MSU's Diversity + Equity Network releases the findings of its research on student perspectives on racism and belonging at McMaster University

On Jan. 31, 2025, the McMaster Students Union’s Diversity + Equity Network announced the release of findings from its research study titled Understanding Student Perspectives: Racism, Belonging and Discrimination in an Ontario University Environment.

The study was conducted in collaboration with DEN’s student research team and professor Jeffrey Denis from the faculty of social sciences. It examined student experiences with racism at McMaster to inform efforts to create a more inclusive campus.

In the fall of 2023, DEN ran an Instagram poll asking followers if they had experienced discrimination on campus. Of the approximately 120 students who responded, 43 per cent reported experiencing racism.

Leilani Xue, a third-year sociology student and assistant director of DEN who worked on the research study, told The Silhouette that first-year students reported the highest instances of racism.

Xue noted that, upon reviewing other research studies on university campuses, the team identified a lack of open discussion and information about racism and discrimination at the undergraduate level. This, combined with the poll results, prompted the development of a larger research study examining how students of diverse backgrounds experience belonging, perceive discrimination and racism, and how these perceptions shape their overall comfort and sense of safety on campus.

From March 1 to 22, 2024, DEN’s research team collected 283 survey responses. The survey explored participants’ demographics, personal experiences with racism or discrimination, instances where they had witnessed racism, and their awareness of and satisfaction with campus services and resources.

The finalized report found that 16 per cent of students reported personal experiences with racism, while 37 per cent reported having witnessed it on campus.

Middle Eastern or West Asian students, followed by Black students, were most likely to report experiences of racism. Black, Middle Eastern, Latin American and South Asian students were most likely to report witnessing it.

Among religious groups, Jewish and Muslim students were the most likely to report experiencing discrimination, followed by Sikh and Hindu students, who reported feeling more affected than Christians or those without religious affiliations.

Most students who experienced racism said it significantly impacted their mental health, while many were unaware of campus resources. Those who knew about them often did not use them or report incidents.

Most students who experienced racism said it significantly impacted their mental health, while many were unaware of campus resources.

The report also provides recommendations for McMaster University to foster a more inclusive campus. These include increasing diversity among faculty, staff and university leadership and encouraging instructors to diversify curriculum content and discuss available resources. The team also suggested evaluating anti-racism and cultural competency training initiatives and raising awareness of the reporting process for racial discrimination.

Now, DEN’s research team is preparing for a second phase of research, set to launch between March and April 2025. This new study will collect qualitative data through focus groups, allowing researchers to engage directly with students, particularly those who identify as Black, Indigenous or as people of colour.

“Our first study helped us get a general understanding of [racism and discrimination on campus] . . . but now we want to actually talk to students and hear about their experiences on a lived experience level,” said Xue.

Our first study helped us get a general understanding of [racism and discrimination on campus] . . . but now we want to actually talk to students and hear about their experiences on a lived experience level.

Leilani Xue, Associate Director
Diversity + Equity Network

Their goal for this second study is to collaborate with students, faculty and staff on campus to inform inclusive, student-centred policy changes.

The full study, published earlier this year, can be read online. For more information about DEN and the work it does, interested students can visit its website and Instagram.

The paper received an email asking for a response to a few questions by July 25 for an article that will be up on J-Source, which is a collaboration of post-secondary journalism schools led by Ryerson, Laval and Carleton. It will be about whether student media represents the diversity of Canada.

The questions mainly had to do with the self-identification of the editorial board, our staff, on a number of different categories. These were based on gender, race with specific note to Indigenous people, disabilities and gender or sexual minorities. While they could have divided a few of these categories to be more specific, analysis of diversity in the workplace continues to be a positive endeavour that should be undertaken and explored more in-depth.

McMaster’s Employment Equity Working Committee released a new report on July 23 in a similar vein. It provides a detailed roadmap based on input from different parts of campus, e.g., each of the different faculties and research departments. The focus is primarily on “... a more complete understanding of representation of all four groups designated by the Federal Contractors Program: women; First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) peoples; persons with disabilities; and members of visible minorities, as well as the representation of trans and LGBTQ+ employees.”

The last recent example for this article will be a comment piece by the Public Editor over at The Varsity, which is the University of Toronto’s student newspaper. While a lot of it has to do with online commenting platforms, it transitions into the commitment the paper has, “... to diversity in its newsroom and reporting.” Their primary focus seems to be on gender and race.

These three examples from university campus media and McMaster have varying degrees of data collection and analysis, but all of them miss a few categories. While there are more categories of diversity, these three are, arguably, the most apparent ones missing.

The first is socioeconomic status. However, that would have less influence if you are considering only university student journalists or McMaster employees in your sample. The second would be ideologies, e.g., political beliefs and religious beliefs. I can understand not asking these respondents may not be comfortable answering accurately or answering at all, and may change at a more variable rate over time. The third is age.

While certainly not as attractive a stat, diversity in age should be deemed an importance if your goal is to represent the population in what you report about, who is reporting and the demographics of your employees.

University is always idealized as a place where you develop and grow. It is easy for anyone to note the differences between a first year and a fourth year and someone fresh out of university to someone about to go into retirement. When you are getting survey data or considering your workplace’s diversity, why would you ignore something as important as age?

It is simply too important. When it comes to reporting at The Silhouette, diversity and different perspectives have a significant influence on our articles in every section. The diversity of who is reporting it or who is being reported on is vital to allow a full representation of the McMaster student body, and to continue to progress and pass on information to the younger members of staff before graduating.

We cannot afford to ignore age. If other organizations or the university have missed the point by filling quotas instead of noting the benefits and embracing all types of diversity, including one as obvious as age, then that is disappointing.

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