Following the Human Rights Policy consultation held across Memorial University in fall 2024, the Office of the Vice Provost, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (EDI-AR) has provided an update that the policy has been revised in response to feedback and discussions by the Human Rights Policy working group.

The Human Rights Policy working group consists of Legal Counsel, the Sexual Harassment Office, the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous), Human Resources, Faculty Relations, Student Life, the Policy Office and the Office of the Vice-Provost EDI-AR.

Guided by your input, the working group determined that the policy should:

• Reflect Memorial University’s mandate and legislative obligations;
• Avoid creating an additional layer of procedures;
• Complement, rather than duplicate, procedures set out in other university policies;
• Serve as a clear statement of Memorial’s commitment to human rights.

The Human Rights Policy affirms Memorial University’s commitment to equity, belonging and anti-discrimination.

The policy positions the Office of the Vice Provost EDI-AR as a consultative mechanism and resource to support policy development and review for the entire university.

This meaningful consultation will be provided through university policies, including but not limited to the following:

• Respectful Workplace Policy
• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Policy
• Respectful Learning Environment Policy
• Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities
• Protected Disclosure Policy
• Accessibility for Students with Disabilities Policy
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Employment Policy
• Workplace Accommodation Policy
• Examples of Academic Accommodations
• Supporting and Accommodating Breastfeeding Policy
• Privacy Policy

This update is shared as a standard principle and the Office of the Vice Provost EDI-AR’s commitment to transparency within the portfolio.

The Human Rights Policy will continue through Memorial’s policy approval process.

The Office of the Vice Provost EDI-AR extends its thanks to all who contributed to the consultation and looks forward to the university community’s continued engagement as it advances this important institutional anti-discriminatory mechanism.