Nipissing University centre closes following investigation into social media post

Nipissing University says it’s saddened by the decision to permanently close the student-led The Equity Centre following the completion of a third-party, independent investigation.

The centre, which opened in 2016 at the university’s main campus, was considered a safe space for students who wanted to help organize campaigns to raise awareness of equity issues within diverse communities.

The centre decided on its own to close following the investigation.

"We’re working with a very fragile group of students that have often experienced a lot of oppression and discrimination," said Aidan Haghgoo, the Students of Colour United Program coordinator.

The centre’s Facebook page describes it as an "advocate on behalf of students and promote allyship that is open to everyone but prioritizes working with marginalized groups on campus."

"Sometimes stepping away, even though it’s the hardest thing to do, is going to make the most impact," Haghgoo told reporters.

"There’s a lot of equity-deserving students on campus. It’s incredibly challenging to provide supports for students in the face of oppression."

The independent investigation, which took about eight months to complete, began after a student complained to the university about a social media post the centre made last year. The centre maintained that the post was "misinterpreted" and "misconstrued."

The content of the post has not been released.

Aidan Haghgoo, the Students of Colour United Program coordinator, said they work with a fragile group of students who have experienced oppression and discrimination. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

"We always want to be held accountable in every way possible. We consistently ask for feedback. We meet with faculty. It’s all about discussion and education," Haghgoo said.

"The main question I have is how is the institution going to approach the lack of equity services on campus now that we’re not there?"

The university confirmed to CTV News that the investigation found the centre violated the school’s Respectful Workplace and Learning Environments Policy.

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"The announcement of the closure of the centre is certainly not something the university was hoping for," said Sarah Taylor, the school’s assistant vice-president of students.

Typically, about 60 students would access the centre throughout the week. For larger events the centre organized, around 150 students would often participate.

Within the centre, there were a few subgroups: 2QT Pride, a physical presence for the university’s community on campus, that supports 2SLGBTQ+ students throughout the year.

There other two subgroups were called AccessNU and SOCU (Students of Colour United), that acted as point of contact for students to bring specific concerns to and in addition to running awareness campaigns and events.

After the findings were presented, The Equity Centre was provided a list of “corrective actions” to acknowledge harm done, ensure accountability and make sure that supports were in place.

"The closure was not a part of the requirements," Taylor said.

The Equity Centre, which opened in 2016 at the university’s main campus, was considered a safe space for students who wanted to help organize campaigns to raise awareness of equity issues within diverse communities.

"The individual who conducted the investigation specializes in policy investigations and specifically around human rights policy violations."

When asked whether The Equity Centre could re-brand or re-build itself as a support service for marginalized students, Haghgoo said he is "not sure" and worries that 2SLGBTQ+ students on campus won’t get the proper support they need.

"If it comes in the form of censoring our free speech and our ability to speak and amplify our voices of those from these marginalized groups, then we can’t in good faith keep the space open," he concluded.

The school said it remains committed to working with the centre’s team to review and rebuild the group to make a more inclusive campus for all students.

Nipissing University says it "remains committed to supporting and amplifying the voices of equity seeking and equity deserving groups."

Students seeking support are encouraged to connect with the mental health and well-being team at [e-mail] or the access and inclusion team via [e-mail].