Dear Faculty of Arts, 

Classes concluded this week with a winter wonderland transforming Surrey campus. On Monday morning outside the Arbutus building, a solitary Anna’s hummingbird perched on a tree looking a tad bewildered by the snowfall — reflecting our own amazement at how rapidly the fall term moved into December. Wasn’t Halloween just last week?  The days are short in daylight hours, and there is much grading to be done as we shift into the final exam period. Thank you for your perseverance, and most especially for your support of, and compassion for, one another and KPU students as we’ve weathered through this sixth semester of the pandemic and the recent crisis of the B.C. floods.   

TIME-SENSTIVE ITEMS 

Marking up a Storm: Please remember that all final grades must be submitted by December 20th (11:59 PM).  For grades that will be submitted after the grading deadline of Dec. 20th, you must enter an “I” grade and follow up by submitting a signed Incomplete Grade Contract (IGC). 

Reporting Academic Integrity Violations: During this busy time when marking is top of mind, we’d like to re-share this resource on Academic Integrity: AIV one-pager – August 2021.pdf (sharepoint.com)  As per its instructions, if you need to input final grades (to meet the grading deadline) before a recently reported case has been adjudicated, we recommend submitting an Incomplete Grade (‘I’) (without the student’s signature on the I contract, if necessary); once the case is adjudicated, the final grade can be added via a Grade Reporting Form.  Please contact your associate dean if you think you may need to use this process. 

Respectful Workplace Training: Earlier this year, KPU launched an updated version of the online Respect in the Workplace training program. This is reminder that if you have not already done so, please complete the required online Respect in the Workplace program by December 31, 2021. You will find instructions on how to access the training here: Respectful Workplace. 

EVENTS AND INITIATIVES 

Faculty of Arts EDI Awards: Today is the International Day of Human Rights, which coincides with the opening for the nomination period for the Faculty of Arts EDI Awards. The Faculty of Arts, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) awards recognize faculty, students, staff, and alumni who have demonstrated excellence in supporting and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion from an intersectional social justice lens within the Faculty of Arts and/or the broader community. These awards honour individuals or groups/teams within the Faculty of Arts whose actions serve to advance KPU’s commitment to EDI. The nomination period runs from December 10, 2021, to January 31, 2022.  For more information on nominating an individual or self-nominating your group/team, follow this link. 

Celebrating Diversity: Associate Dean pro tem Billeh Nickerson has been working with the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) to create four new financial awards that celebrate diverse communities within the Faculty of Arts. The KSA has made a preliminary commitment of $28,000 (to be confirmed at their upcoming December board meeting) with the understanding that these funds will eventually be combined with FofA donations and payroll deductions to create the following awards: 

  1. International Students in the Faculty of Arts 
  2. Students with Disabilities in the Faculty of Arts 
  3. BIPOC Students in the Faculty of Arts 
  4. 2SLGBTQ+ Students in the Faculty of Arts 

The challenge is for staff and faculty within the Faculty Arts (and across KPU) to contribute an additional $28,000, which will then be matched by the KPU Foundation. This may be achieved over several years. The combined totals would lead to four separate annual $1,000 awards. 

Folks interested in donating may do so via the Foundation page under “KSA/Faculty of Arts Diversity Award.” 

Or via payroll deduction as part of the family campaign. Please type “KSA/Faculty of Arts Diversity Award” onto the form. 

External donations from folks outside KPU will be appreciated though not eligible for Foundation matching funds. 

For more information or to share a fundraising idea, please contact Associate Dean pro tem Nickerson at Billeh.Nickerson@kpu.ca   Special thanks to Jaya Dhillon and the KSA for believing in this initiative! 

Sher Vancouver: Sher Vancouver, a non-profit society for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer South Asians and their friends has received a financial commitment to sponsor 10 screenings of Emergence: Out of the Shadows in classrooms in Surrey and Delta. They would like to offer the opportunity to KPU instructors to book screenings in their courses.  For more info or to start the booking process, contact Sher Vancouver directly at alexsangha@gmail.com. 

Here’s to bright lights and brighter days ahead, 

Greg, Wade, Billeh, and Shelley