College limits faculty post to those who are 'women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit'

A faculty job posting at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada , says only applications from people who identify as "women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit" will be given due consideration.

The position was first advertised on March 21 and is for a tenure-track assistant professor of environment who will also be a research chair for "Climate Change, Water or Future Cities."

"This call is open only to qualified individuals who self-identify as women, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit," the job posting said. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in "geography, earth and/or environmental science and sustainability, planning or a related discipline."

A "two spirit" individual is someone who "identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit," a description most often used by Native American and indigenous people, according to the University of Toronto school of public health.

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The posting says the "selection process" for the job follows "the provisions for a special program as described by the Ontario Human Rights Commission in order to address the under representation of individuals from equity deserving groups among our Canada Research Chairs."

The commission says it does not violate Canadian anti-discrimination law if a "program ... is designed to relieve hardship or economic disadvantage, help disadvantaged people or groups to achieve, or try to achieve, equal opportunity or help eliminate discrimination."

"The [Ontario Human Rights] Code allows for programs designed to help people who experience hardship, economic disadvantage, inequality or discrimination," the commission says. "The Code also protects these programs from attack by people who do not experience the same disadvantage."

The University of Waterloo is a public university located in Waterloo, Ontario, west of the city of Toronto and the U.S. city of Buffalo, and maintains an enrollment of over 40,000 students.

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A spokesperson for the university acknowledged a request for comment from the Washington Examiner .

"The University of Waterloo is part of the Federal government’s Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP). Our participation in the CRC program requires us to address underrepresentation of the four federally-designated groups (FDGs) — women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and members of visible minorities — within the program. We follow requirements of the CRCP including the need for candidates to self-identify," Nick Manning, associate vice president of communication at the University of Waterloo, said in an email.

"Our CRC position postings are designed to attract qualified candidates," he continued, "who help us fulfill the research and teaching goals of the university and our duties under the CRC program to meet and exceed federal targets for each of the underrepresented groups."