Today@Dal

Members of the Task Force on Misogyny, Sexism and Homophobia in the Faculty of Dentistry will return to campus on April 13-17 and April 27-28.

The task force would like to hear from individuals who have been directly involved in the Faculty of Dentistry’s Class of 2015 Facebook issue, or who have information regarding the culture, practices and policies within Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Dentistry related to these issues, or who have opinions about the broader policies and practices at Dalhousie to address the issues of misogyny, sexism and homophobia.

Constance Backhouse, a distinguished university professor and university research chair at the University of Ottawa, chairs the task force. She is joined by Don McRae, a professor at the University of Ottawa, and Nitya Iyer, a lawyer with expertise in human rights and professional regulation.

Any outreach to the task force is confidential.

Input for consideration can be made in writing to: dentistrytaskforce@dal.ca and through the task force's online portal. To request a meeting, individuals may email or call 902-494-7806. The task force understands that for some this is a sensitive undertaking and so individuals may also contact task force member Nitya Iyer, directly via email at ni@lw-law.ca to arrange an appointment. Off-campus appointments may be accommodated upon request.

The task force’s mandate is to investigate the culture, practices and policies within the Faculty of Dentistry. The task force will also consider broader policies and practices at Dalhousie; review policies, standards and practices at other Canadian universities to address the issues of misogyny, sexism and homophobia; and identify policies and practices that could be put in place to investigate anonymous complaints of harassment and discrimination. President Richard Florizone initially launched the taskforce on January 9, 2015.

For more information, visit: http://www.dal.ca/cultureofrespect/task-force.html