University of Alberta rebrands DEI policy to ACB: Time for a refresh – Edmonton [Video]

The president of the University of Alberta says the decision to rebrand its diversity, equity and inclusion policy was not influenced by critics of the initiative in North America.

Bill Flanagan says the university in Edmonton officially renamed its policy this month to “access, community and belonging” after consultations with more than 1,000 members of the campus community, including students, faculty and staff.

“We have to be frank that some of the language around DEI can be seen by some to be polarizing,” Flanagan said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“But what’s really driving this is not me reading the paper about what’s going on in the United States … this change in language is one that really originated from our own community.

“This was not a result of external matters.”

Although the policy’s name is different, he said, its fine print is not set to see a “dramatic shift” and more consultations are underway.

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