The Department of Theatre and Film 6354 Crescent Road Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2 5 June 2020 Object: Students and Alumni demand action to fight Racism and Harassment at the Department level. Dear Mr Stephen Heatley, In the wake of George Floyd's murder and the solidarity actions that have sprung up around the world, and recognizing that Canada is guilty of the same violent underlying and systemic racism, we– the students and alumni from the department of Theatre and Film—demand that our department take action to support students and staff who are Black/Indigenous/People of Colour (BIPOC.) The silence we have been met with by our mostly white staff and faculty is disrespectful, and the past and ongoing micro-aggressions to BIPOC students is insulting. In some cases, BIPOC students have even been exposed to explicitly racist comments. There have been many cases of harassment toward female students of all skin colours, specifically by male staff inside the theatre building. Students and faculty who have spoken out about this in the past have either continuously been told that nothing can be done until more people step forward or worse, have been completely disregarded. Recently, we have tried on multiple occasions to engage on the latest posts on Instagram and Facebook regarding the BLM movement, yet we have been ignored. We refuse to be ignored for much longer. As per UBC’s Board of Governors’ Discrimination policy, students have the right of “Freedom from Harassment and Discrimination.” As such, we demand that the department take measures to better support its students, and commit to following through with these steps. While we appreciate UBC President Santa Ono’s statement on the matter, it must be understood that copying and pasting part of it on social media is an inadequate response, especially since his action plan is a broad stroke to cover an institution with over 80,000 students and faculty/staff. Henceforth, we feel that waiting for positive effects to trickle down to theatre & film students is not enough commitment or action. Furthermore, these measures don’t exonerate departments for past and ongoing issues nor do they promulgate immediate change, which is possible through a variety of measures outlined below. 1. We demand that the department requires inclusivity training for all existing staff and faculty— including temporary staff— to be conducted by an outside professional and that the department prioritizes diversity when hiring new faculty and staff. 2. We demand that the department include more plays with BIPOC narratives taught in the curriculums, and produced as part of the UBC Theatre & Film mainstage season. When making casting decisions or deciding on these plays, we request that the faculty be mindful of not whitewashing specifically POC roles and not casting Non-BIPOC actors in specifically BIPOC roles. With regards to film, we ask that traditional narratives and story structure be expanded to include BIPOC experiences and stories. We recommend that this be monitored in part by an independent student group consisting of BIPOC and allies, whose creation and administration along with a safe space for them to communicate would be supported by the department. This student committee should be able to veto the curriculum or plays that are harmful to BIPOC. 3. We demand mandatory courses in our various disciplines that adequately teach and expose the racism of Theatre and Film history and center non-white and non-male creators. Having these histories excluded from the canon by the department (with usually one week per course dedicated to a work by a PoC) is regressive, racist, and historically inaccurate. Presenting a skewed perspective is a disservice to all Fine Art Students, and should not be tolerated at UBC. Vancouver is a major city in the global film industry, and UBC needs to be on the frontlines of creating meaningful change. In addition, we suggest the department foster a conversation with past alumni who would like to discuss racial aggression practices within the program and industry that either went unnoticed or were not handled adequately. 4. We demand that the department showcase all student thesis/film/theatre projects in an equal manner, not based on the personal preferences of the marketing team. Representing our diverse student body should be the priority and not just a token. This includes profiles on all graduating students and not just acting BFAs. Additionally, it may be in the interest of the department to review why certain outstanding student achievements get promoted and others get buried. 5. We demand that the department holds a more communicative online presence, which does not only promote specific projects but listens and responds to comments from enrolled students and alumni. As such, the department should recognize that social media channels are a public forum and not just a marketing tool. The department should consider enlisting the help of Theatre and Film students for its social media channels to properly represent its community. In times such as these, the department should also consider listing resources for students, especially for BIPOC and international students in general, who rely so much on UBC (i.e. resources during COVID or emotional support resources during the George Floyd protests). 6. We demand that the department enact a strategy to ensure that BIPOC students are supported now and in the future. In the event that a student is subject to discriminatory- motivated aggression, the department should take action in a way that has been previously discussed and approved by the student body. This could be supporting and administering groups and safe spaces where these discussions can take place. This could be done with drop- in counselling services, or an online platform where anonymous reports could be submitted and addressed. This source of action must be made available to students so they know where to ask for help. Additionally, the department should consider setting up a review yearly, to track the progress being made on this with the right for students to speak up about anything detrimental to their experience. These measures have been discussed and agreed upon by a group made up of a majority of BIPOC students and allies. As members of this community, we are passionate and determined to ensure its growth to better support current and future students. We hope that these measures will be taken seriously and that we will hear back from you by next week with the actions you plan on taking. Silence and inaction condone the continuation of malpractice and discrimination in our department and failing to enact anything will force us to reach the Equity & Inclusion Office instead, as is our prerogative. Sincerely, Students and Alumni of the UBC Department of Theatre & Film ! ! ! ! ! Laura Isabel Rebecca Scherman Emily Dotson Mikaela Joy Kimira Reddy (MFA Grad 2019) ! ! ! ! Gabriel Galand Rachel Shaen Natalie Backerman Samaya Aldaker (MFA Grad 2019) (BFA Acting 2018) (BFA Grad 2019) ! ! ! ! ! Rehmat Babbar Jake Pascoe Rebekah Lazar Esther Sentoso Jane Li (BFA FIPR Alum) (BFA FIPR Grad 2018) ! ! ! ! ! Sony Tsai Emma Eng Clara Salameh Omorose Osagie Karthik Kadam ! ! ! ! ! Sachi Nisbet Sabrina Vellani Shona Struthers Amber Smith Erica Sterry ! ! ! ! ! Dide Su Bilgin Brian Johnson Charlotte Di Chang Luke Strahm Shay Scholes ! ! ! ! ! Andrij Lyskov Kate Smith Anna C. Shannon Emily Chen Abbey L. Schwartz ! ! ! ! Caid Dow Candice Honeycutt-Li Anni Ramsay Drew Carlson ! ! ! ! Genevieve Guimond Bonnie Duff Zoe Lin David Lundmark ! ! ! ! Shannon Poole Louis Lin Jana Rankov Jodi Margit Schneider ! ! ! ! Cassandra Bourchier Lester Shun Harley Maranan Daelyn Lester-Serafini ! ! ! ! Lesha Vescio Erin Purghart Gemma Harris Hannah Everett ! ! ! ! ! Michelle Thorne Roohi Kamal Tasheal Gill Zachery Dracek Alessandra Tombazzi ! ! ! ! Crystal Luo Melicia Zaini Cecilia Vadala Cheyane See ! ! ! ! ! Rowan Hurt Yasmine Ross Jamie Lam Hannah Abbott Audrey-June Rossaert St-Georges ! ! ! ! Alexander Christensen Juhyun Tony Bae Terri Anderson Veronica Blott (BFA CRWR Rep 2019) ! ! ! ! Peter Yu Charmaine Nomsa Sibanda Nico Pante Ava Maria Safai ! ! ! ! Liam McCulley Sera Bording-Jorgensen Aidan LeBlanc Ishan Sandhu ! ! ! ! Sandy Park Sierra Warrick Pamela Carolina Martinez David Volpov David Moise Carolina Martinez Nicolas Olney-Rainville
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