The Queen’s University Anti-Hate Advisory Group (QUAHAG) provides broad guidance to university administration on effective approaches to hate prevention and response, in consultation with communities targeted by hate, as well as literature/research on leading and promising practices.
The QUAHAG builds relationships between communities targeted by hate and university/Kingston community partners involved in the provision of services related to hate-incident response, communication services, safety, health, and wellbeing supports.
The QUAHAG does not respond directly to emergencies; however, the QUAHAG’s Community Support Subcommittee may liaise with the university’s hate emergency systems to ensure that culturally sensitive and trauma-informed services for victimized individuals and communities are in place and that institutional support is appropriately communicated.
Scope
The work and considerations of the QUAHAG are focused on hate motivated activity, namely hate crimes, hate-motivated incidents, and harassment by provocation or incitement, directed against Queen’s community members on campus and/or in the broader Kingston community. The Group is guided by the following definitions:
“Hate-motivated crime” refers to a criminal offence committed against a person or property, which is motivated solely, or in part, by the offender’s hate, bias or prejudice based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or similar factor;
“Hate-motivated incident” refers to an incident which involves behaviours that, though motivated by hate or bias against a victims’ race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability or sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or similar factor, are not criminal acts.[1]
“Harassment by Provocation or Incitement” is a form of Discriminatory Harassment involving public behaviour that exceeds the bounds of free expression or academic freedom as these are understood in University policies, which incites hatred, contempt for, or revulsion or severe ridicule of, a person or group of people based on one or more grounds protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code or because of a person’s relationship to, or association or dealings with, such a person or group.[2]
Responsibilities
The Queen’s University Anti-Hate Advisory Group will:
- Monitor and receive information (institutional data, environmental scans, reviews, etc.) regarding hate motivated activity and trends at Queen’s and in the broader community that may have impacts on Queen’s community members, as well as information on emerging and established sound practices for addressing hate motivated activity.
- Consult with victimized communities and subject matter experts on effective and appropriate responses and approaches to hate motivated activity.
- Consult with relevant campus and Kingston community departments and services to advise on effective, victimized community-centred, trauma informed, anti-hate approaches and strategies.
- Create, and advise on the creation of, supportive resources for victimized individuals and communities and anti-hate educational materials for the broader community.
Prepare an annual report of its activities to be presented through the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity and Inclusion) to the Senior Leadership Team, Senate and the Board of Trustees, and make this report widely available. This report will be tabled early each calendar year for the previous calendar year.
Decision Making and Authority
The QUAHAG is advisory to VPCEI and the Queen’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Working in a collegial and supportive manner, the group will strive to arrive at recommendations via consensus. Ultimate decision-making and executive authority will rest with the VPCEI and SLT.
[1] Perry, B. and Chaudhry, I. (2021). THE VICTIM’S TRUTH IS THE VICTIM’S TRUTH CSES RESPONSE TO HATE CRIMES ON CAMPUS AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY.
[2] Queen’s University, Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Response Policy (approved May 2021).
The Group will be made up of university staff, students and faculty, university service providers and senior leaders. The Group will strive to reflect the diversity of the university community, with particular attention to groups statistically most targeted by hate activity including ethnoracial, religious, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
Membership
Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) – (Chair)
Principal’s Office representative
Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs or delegate
Associate Vice-Principal, Integrated Communications or delegate
Associate Vice-Principal, Office of Indigenous Initiatives or delegate
Executive Director – Risk and Safety Services or delegate
AMS representative
SGPS representative
Two (2) Faculty member at large
Two (2) Staff Member at large
Two (2) Student at large
Additional faculty, staff, students or administrators with specific roles may be invited to meetings occasionally when their participation and expertise is needed for information and/or advice in relation to issues under discussion.
The QUAHAG will normally meet three (3) times per calendar year.
Subcommittees and working groups will determine their own schedules and meet as required in order to fulfill their mandates.
The QUAHAG has two standing subcommittees – a Subcommittee on Anti-Hate Policies and Procedures and a Community Support Subcommittee.
- The Subcommittee on Anti-Hate Policies and Procedures, in consultation with the QUAHAG, reviews, develops, and proposes revisions to policies, procedures, and protocols with the aim of strengthening the university’s anti-hate response and prevention systems. The Subcommittee is chaired by the AVP (Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion) and comprised of university administrators and staff with roles and responsibilities directly connected to institutional health, safety, conduct, human rights, and related functions.
Representation on this Subcommittee will be sought from the following offices/departments and may rotate depending on the nature of the issues under discussion:
- Risk and Safety Services/Campus Security/Environmental Health and Safety
- Division of Student Affairs/Student Conduct
- Human Resources
- Human Rights and Equity Office/Human Rights Advisory Services
- University Ombudsperson
- University Secretariat and Legal Counsel
- Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning
- The Community Support Subcommittee (CSS), is comprised of no more than 5 QUAHAG members including the AVP (Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion) who shall act as Chair. In the event of an on-campus emergency involving possible hate motivated activity, the CSS may be consulted by the university’s hate emergency response systems/personnel to recommend, develop, or help coordinate centralized initiatives and communications that are appropriately victim community-centred. At the discretion of the CSS chair, the membership of the CSS may rotate depending on the nature of the incident being addressed to ensure appropriate expertise.
Additional faculty, staff, students or administrators with specific roles may occasionally be invited to subcommittee meetings when their participation and expertise may be needed for information and/or advice in relation to issues under discussion.
The QUAHAG may establish additional sub-councils and working groups as needed to advance particular initiatives.