U of T celebrates the launch of the Student Equity Census Dashboard
(August 2024)

The Office of the Vice-Provost, Students (OVPS) is marking the launch of the Student Equity Census Dashboard, which is now available to all OVPS-website visitors.

Beginning as a pilot in the Fall of 2020, the data that has since been collected from 2023 onwards via the Census, will support the University in assessing and maintaining programs and initiatives that respond to the needs of U of T students, aiming to document the systemic barriers students face, and provide a foundation through which to develop more effective responses to their needs.

University of Toronto Vice-Provost, Students, Professor Sandy Welsh, is delighted to have this dashboard available to the community.

“We designed the Student Equity Census Dashboard so we can get a better understanding of the U of T student community across all three campuses, and explore the specific demographics of our student population,” says Welsh.

Following the launch of the pilot, the U of T Student Equity Census Advisory Roundtable, reviewed and provided feedback on the census. In addition, they developed a framework and defined best practices for how the University will collect, report, share, and use this identity-based data to support meaningful change. The Advisory Roundtable, which completed its work in summer 2021, was led by four co-convenors: one faculty member, one senior staff member, and two students. The membership of the group included a wide range of staff, faculty, and student representatives from across all three U of T campuses. A comprehensive list of activity and specific members can be found in the final report.

“We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of U of T’s Student Equity Census Advisory Roundtable and all who helped shape this initiative,” says Welsh.

“Their invaluable input and collaboration will help to improve academic success and enhance the student experience, as well as foster a better sense of belonging at U of T.”

Beginning in 2023, the census was fully embedded into ACORN, U of T’s student information system, for ease of access and higher participation rates.

The questions on the census include the following considerations: gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, Indigenous identity, racial and/or ethnocultural identity, and educational attainment of parents or guardians. Students are required to answer all questions however, they have a “prefer not to answer” option for any information they do not want to share, and they are also invited to provide feedback on this data-collection initiative overall. Additionally, over the course of their academic career at U of T, students can access the census at any time to modify their respective responses as they see fit.

“We recognize that identities are complex and individual and really value the students’ responses to the census,” says Welsh.

“They were generous in sharing their information and feedback, which also significantly informs the project going forward.

The Student Equity Census is an ongoing project that will continue to provide an annual snapshot of the student community. This year, based on feedback from the students, an additional question was added to the census, providing new and current students the opportunity to identify their religious and/or spiritual affiliations, which will further ensure U of T has programming to reflect the population with regards to resources like the Multi-Faith Centre in Student Life, as well as being aware of the various religious customs and holy days that members of the U of T community observe.

For more information, please visit U of T’s Student Equity Census website or you can reach out to data.ovps@utoronto.ca.