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Wilfrid Laurier University, with the guidance of the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, has launched a new process to verify Indigenous identity to confirm eligibility for designated Indigenous staff, faculty and student opportunities at Laurier.
Applicants to designated Indigenous opportunities such as staff positions, faculty appointments, and student awards and bursaries, are now required to submit written documentation of Indigenous identity, or a self-declaration that includes specific information about their ongoing relationship to a legally recognized and inherent Indigenous community, Nation, or people, in North America.
Developed in consultation with the Indigenous Education Council and Indigenous Faculty Council at Laurier, the new process will help mitigate Indigenous identity fraud and ensure opportunities designated for Indigenous peoples are awarded to the people for whom they are intended. This verification process is not about a candidate’s claim to Indigeneity but about which Indigenous community claims the candidate, as well as the candidate’s lived experiences of Indigeneity.
For students, this new process is only required for applications to Indigenous-designated admissions, awards, bursaries, and employment opportunities. Students may continue to access the Indigenous student centres and the services they provide through voluntary Indigenous self-identification on LORIS.
There are two options to confirm your Indigenous identity in order to be eligible for Indigenous-designated opportunities at Laurier.
If a candidate does not possess proof of the documentation listed in option 1, they must submit a statement about their existing lived experiences and ongoing relationship to a legally recognized and inherent Indigenous community, Nation, or People. This includes specific information about the First Nation, Inuit, or Métis community such as their treaty, scrip, land claim, and territory or region.
Steps will be taken to fully vet a candidate under both option 1 and 2 by the university, in consultation with the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, prior to consideration for candidacy.
Candidates failing to have their identities confirmed to the satisfaction of the University will be disqualified from consideration for the designated opportunity.
If a successful candidate is later proven to have falsely claimed an Indigenous identity, their opportunity will be immediately terminated in accordance with the applicable laws, collective agreements, and policies.
Personal information is collected under the authority of the Wilfrid Laurier University Act and privacy policies to administer the university-student relationship and for university operations. Personal information will be securely stored and retained in accordance with university records management policies and protocols. For questions about how this information is used, please contact Darren Thomas, associate vice-president: Indigenous Initiatives, at IndigenousID@wlu.ca.
Contact and self-identification information will be used to contact you about Indigenous initiatives, programs, and opportunities for Indigenous students, faculty, and staff. Indigenous identity verification information must be provided to be considered for opportunities where Indigenous identity is required, such as bursaries, awards, facilitated admissions programs, and to meet conditions of candidacy for employment opportunities.
Further information about how your personal information is collected, used and disclosed can be found in Laurier’s Notice of Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information. If you have questions, please contact the Privacy Office at privacy@wlu.ca or visit wlu.ca/privacy.
Contact Us:
Darren Thomas, Associate Vice-President: Indigenous Initiatives