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.

Brian Decker

Executive Editor

 

The McMaster Students Union Elections Committee did not receive any formal complaints about the 2012 presidential election, according to Chief Returning Officer Steven Thompson.

“We make a technical complaint system available so anyone can say if they think there’s anything wrong with the system. We didn’t get any official complaints this year,” said Thompson.

Complaints, which can be lodged within 48 hours of the election results, can be sent to request a recount or dispute the election’s results.

The absence of complaints comes despite candidate Alex Ramirez’s claim that the vote was “manipulated,” and that it was “literally impossible” that he received only the 704 first-place votes he tallied. Ramirez posted the claim as a blog entry on his campaign website and Facebook page.

Ramirez finished fifth in the election and was eliminated in the first round of voting.

“Far too many things happened during the campaign to have only generated 704 first place votes, and to have come in dead last,” said Ramirez on his blog, proceeding to list a number of circumstances during the campaign period that he believed indicated more students sending their votes his way.

Aside from anecdotes and some figures – the 5,200 pamphlets his team circulated and the 2,700 web page visits to his site on the two voting days – Ramirez did not list any evidence to explain how the vote would have been manipulated.

The 2012 vote was run by the website SimplyVoting.com, which Thompson said has no access other than the accumulation and automatic calculation of votes.

A voting receipt that allows students to double check their ballot is also available on the site. Students can log in, check their ballot receipt and download a spreadsheet of the election results.

One possible source of contention over the vote’s result may have come from the timing of the vote’s switch to online-only. The system was changed from paper balloting to online on Jan. 20, one day after the all-candidates meeting and the announcement of the eligible candidates.

Additionally, Thompson said, candidates were notified of the possible switch to exclusively online voting at and prior to the all-candidates meeting, at which time the switch was contingent upon receiving permission from the Registrar’s office.

“It was unfortunate we had to do it sort of last-minute, but it was a choice between that and not going online when we had the ability to,” said Thompson

This year’s MSU presidential election saw a 33.4 per cent voter turnout – the highest since 1998 – and an all-time gross record with a total of 6,703 student votes.