Equity transformation (OET)

Building belonging at UM

Community Experiences Survey Town Hall to share insights, reflections and next steps.

Two people standing beside a banner that says "What makes a vibrant community for you?"
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
“What makes a vibrant community for you?” banner at the 2024 Equity Transformation Town Hall.
“What makes a vibrant community for you?” banner at the 2024 Equity Transformation Town Hall.
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes

How are people experiencing life at the University of Manitoba? And how can those experiences help shape a more welcoming, inclusive campus? 

On Monday, May 25, the Office of Equity Transformation invites students, staff and faculty to attend the UM Community Experiences Survey (UMCES) Town Hall to join in conversation about what we’ve learned, what it means, and what comes next. 

The town hall will share key findings from the 2025 survey and highlight how the data is informing institutional priorities, actions and initiatives focused on building a vibrant campus where everyone can thrive.

Attend the UMCES Town Hall


The UMCES Town Hall will invite participants to:

  • Learn about key findings and insights from the Community Experiences Survey.
  • Hear diverse perspectives from members of the UM community on what the findings mean to them.
  • Reflect on how data can guide meaningful action across academic and work environments.
  • Take part in interactive activities that move us from “what we heard” to “what actions are we taking” and “what else do we need to do?”
Two people present at a podium.
Fellows in Equity, Anti-Oppression and Social Justice, Emily Kalo and Kay Maskiw-Connelly, share their perspectives and experiences at the 2024Equity Transformation Town Hall.
The UMCES Town Hall is an opportunity to come together as a community to engage with the survey findings, reflect on what they mean in our own contexts, and consider how each of us can contribute to a more equitable and inclusive campus.

Tina Chen, vice-provost (equity)

About the UM Community Experiences Survey

The UMCES was administered in September to October 2025 to students, staff and faculty and will be repeated every two years to track change over time.

The survey explores experiences related to:

  • Sense of belonging
  • Satisfaction with academic or career progress
  • Perceptions of how UM is honoring its commitments

A total of 2,071 community members participated in 2025 – with respondents being 48% students, 39% staff and 13% faculty. The results offer valuable insight into where current initiatives are having positive impact, and where more focused action is needed.

What we learned

While many respondents reported positive experiences, the findings also revealed important differences across identities, reinforcing the importance of analysis of disaggregated data.

Highlights include:

  • High levels of satisfaction with academic and career progress among students, staff and faculty.
  • Positive impacts of equity and inclusion efforts, including Indigenous respondents reporting feeling as safe on campus as non-Indigenous peers.
  • Some less positive experiences for 2SLGBTQIA+, racially marginalized, and members of our community with disabilities and chronic health conditions, including belonging, safety, and experiences of exclusion.

These insights underscore why continued campus-wide awareness, dialogue and action are important.

Grounded in data

Advancing equity, accessibility, diversity and inclusion requires both intention and evidence-based understanding of the issues. The President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, established in 2020, called on UM to strengthen how it collects diversity-related data across students, staff and faculty. 

Two complementary initiatives support this work: 

  • The UM Community Experiences Survey, which measures how people perceive their experience at UM.
  • The UM Diversity Census, which gathers self-identification information to better understand who is in the UM community. 

Together, these tools will help UM identify inequities, track progress toward equity goals, and inform targeted programs, services and policies that respond to real needs across our campuses.

Visit the UM demographics and diversity webpage.

Event details:

Date: Monday, May 25, 2026

Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Location: EITC Atrium (Fort Garry campus) and online

ALS interpretation will be provided.

Register to attend the UM Community Experiences Survey Town Hall

Boilerplate: Community

Creating space for everyone to thrive is more than a goal—it’s who we are. Fostering a vibrant community is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.