The role of the BUFA Equity Committee is to advise the Vice-President – Equity and the BUFA Executive on actions, policies, and positions BUFA may adopt in relation to activities, bargaining, strategic priorities, or any other consideration the Executive may take up in relation to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and Indigenization within the Association and in its role as sole bargaining agent for the membership.
The Equity Committee also supports EDIDR initiatives on campus, such as teach-ins and the BUFA mentorship program.
We always welcome new members, and if you are interested in joining the BUFA Equity Committee, please contact Allison McCulloch, BUFA Vice-President, Equity: vpe@bufa.org
Dr. Nora Wilson, Associate Professor of Music – Low Brass, School of Music (she/her)
I am a trombonist of 30 years, specializing in experimental improvisatory music and solo performance. I regularly give presentations on the importance of trans advocacy and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights.
What does EDIDR mean to you? Why is EDIDR a union issue?
EDIDR is a prompt to examine organizations, policies, and the self in relation to equity deserving groups. It asks us to take responsibility for how our society protects systems designed to elevate some at the expense of others. Our union cannot truthfully claim to represent the rights of all workers if it perpetuates and/or ignores the violence inflicted on the marginalized populations within its ranks.
Dr. Mousumi Majumder, Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Genotoxicology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science (she/her)
My research on miRNA tumour biology concentrates on understanding the mechanisms of therapy resistance, finding a cure for incurable breast cancer and identifying biomarkers for early breast cancer detection, with the objective of developing a non-invasive blood test to diagnose cancer at its earliest stages. I am passionate about training 10-12 highly qualified personnel annually through my research program, including those of Employment Equity Groups: Indigenous Peoples, Members of Racialized Groups, Women, and Persons with Disabilities.
What does EDIDR mean to you? Why is EDIDR a union issue?
As a Geneticist, I’m amazed that all humans are approximately 99.9% genetically alike, yet there is so much chaos, disrespect, discrimination, and ego to prove ‘I am the best’. But in reality, we are all 99.9% similar. I wonder if we can work together to embrace our differences. EDIDR, to me, means accepting people’s differences, including their beliefs, abilities, preferences, backgrounds, values, and identities. My objective in serving this committee is to create a space at BU where everyone is respected and valued as a vital member of the community. Unions champion the principle of fair treatment for all members, which is a mandate of EDIDR issues.
Dr. Etsuko Yasui, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies (ADES), Faculty of Science
My research interests include the recovery processes of vulnerable communities after disasters, community-based organizations, social vulnerability management, disaster risk communication, gender issues in disasters, Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, critical infrastructure, emergency management, and inclusive disaster planning.
What does EDIDR mean to you? Why is EDIDR a union issue?
To me, EDIDR represents shared values that everyone embraces while working in an organization or participating in collective efforts. It is important for a union because it provides an opportunity for all members to embody these EDIDR values. The union plays a vital role in supporting each member’s active participation and engagement within the organization.
Dr. Aldea Mulhern, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion, Faculty of Arts (she/her; they/their; settler)
My research and teaching focuses on religion and food, with a particular focus on Jewish, Muslim, and Black Christian and Afro-Carib approaches to animals, agriculture, and food-farming-and-environment organizations.
What does EDIDR mean to you? Why is EDIDR a union issue?
Taken together, the EDIDR mandate is about making practical decisions to be in right relationship with each other. Part of knowing ourselves is learning our histories, and learning our histories gives us the opportunity to decide which parts we wish to repeat, which we do not wish to repeat, and where we might dream a better path. As faculty and as people, we each get to decide to take our next step in a good way.
Dr. Allison McCulloch, Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts (she/her)
Broadly, my research explores how to support and sustain peace, democracy and inclusion in deeply divided societies, with a particular focus on post-conflict power-sharing models of governance. My work explores the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion intrinsic to power-sharing practice, and demonstrates how these institutional choices often affect marginalized communities, especially women, in adverse ways.
What does EDIDR mean to you? Why is EDIDR a union issue?
The role of a union is to deal with all matters related to the terms and conditions of our employment, to forge collective solidarity amongst its membership, and to improve our day-to-day working conditions. EDIDR recognizes that we have multifaceted identities and lived experiences, different ways of being and knowing and different starting points and access to privilege. As an association, the union has the power to confront and work to dismantle hierarchies and systems of power that constrain equitable access to fair working conditions. EDIDR is thus vital to BUFA’s mandate.