Help Me Fight Institutional Racism

Dear Ryerson Community,

I (Pria Nippak) am reaching out to you as a member within the Ryerson Community, with almost 20 years of service to the University. For more than 6 years I have been subjected to extreme discrimination and harassment by members within my department and the wider faculty as a racialized woman with a disability within the School of Health Services Management in the Ted Rogers School of Management as an associate professor.  In January 2019 I filed my case with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), after many failed attempts to receive assistance from our Human Rights Office, Human Resources and my Union.  The Ryerson Faculty Association (RFA) has taken the position that they will not support and stand with members, like myself, at the tribunal, which is contrary to many other Universities both within this province and throughout the rest of the country who do.  It has been very difficult to take these steps, but we are all growing increasingly aware of the importance of them toward making change. 

I believe that your signature on this petition will help my union to see how important this issue is as we all work toward building an environment that supports all of its members.