By Justin Brake, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent
January 13, 2026
The Newfoundland and Labrador chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS-NL) is calling for an external investigation into racism at Memorial University after the institution’s head of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-AR) revealed in an interview with The Independent last month the vice provost is leaving the position early.
“CFS-NL is calling for investigation of Memorial University upper administration with regards to all forms of racism within the institution, specifically as it relates to anti-black racism,” says a statement released Thursday. CFS-NL represents 25,000 students and five post-secondary student unions in the province.
In December Delores Mullings, who was appointed as the university’s inaugural vice-provost of EDI-AR in August 2021, said Mullings is leaving the role eight months ahead of the end of the contract and won’t be seeking a new term in the position.
While Mullings said a non-disclosure agreement with Memorial prevents Mullings from publicly discussing specific events, the award-winning social work professor and advocate said there’s a lack of understanding among senior administration about what equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism mean and how administration should interact with and respond to issues and recommendations from EDI-AR office.
Mullings said the job experience left the former professor feeling “lonely” because Mullings was often the only person applying EDI and anti-racism principles to the work. “The thing is, while I’m the one in the role, it doesn’t mean that I’m the only one that needs to be talking about equity issues,” Mullings said. “Everybody is responsible for equity issues, especially those at the highest level of the institutions.”
The former vice provost also accused unnamed colleagues of resisting the EDI-AR office’s work. “Because of my very bold personality and character traits, it wasn’t long before people stereotyped me as the angry Black woman. It came very quickly, and it continued to morph. I got pushback, saying it was my attitude or my tone.”
Memorial University did not comment on specifics related to Mullings’ departure but spokesperson Chad Pelley said last month in an emailed statement it was Mullings’ decision “not to begin the review process for a second term.”
The CFS-NL release said students were “alarmed to hear of the treatment faced by Dr. Mullings, and the presence of microaggressions, stereotyping, and tone-policing within higher administrative workplaces,” and that Mullings’ allegations “[speak] to a systemic concern about well-being and workplace culture across administration, faculty, and students at Memorial.”
CFS-NL Chairperson Nicolas Keough said students at the university “have seen first-hand how Memorial administration has failed for years to adequately address issues of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
“However, to see a member of the upper administration, tasked with addressing these issues, face racism and exclusion herself points to a larger issue within the administration that must be dealt with immediately.”
Mullings also told The Independent MUNL President Janet Morrison, who began her job in August 2025, had not once reached out to Mullings to arrange a meeting. In response, university spokesperson Michelle Osmond said “one-on-one meetings with the president are not typical” for Mullings’ role, and that “all members of the community were, and are, invited to reach out proactively to set up meetings” with Morrison.
Keough says Morrison’s failure to connect with Mullings is symbolic of a greater institutional failure. “Dr. Morrison neglecting the importance of this portfolio continues the pattern of MUN’s administration being out-of-touch with the needs of students,” he says. “We need a President who prioritizes EDI-AR, not one who sees it as an afterthought.”
Responding to the CFS-NL release, Pelley said in an emailed statement that Morrison “is actively listening to members of the Memorial community as she settles into her new role,” and that she “has accepted every invitation from Memorial students and/or student organizations to meet and discuss their experiences at Memorial — and routinely asks them what’s going well, and where we need to focus on doing better.
“To date, there’s been no expression of concern about this matter,” Pelley says. “Upon starting her role, she invited all unit leaders to set up meetings with her, including Dr. Mullings.”
On Thursday afternoon Memorial released a statement saying the university is committed to “advancing the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism (EDI-AR) across all campuses and fostering a respectful and supportive environment for all.”
In the statement, published in the MUNL Gazette, Morrison says she has “great respect for the work done out of the Office of the Provost under the leadership of Dr. Delores Mullings,” and that she is “committed to building on this strong foundation to ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism are embedded in everything we do.”
MUNL says consultations “are underway to inform the hiring process for a new senior leader to succeed Dr. Mullings,” and that the university is also considering the office’s organizational structure, reporting and mandate “to ensure that EDI-AR and human rights are resourced for long-term success.”
The CFS-NL says racism is “incompatible with the values of Newfoundland and Labrador’s only public university, particularly within a community where international students comprise approximately 20% of the student population and nearly 40% of graduate students.”
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Keough told The Independent Thursday that CFS-NL wants Memorial to commission an independent third-party investigator to lead the work and for the university to publicly respond to its findings.