Sarina Virani (she/her) is a fourth-year student majoring in gender, race, sexuality and social justice. She is passionate about equity and inclusion, having engaged in this work during high school, university and internships. She currently runs the BIPOC Reading Buddies program at the Vancouver Black Library.
Data can, at times, earn the reputation of being dry, seemingly distant and altogether disconnected from the everyday realities in which we live. This could not be further from the truth when it comes to demographic data in particular.
Having access to data and information can provide invaluable insights into the make up of groups, communities and institutions, highlighting who exactly is there and who is not. It is through the examination of data that we can identify which populations are predominant and which are underrepresented. Data can make inequities more visible, underscoring larger structures and systems of power at play.
The importance of demographic data cannot be understated; it has the power to help us understand and address discrimination and injustice.
UBC is well aware of this, having launched the Student Diversity Census last fall in an effort to annually collect demographic data on the student body through this voluntary survey. Spearheaded by the Equity and Inclusion Office, this census is part of the university’s work regarding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
The initiative’s primary goal is to gain a better picture of the diversity among students and their unique lived experiences, according to its website. It also seeks to pinpoint systemic inequities and barriers that affect marginalized students and their overall experience at the university. As stated in a Canvas inbox announcement sent out to all students, more than 14,000 students have reportedly participated so far. The survey is now open for this year and will be accepting responses until October 31.
It all sounds great in theory, but there is a caveat. UBC is restricting access to final census data, releasing its analyses of results in aggregate form to the university community rather than disclosing the results in a raw format. UBC is only allowing researchers to gain access to the de-identified dataset in certain cases and under strict conditions. All in all, only a small number of people will have access to the untouched, aggregated data.
I believe UBC should release the aggregate data on the student body to the student body itself. Students should be able to view the data and have the ability to draw their own conclusions about the state of EDI at the university, rather than access data that already has conclusions drawn by university officials. Students should be able to gain a better understanding of the diversity and make up of their fellow classmates and the institution in which they pay to attend.
Releasing the raw aggregate data would build in a measure of accountability. Census information should not only be used by the Equity and Inclusion Office to track their own EDI metrics, but also by the student body to track the progress made by the Equity and Inclusion Office and other university bodies that are meant to serve the student population. The university should be held accountable for the results of their outreach and admissions processes, to ensure that we have a diverse student body in which marginalized groups are not left behind. The university should be held accountable for the impact of its EDI programs and resources. The university should also be held accountable for its actions or lack thereof, especially since it is meant to enhance the student experience.
In order to hold the university accountable, we need the data to have a full and foundational understanding. Students should be playing an active role in developing programs and solutions for the issues that affect us, but we need the data in order to do that.
After all, how can we begin to start initiatives and programs from the bottom up for our peers if we do not even have all the information about the needs and make up of the student population to begin with? It is imperative that we understand where we are currently in order to plan where we can and should go next.
Western University has taken this approach. It released its first Equity Census Report in spring 2022, becoming a leader in the post-secondary realm for their collection and publication of demographic data.
What is crucial about their report is that it not only provided the aggregated data in an accessible manner, but also provided an analysis of said data supplementarily. In doing so, it allows students the space to come to their own judgements and conclusions based on the data, as well as provide some analyses and further context of their own.
The report comprehensively explores several facets of identity, including Indigeneity, racial identity, disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, education of family and household income. Western even published the results to questions about feelings of belonging and inclusion within the school. What is more is that they collect this demographic data for students, staff and faculty members, going far beyond the scope of UBC’s survey.
Western’s report offers a model that UBC can learn a lot from. It is feasible and achievable and it seems to me that there is no reason why UBC could not adopt a similar format. This approach would still allow the university to maintain student privacy and safety by releasing all of this data in an anonymized form, which does seem to be a concern that is front of mind for the institution.
I believe that UBC can and should follow suit, releasing aggregated demographic data in an accessible manner for all to view. The Student Demographic Survey has so much potential, as long as we can unlock it. This idea has so much promise, so long as we can release the data for the entire community to benefit from.
As the Canvas pop-up announcement said, it is “Your UBC, your voice!” I hope the university lets our voices be heard, not only by UBC officials but also by one another — and enabled by the data.
This is an opinion article. It reflects the contributor's views and does not reflect the views of The Ubyssey as a whole. Contribute to the conversation by visiting ubyssey.ca/pages/submit-an-opinion.
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