The opening of an Equity Centre at the University of Toronto Mississauga has been a long-term goal for the UTMSU’s vice-president equity and was listed as an achievement for last year’s executive team. The centre, however, has yet to be opened and an opening date has yet to be set.
The Equity Centre will be located on the second floor of the Student Centre. According to the current VP equity Sagal Osman, the centre is meant to be a safe space for students and to encourage inclusion of different groups in the community.
The UTMSU Equity Statement states that any hostile or harmful behavior shown toward a particular group is strictly intolerable and condemned. They also declare that any verbal abuse that is rooted in “anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, racist, classist, ablest, homophobic, sexist, or transphobic sentiments” will not be condoned.
Osman, the VP equity, stated in an email to The Medium: “The UTMSU is very excited to have our own equity service centre. Not only will it be a space for folks to access valuable information and other types of resources, but it will also be a safe space that allows individuals to decompress and organize with other community members that they identify with.”
The Equity Centre will be run by volunteers. Once it is open, the UTMSU will post weekly office hours to let students know when they can drop by.
Osman did not specify an estimated opening date or why the opening of the centre has been delayed.
