On Nov. 14, former Graphic + Digital Design (GDD) sessional instructor, Imroze Singh, penned an open letter criticizing the equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives at UFV, outlining his experience teaching at UFV. The caption to the letter on Imroze Singh’s LinkedIn reads: “I am ashamed to be associated with UFV. Your EDI performance is TRASH! You are perpetuating harm — and that is something no amount of performance can hide.”
UFV’s President’s Task Force on EDI was implemented in 2019. The available 2020/2021 Action Plan outlines UFV’s four overarching goals that approach the issue of equity and access for students, staff, and faculty, aiming to embed EDI principles into the institution.
Singh graduated from UFV with a GDD degree in 2021. He went on to pursue a masters in Inclusive Design from Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health. He took the time to chat with ***The Cascade* to provide further insight into the circumstances that led him to share the open letter after learning no courses were available for him in upcoming semesters.
“I started teaching at UFV at the beginning of this year. I had done a few guest lectures here and there — that was late September, early October, of last year. Then, the opportunity came [up] for a sessional position. I applied, and I interviewed, and I started in January 2024. I taught GD 304, [User Experience Design]. And at the same time, I was also teaching visual arts in the School of Creative Arts.”
Excited about the opportunity to teach at his alma mater, Singh emphasized the importance of the GDD department at UFV.
“There are not that many design schools, especially from the Valley perspective. If [UFV] didn’t have a design program, the closest one would be Kwantlen, which is in Surrey and Richmond, and then the big ones are [at] Capilano and Emily Carr, and they’re highly competitive.”
Singh had much to say about his interview process.
“I felt like [the] majority of the interview was overshadowed by questions about EDI, as in, how they are trying to make an inclusive environment [and] how they’re trying to Indigenize their way of thinking. But at the same time, I didn’t hear any practical way of doing it. It was ‘our strategic thinking’ or ‘our strategic plan is this.’ I didn’t hear any practices or how to implement [those] strategies.”
As a visible minority and racialized student at UFV, Singh said he has always been outspoken about the obstacles he faced. Coming on as a sessional, Singh was informed by his experience and aimed to meet the needs of students.
“I always brought up the point that [a] majority of UFV revenue comes from international students … How many international students are taking GDD courses? Is there infrastructure being provided for them?
“I’m an immigrant myself, so I see the hurdles that come up, and I know what it feels like being taught in a [different] language … I was always very conscious of how I will be perceived. There were only a couple of times during [my] GDD diploma that I took a risk of bringing in the Punjabi angle; my Punjabi identity, my immigrant identity…”
Offering an example of his inclusive praxis, Singh spoke of the VA 119 course he taught.
“We were exploring traditional mediums … but, [we were] also creating podcasts. Out of 21 students, 19 of them were international students … I told them, if you feel comfortable speaking a different language, use that. A lot of the students explored creating in Punjabi. There was a Thai student who did a podcast completely in Thai.”
When asked if Singh believed UFV is committed to EDI, his answer was pointed.
“No, I don’t think they are … in order to make change, there needs to be structural change, and the people who are in charge of those [changes] are the ones who actually created those structures in the first place … even if a racialized person wants to come in and make an EDI change, the system works against them, because the system was never set up for them.”
Singh also spoke about the lack of support he received from the GDD department in implementing industry-standard design software, Figma. He went on to criticize GDD for the lack of IT support given to students who are not working off of a MacBook Pro, raising the question of financial strain on GDD students.
The Cascade has reached out to the College of Arts and GDD department for comment. At this time, neither department was able to provide a statement. We are hopeful to receive more from them on the matter in our January issue.
Kiara Okonkwo is a writer and creative. She received a diploma in Screenwriting from Vancouver Film School and is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Media and Communication Studies. Kiara values self-expression and authenticity.
