educate us. Please go take care of yourself, have a bite to eat, take a walk in your neighbourhood and we’ll see you next class… Now, for the rest of us… what comes up for you when you hear All Lives Matter?

And I would facilitate the conversation from there, introducing the various ethical, philosophical and pragmatic critiques myself if they are not being offered by members of the students. (Aftab Erfan, School of Community and Regional Planning)

The only Black student in the class is singled out by classmates for their interpretation on an assignment reading by a Black author or commenting on Black experiences.

------

I’ve had this happen in a classroom, on more than one occasion in my 12 years of teaching. Each situation is unique — some students are more vocal and confident in the classroom, so I try to gauge how the student is feeling, based on who has asked that question (do I know it’s a friend of theirs, or a stranger, for example), what (if anything) I’ve experienced from them previously, and their quickness to respond and their body language in the moment.

If the student isn’t right on top of that question — and hasn’t been part of the discussion really — I’d likely interject, and offer options. If the student is willing to share their experiences, I’d have them answer the question/s and see how it plays. I’d likely ask other students in the class for their opinions too, to make sure we are collecting many voices. And I like to ask the student who has asked the question, to measure and draw attention to their part in that conversation.

If I think something has the potential to be uncomfortable for a student, I often will check in with the student after the class is done, ideally in person, if we can find a private moment, or over email, if they have to leave right away, to see if they’re okay. I let them know that I’m aware of the emotional labour that moments like that ask of them. And let them know that we can have other strategies in the future, moving forward.

I like to ask what they’d prefer happen, and offer some suggestions of how I might be of help in those moments, if they were uncomfortable, so we have shared understanding, and shared strategies, for avoiding those situations again. It’s also important to hear how a student is feeling/thinking, and respond accordingly, with support and encouragement. (Michael V. Smith, Department of Creative Studies, UBCO)

------

Note: The students engaged in this project note that it is often the professor, not a classmate, who singles out minority students for their views in class. If the professor finds themselves in this situation, it is not the best idea to approach the student after class, because the student will feel even more put on the spot when they likely just want to get away as quickly as possible. If the professor recognizes the error in their approach, they could later reach out to the student who has been singled out with a good apology, and then a discussion of what would be a comfortable way for the student to participate in these types of conversations.

Additional resources:

• 13 Microaggressions Black People Deal with All the Time: This article from HuffPost shares first-hand examples of common microaggressions and the impact they have.
• Similarly, this Tyee article aimed at Canadian educators explores what we can do (and not to do) to confront racism.
• What I Learned in Class Today: Tokenization: The “What I Learned in Class Today” website emerged from a project in which Indigenous students at UBC shared their experiences of racism on campus, and tools for those who wish to explore them. This discussion page explores instances of instructors putting an Indigenous student on the spot as an ‘expert’.

• Developing Guidelines to Navigate Complex Classroom Dynamics: This case study, by the In/Relation Project, explores complex classroom dynamics involving students expressing different views of being called on to speak in class from their own experiences and positionalities. The Facilitator Guide section offers some key points of consideration.

In response to a lecture on public health policy, students start discussing COVID-19 conspiracy theories and myths on the class discussion board. One student links an article claiming that coronavirus was transmitted to humans because of the eating habits of Chinese people. Several students respond with "THIS IS RACIST."

------

I would respond to both the discussion board and in-lecture for this issue. On the discussion board, I would write:

This is a good lesson in evaluating the reliability and validity of an argument that could influence policy. What can you say about the evidence presented in this article (if any), the rigor in data collection and analysis? Is this any bias presented in the data collection or analysis? We will discuss in tomorrow’s lecture.

During class, I would follow-up and discuss the importance of separating conspiracy theories and myths from scientific evidence, especially when making policy, and also how to determine the difference. Then I would acknowledge the article posted and discuss why it is not a valid argument (at least based on what we know today). I would then discuss any bias in the article. Finally, I would say:

A few of you commented with ‘This is racist’. It is important to think about the article in discussion not only in terms of its scientific validity, but also in terms of what it does socially and politically. I am curious to hear, particularly from those of you who identified a racist element — In what ways could the argument in the article have racist implications or outcomes? Our practice in this class is to analyze information fully and responsibly, so let’s unpack this question as well.

I would then ask students for input in the discussion. After class, I would likely delete the posts, but it depends on the student discussion. (Anka Lekhi, Department of Chemistry and Vantage College)

------

The instructor accidentally misgenders a student in front of the whole class in a Collaborate Ultra synchronous live discussion. The instructor doesn't realize they have done this until a day later, when the student who was misgendered reaches out privately to mention it.

------

I would apologize to the student and thank them for reaching out to let me know. I would also ask the student if there is anything that they would like me to do going forward to correct for my mistake, or anything that I can do in the future to prevent repeating this mistake again with someone else. (Christine Goedhart, Department of Botany and Skylight)

------

There isn’t much to be done but to apologize. Getting defensive will only aggravate the situation. It is important for the instructor to acknowledge that they misgendered the student, and recognize the harm that they caused by misgendering the student. I would affirm that I will not do it again; but also ask the student if there is something else that they would like me to do to ease their fears and help them feel safer in the classroom. (Benjamin Cheung, Department of Psychology)*

------

I have had a similar situation happen when I misgendered a student in my class. In this situation, I would apologize to the student privately and I would ask the student if they would like me to publicly apologize and/or state that I made an error in front of the class. I would definitely make a point to correctly refer to them in subsequent classes. (Anka Lekhi, Department of Chemistry and Vantage College)

------

Resources on gender diversity and trans-inclusiveness:

• Towards More Trans-Inclusive Classrooms: An Introduction (PDF or wiki): This resource includes steps you might take to develop a more trans-inclusive environment, as a part of a larger process of creating more inclusive learning spaces.
• Gender Diversity on the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office website
• Building Trans-Inclusive Learning Spaces: Considerations for Instructors and Teaching Assistants: This case study explores various trans-inclusive teaching practices and how they can apply to instructor-TA relationships.

The instructor observes repeated incorrect pronoun use or incorrect use of a student's name by their classmates in discussion posts.

------

I’d do a number of things in this scenario:

1. If there is time in the moment, check in with the student to see if they’d like to handle/address the situation. Let the student know what steps I would take if they left it with me. Later I would check-in with the student to see how they are feeling, and if the misgendering didn’t stop or if there was a defensive reaction from classmates to the request to stop, I would offer to the student being targeted to switch groups or not to partake in the discussion forum.
2. At the time, I’d request that we all put our gender pronouns in our Zoom profile/name display (I do this already), because we’re making errors (note the ‘we’ in there, so it’s inclusive language — we’re all responsible for upholding a culture of respect)
3. If it’s a repeated problem, I’d request to speak with the misgendering students, to find out why they are doing this, and respond accordingly. If it’s an accident, we’d clear the air, and I’d suggest perhaps a short apology; if it’s prejudicial, I’d have a longer conversation about respect and insist the behaviour changes. If it does not, I’d likely ask for assistance from the Associate Dean. (Michael V. Smith, Department of Creative Studies, UBCO)

------

Normally by this time in the class I would have already gone through pronoun use and what it means to be a classroom community in my class. So, if this is happening, this would already be in violation of something we would have talked about. I think that a couple of things would be appropriate:

1. Contact the person whose incorrect pronoun is being used. I would do this to check in on the student, to validate for them that the incorrect pronoun is being used, that I am noticing it and that I intend to do something about it, and to apologize on behalf of the other student, or at least to recognize that what the other student is doing is wrong. I would also run my plans on how to address it by the student, because sometimes our attempt to correct something would cause more harm to the student. For example, the student may be perceived as having complained or having tattletaled or caused trouble for other students. So, I would talk to the student and say, “This is what I plan to do, I want to check in with you because there is a chance that in me doing this it might bring even more attention to you and the situation.”
2. I would contact the person using the incorrect pronoun and say “I don’t know if this is intentional or not, but either way please make sure that in the future you use the correct pronoun for this person, and more generally that you be mindful of the pronouns that people use, because it is important to their capacity to be part of this classroom which has a bearing on their learning. This is a classroom community, we want to support each other, and therefore this is one of the things we can do in order to craft a learning environment that is conducive to everyone to being able to be a part of it”.
3. Address the entire class through an email, discussion post, or in the next lecture to remind them more broadly of the of the respectful environment discussion that I would have already done earlier in the term. This would say that we are in a classroom community, and our goal is to be there for each other’s learning and to craft a collective space where this is possible. Part of that is honouring peoples’ identities and affirming them, and pronouns are a part of that. I would invite students, if they have not done so already, and if they are comfortable, to rename themselves for example on Zoom or Canvas to include their pronouns. This way they can communicate what pronouns they want people to use for them. I would model this for them by introducing myself with my pronouns and making that visible on Zoom or Canvas.

Hopefully after this that it is the end of it, and this would enable the student whose pronoun is being misused to know that:

• a) I recognize that there is an issue.
• b) I am responding proactively and in a way that doesn’t harm them further. I acknowledge that the response could and that is why I check in with them first.
• c) Hopefully the student who is the offender would be aware of their actions, once I let them know, and they would then shift their approach.

By this point, when I do have participation marks as part of the deliverables for the class, I always emphasize that the participation mark is not just about one’s individual participation but also one’s capacity to engage in the classroom and be part of crafting a learning community. It is not just about how many times you talk, it is about how you are in the classroom.

One of the things I emphasize is that you can take over the discussion and show off how much you know, but if that is silencing other people and preventing them from being part of the classroom community then that is not a good way to be a participant in the class. Similarly, if you are behaving in such a way that is preventing someone in the class from being part of the learning community because you are using the wrong pronouns for them, then that affects the quality of your participation.

I would not normally wield the participation mark as a stick — I would not in the beginning say that you will not get a good participation grade if they keep this up — but if it happens again even after the warnings, I might. (JP Catungal, Social Justice Institute)

------

Resources on gender diversity and trans-inclusiveness:

• Towards More Trans-Inclusive Classrooms: An Introduction (PDF or wiki): This resource includes steps you might take to develop a more trans-inclusive environment, as a part of a larger process of creating more inclusive learning spaces.
• Gender Diversity on the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office website
• Building Trans-Inclusive Learning Spaces: Considerations for Instructors and Teaching Assistants: This case study explores various trans-inclusive teaching practices and how they can apply to instructor-TA relationships.

A small group of students dominate the class discussion on Zoom. The instructor notices that minority students in particular are not raising their hands and do not get in on the discussion. This dynamic only seems to get worse over time, with fewer and fewer students actively participating in class discussion.

------

I would consider using breakout rooms, with small groups of 2–4 students, to allow for everyone to have the chance to speak. Some students feel more comfortable talking in smaller groups — and then after having their participation validated within a smaller group, they may feel more confident and willing to speak in the larger group. When the class comes back together as a larger group after the small group time, I could then ‘warm call’ on a few people to briefly talk about what was discussed in their group.

I would also reach out to the students who are dominating to thank them for their active participation, and to also let them know that I’m planning to open up space to hear from other students in the course and would be calling on them less. During the larger class discussions, I would then explicitly ask to hear from people who haven’t yet spoken. (Christine Goedhart, Department of Botany and Skylight)

------

Additional resource:

• Solve a teaching problem: One student monopolizes class: This resource by the Eberly Center at the Carnegie Mellon University explores practical strategies for addressing common teaching problems.

Students are invited to choose partners for a virtual group project. Students with non-English sounding names are consistently not chosen by their classmates.

------

I worry about this sort of thing already, having been chosen last for many a sports team, for example. So, in class I usually make my own groups, assigning students, so that I can create a range of experiences in a group. I try to separate besties, so we can avoid cliques, and to make each group a good balance, based on abilities and backgrounds and personalities. (Michael V. Smith, Department of Creative Studies, UBCO)

Students complain on the discussion board about the closed captioning feature on the lecture videos and live discussions. They say it is distracting, and too much effort to implement for class presentations. Captioning is required as an accommodation for a deaf student in this class but this is only known to the professor.

------

I would put something to this effect on the Discussion Board in response to the complaints:

Regarding the questions about captioning and whether we really need it: I’d like to clarify that this is not an optional practice for this class, but rather it is an essential component of making learning accessible to everyone enrolled.

There is a variety of reasons why you or your classmates might need closed captioning, including issues of hearing, language, and environment (perhaps you need to turn the volume down during lectures because you have a baby napping in your lap).

Whatever your reasons are, it is my legal responsibility as your instructor to accommodate everyone — and I am pleased to be able to do it. Thanks to technology it is relatively simple to enable closed captioning, and as part of this class you’re all going to get very familiar with it, which is a bonus and extra skill that will come in handy for future online interactions you will be a part of. For all technical questions on closed captioning please refer to this technical guide.

(Aftab Erfan, School of Community and Regional Planning)

------

Additional resources:

• UBC Policy LR7: Accommodation for Students with Disabilities (PDF)
• Canvas module: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning: This faculty member’s response speaks to one of the premises of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL); that is, when you design your course to be inclusive of a certain need, people with different needs are likely to benefit from it too. Explore the Canvas module to learn how and why to implement UDL in your course.

In a class discussion forum on a contemporary social movement, such as Wet'suwet'en land defenders, movement for Black Lives, Hong Kong protests, a student says they don't understand why the protesters are being "so dramatic" and that the protesters are "hurting themselves by not being peaceful and acting morally superior".

------

Students who identify as Black, Indigenous, racialized, or other marginalized identities should not be taking on the emotional labour of responding to this student.

The professor (or TA who is moderating the discussion) should immediately intervene and explain the importance of the social movement(s), and that the student is in no position to judge the protestors’ actions. They are continuing the often violent fight for justice that preceded them.

Even before this discussion forum begins, the professor (or TA) should take the time to explain the context of the social movement(s) in the classroom. Parameters should also be set for respectful online dialogue and engagement. (Sara Ghebremusse, Allard School of Law)

I teach some lower-level classes in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice (GRSJ), and will respond to this scenario as if it is happening in such a class. People tend to come to this class with a general interest in social justice, so I would start there and try to tap into what I think is already an interest in social justice.

If this is happening in real time, for example in a Zoom discussion, I might not have enough time to be reflective. GRSJ students also tend to engage comments like this. They tend to be more willing to call things out.

I anticipate that in a scenario like this, hands will shoot up or students will have a look on their face, which signals to me that this is something that students want to discuss — in which case I will name that in the classroom. I would acknowledge that this is clearly a topic that is causing a reaction and energizes the class in a particular way.

As a teacher there are particular portions of the curriculum or teachable things that I would like to pull out of the situation.

1. The first is around what one might call genre, style, form, or rhetoric. What are the aesthetics of social change, how do we go about it, what does it look like, what kinds of strategies do we wield, and what are the assumptions that this student is making about how social change and social justice take place. I would unpack this by carefully laying out that this student is making the assumption that change only takes place through peaceful protest. I would point out empirical examples from history about how that has not always been the case; that we tend to romanticize peaceful protest in such a way that it discounts the relationship between peaceful and other kinds of protest. Peaceful protest never happens on its own, it always happens in conjunction with other actions. It is not isolated, it is part of a diversity of tactics of social action, e.g., lobbying governments, public education. But we have been educated to pay attention to, and only value, certain kinds of action and not others. I would want to examine what has brought us here where this is what we value. This attitude is not this individual student’s attitude; this is an effect of something they have learned from society. We learn about Dr. King but not Malcom X. We are taught that the dichotomy between the two of them exists, when really Dr. King was not completely peaceful. He was disruptive. This example creates an opportunity to possibly bring in primary resources, such as letters and newspapers from the 1960, to show students that the people that they sometimes elevate as the examples of peaceful protest were not actually regarded as peaceful at all. Looking at these sources, we would see that these discourses — that “they are being dramatic”, that “they are hurting themselves”, that they are “acting morally superior” — we would see repeated in the historical record, even though we now romanticize Dr. King. This of course would require some extra work and preparation on my part to collect these resources. This part would be about interrogating and examining how did we learn this, how did we come to assimilate these kinds of ideas.
2. I would bring up a meme or a cartoon about peaceful protest, probably put it on a slide. This cartoon makes fun of the fact that revolution does not happen by asking oppressors nicely.
3. I would bring up that Pride was a riot, and not a peaceful protest with advertisements for vodka companies. It was a literal protest against police brutality led by black, latinx, trans folks, queens, and gender non-conforming people. I would then design a future in-class activity, discussion, or forum to ask students to generate more examples of movements and revolutions, instances of social change, where the idea that only peaceful protest can get us social justice is clearly not the case. That way this situation becomes a participatory and productive moment of learning.
4. I would also address the idea of drama by going back to the genre, form, rhetoric, and aesthetics of protest and social justice. The idea that someone is being ‘too dramatic’ is a commentary on style, so I might also talk about the politics of style. Who decides which style is appropriate and which are not? I would link this to a reading by Black feminist scholar Barbara Christian, where she talks about Black women’s modes of talking/styles of speech that are often understood as non-normative, but are nevertheless different styles, approaches, genres, aesthetics of knowledge production in the world — which is to say they have value. I would pull on Christian’s work to think through ideas of what ‘proper protest’ looks like, because they are, again, a diversity of tactics that includes different styles of protest.
5. I would also ask students to think queerly about drama. Drama is not always a bad thing. Queer people have made that very clear. I would link to scholars like Martin Manalansan and Marlon Bailey, who write about Fabulosity and Ball Culture respectively. I would use examples of the dramatic — for example, the “I have a dream speech” is dramatic, as it mobilizes a really highly rhetorical style in how it was delivered, in a dramatic setting at a rally on the steps. That is drama. Pride parades are dramatic. All these things that are looked at as peaceful are also dramatic. Part of the goal of social justice movements is visibility and public education, these styles enable that. The disruptiveness, the dramatic nature, is strategic. Tactics used by protestors are disruptive by necessity and by style, and thus are dramatic in their foundation. These are tactics that communicate that the status quo is not an option and must be disrupted, that is part of the goal, so therefore the strategies for protest — the drama — is actually in line with what they are trying to achieve.
6. At some point during all of this, as well as repeating it again after, I would emphasize that this is greater than one person’s ideas. These are messages that we all receive and inherit from our education, the media, and the broader society. This will hopefully make it clear that it is not about an individual students’ thoughts but about something greater and hopefully the way we have talked about it makes that clear.

After all of this, late in the evening I would probably question whether I had inadvertently picked on the student in front of their classmates. Have I alienated the student or made them insecure about their abilities and the questions they have by addressing the issue to this extent? I would have to ask myself, “what are my greater goals for this class?” and how this moment plugs into that.

If I still had these concerns, I would gauge where things are at the next class or next day before talking to the student. I don’t want to be self-fulfilling and follow up with the student immediately because I run the risk of making them feel like I was picking on them when they had not felt like that in the first place — it might confirm something that the student is not feeling. So, I would wait and observe the student’s behaviour and participation. If I notice the student has shrunken into themselves or disengaged, I might follow up and explain what my intentions were. (JP Catungal, Social Justice Institute)

One of the papers that students are required to read for class includes a hefty section making the economic case for diversity in workplaces. It claims that sexism, homophobia and transphobia are costing the economy millions of dollars. Women, queer and trans students — usually a small minority in this class — have raised red flags about this text in previous years.

------

I would only use such a text among other texts that speak to questions of human rights, for example — and if I think that the economic argument is important for the students to be aware of, I would ideally find a text that treats the subject with sensitivity and is not offensive.

If I am stuck with this particular paper, I would also try to assign the critique of it, and would contextualize it myself in the syllabus and in class right before the students read it. I would say:

Heads up that this paper makes the economic case for diversity and goes so far as to quantify the value of queer and trans lives. I would say upfront that I find the argument problematic, I recognize it will be hard to read for some of you — particularly for the queer and trans among you. I’m assigning this article because this is an argument I want you to be aware of in the context of Capitalism — if only so that you are equipped to counter it when it comes up in your professional life. So please read it with your critical lens on, and we will unpack in class.

(Aftab Erfan, School of Community and Regional Planning)

Thank you to Diana Kamau, Gabrielle Bonifacio, Will Shelling, and other students who helped in the development and review of this resource.

Thank you to the following educators who took the time to share their thoughtful responses to microaggressions in the online classroom:

• Aftab Erfan, School of Community and Regional Planning

• Anka Lekhi, Department of Chemistry and Vantage College

• Christine Goedhart, Department of Botany and Skylight

• JP Catungal, Social Justice Institute

• Michael V. Smith, Department of Creative Studies, UBCO
• Sara Ghebremusse, Allard School of Law