December 18, 2020

We are deeply saddened with the EDC’s decision to formally withdraw from participating in the work of STLHE’s EDI Task Force and thought it was important to reach out regarding the recent vote. The motion, “That the Educational Developers Caucus officially declines participation in the STLHE EDI Task Force and declares we are not represented by the current STLHE EDI Task Force processes”, was carried with 30 votes. We want to reaffirm that the STLHE Board remains committed to the EDC’s 261 members who are an important part of the STLHE community.

We are also committed to the EDI Task Force. Their work is critical to the Society as they will examine STLHE from a decolonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive perspective. Although there will be no formal representation from the EDC, there are educational developers on the Task Force. The recommendations of the EDI Task Force will impact all members of STLHE, including those in the EDC, once their report has been received by the membership. The STLHE Board will receive the report at the same time as the membership, and our Board’s role is to enact the recommendations and not to vote or approve the report.

The composition of the Task Force includes recognized leaders in the areas of EDI, those with lived experience, and those committed to change. All are volunteers and willing to spend the time to delve deeply into this work on our behalf. The EDI Task Force is at arms-length to the Board and have created their own Terms of Reference which was shared with the membership. The Task Force is committed to consult widely within our membership and consultation will start in the new year.

We welcome conversations at the regular membership and affiliate level regarding EDI as these are important, critical, and often uncomfortable conversations, but for real change to happen we need to be willing to engage across the Society through the EDI Task Force. Therefore, we do not agree with the creation of a formal separate process to the EDI Task Force within the EDC, but we remain open to dialogue nonetheless.

We are hoping to find a path forward with our EDC community. Feel free to reach out to us at any time if you have any questions or comments – please contact any of the STLHE Board Members.