The Office of Safe Disclosure
Mount Royal must be an equitable, diverse, inclusive and safe place for staff, students, and faculty alike.There is more work to be done at Mount Royal and the University is committed to making sure this happens in a way that is thorough and sustainable.
The Office of Safe Disclosure Advisor is a new addition to Mount Royal which provides a range of services related to equity, human rights, discrimination and other safe disclosure concerns. Students, staff, faculty and all other members of the Mount Royal community are all welcome to access these services.
Feden Abeda (she/her) is the safe disclosure advisor on campus. As a social worker and multi-disciplinary artist, she brings with her the unique ability to facilitate creative problem solving in a trauma-informed manner. Coming from both a corporate and non-profit background, Feden has experience in working with vast and diverse groups of people as a facilitator and educator. Before coming to MRU, Feden worked as an intermediary between lawyers and trauma survivors to support the development and implementation of trauma-informed legal processes and procedures. Outside of work, Feden is passionate about singing/songwriting, painting and spending time with her dog.
When you connect with the Safe Disclosure Office you can expect:
- To have your concerns heard in a confidential, safe, and neutral space
- That your personal information, as well as reasons for reaching out, will remain confidential except where required by law or where there is risk of significant harm to anyone’s health or safety
- That our services will be accessible and we will work with you to meet any accessibility needs you may have
- To be supporting in navigating information about rights and responsibilities under MRU policies related to human rights, harassment and accommodation
- To be supported in exploring informal methods of conflict resolution including education, training, mediation and facilitated dialogue
- To get connected to other resources and supports on campus
To book an appointment with the Safe Disclosure Advisor please fill out this form.
Human rights define how we are all entitled to a life of equality, dignity, respect and a life free from discrimination and harassment. You do not have to earn your human rights. You are born with them.
Discrimination is intentional or unintentional conduct, which can be individual or systemic, that imposes burdens, obligations, or disadvantages on or limits access to opportunities, benefits and advantages to specific individuals or groups covered under the protected grouds as outlined by the Alberta Human Rights Act .
Harassment occurs when a person is subjected to unwelcome verbal or physical conduct because of race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation.
Alberta Human Rights Commission
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Equity is the practice of treating everyone with fairness by creating opportunities and removing barriers for folks experiencing disparities rooted in historical and contemporary injustices and disadvantages. The result of equity is that all people have equal opportunity to benefit.
Diversity refers to a variety of unique demographic characteristics, qualities and attributes that make us all different from each other but focuses particularly on groups who remain underrepresented.. These include dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.
Inclusion is the creation and a culture and environment where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and has the opportunity to fully participate in the University. An inclusive Mount Royal University strives for equity and respects, accepts and values differences.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is both a process and a goal at MRU.There are many initiatives happening across Mount Royal, such as a President’s EDI Advisory Committee. In the long term, a priority is to develop a strong framework of policies, procedures and resources for equity, diversity and inclusion.
Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research
MRU has a team of chaplains and faith representatives connecting to a variety of faith traditions. A full list of chaplains serving the MRU community, including their contact information, is available here.
The Iniskim Centre offers programs and services to increase the engagement and success of Indigenous students while also raising awareness of Indigenous peoples and cultures.
A list of inclusive spaces available on campus for religious practices, parents, or those who want to use gender neutral washrooms is available here.
EDI Workshops, education and events can be found here.
For specialized trauma-informed support around dating, domestic and sexual violence is available here.
The Students’ Association of Mount Royal University has a Pride Centre, which is a space for students to: create an inclusive community across the gender and sexuality spectrum; find support for themselves and support their gender and sexually diverse peers; and enhance everyone's learning about gender and sexual diversity. Learn more.