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TRANSCRIPT
Inclusive Students’ UnionsEquality and diversity in practice
association for managers in students’ unionsamsu
Foreword
© Equality Challenge Unit
March 2009
Contents
Summary 1
1Introduction 3
2Backgroundandlegislativecontext 5
3Equalityinitiativesinthestudents’unionsector 10
4Inclusivecommunicationstrategies 13
5Democracyandrepresentation 18
6Membershipandcommercialservices 26
7Students’unionstaff 35
Conclusion 40
Referencesandfurtherinformation 41
Equality Challenge UnitInclusiveStudents’UnionsEqualityanddiversityinpractice
Section header
2 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Contents
Forewordii
Executivesummary 1
Introduction 3
Section A 4
1. Termsofreference 4
2. Language 8
3. Themedicalandtheoreticalexplanationoftranssexualism 8
4. Thelegalframework 10
Section B 16
5. Generalgoodpractice 16
6. Supportingamemberofstafforstudent 22
7. Discussingtransitionwithothers 25
8. Thedayoftransition 27
9. Post-socialtransitionsupport 27
10. Bullying,harassmentanddiscrimination 28
11. Monitoring 29
Annexes 32
A Suggestedformatforpolicystatement 32
B Anexampleofthetransitionprocess 34
C Transrespect 35
D Checklisttoconsiderwhendiscussingtransition 36
E Indicatorsofsuccessfulpolicies 40
F Usefuladdresses,publicationsandwebsites 41
AcknowledgementsECUwouldliketothankarangeofcontributors,withoutwhomitwouldnothavebeenpossibletocreatethisguidance.ECUisparticularlygratefultothestudents’unionsthatsubmittedcasestudies:
BirkbeckCollegeStudents’Union,UniversityofDerbyStudents’Union,DeMontfortStudents’Union,UniversityofKentUnion,HullUniversityUnion,UniversityCollegeLondonUnion,LeedsUniversityUnion,OxfordBrookesStudents’Union,SouthamptonUniversityStudents’Union,UniversityofSussexStudents’UnionandUniversityofWarwickStudents’Union.
ECUwouldalsoliketothankAMSU’sDiversityActionWorkingGroup(DAWG),andinparticularitschairperson,HelenWest;alsotheNUSforhelpfulcommentsonearlierdraftsofthisdocument.
Compiled by Amy Bryant, with support from Stuart Moore
ContactAmyBryant,SeniorPolicyAdviserEmail:[email protected]
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SummaryThekeyrecommendationsfromthisguidancearesummarisedbelow.
Knowing the legislation – section 2Assignkeymembersofstafftokeeptheunionanditsofficersabreastofequalityanddiversityissues,andtochampionequalityanddiversitywithintheunion.
Consideraligninginternalunionpoliciesandproceduresrelatingtoequalityanddiversitywiththoseoftheparentinstitution.
Accessible communication strategies – section 4Collectandusedataonthemembershiptoensureservicesareinclusive.
Considerinclusivewaysofcommunicatingtothefullmembership.
Consideradoptingpublicitycampaignstargetingequalitygroupsthatmaynotaccessunionservices.Integrateequalityanddiversitytrainingintotheorientation/inductionperiod.
Accessible democracy and representation structures – section 5Collectandmonitorthediversityofmembersstandingforelectedpositionsintheuniontodetermineequalitygroupsforfuturetargeting.
Carryoutimpactassessmentofrepresentativestructureswithmembersfromequalitygroups,tofindareasofpositiveintervention(whichmaybeechoedelsewherewithintheunion)andtoidentifybarrierstoinvolvementthatrequirestrategyforchange.
Monitortherepresentationofequalitygroupswithinvoterturnouttodetermineanypositiveactionrequiredtoimproveparticipationbyallequalitygroupsinthefuture.
Accessible union services – section 6Carryoutaccessibilityandinclusivityauditsonallunionservicespacestoensuretheyareaccessibletoallequalitygroups.
Considerrunningarangeofeventstoensureequalitygroupsarenotexcludedbyalcoholculture.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
2 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Providetrainingforclubsandsocietyofficersoutliningprinciplesofequalityofopportunity.
Workwithparentinstitution’sdisabilityofficer(orequivalent)toproducematerialsforclubsandsocietiesthatareinclusiveofdisabledstudents.
Equality and diversity for union staff – section 7Carryoutimpactassessmentofstaffrecruitmentpoliciesandpractices.
Provideequalityanddiversitytrainingtoallstaff.
Giventhepotentialreadershipofthisdocumentinthestudents’unionsector,carehasbeentakentoalloweachsectiontobereadinisolation,althoughwerecommendthatsections2(existinginitiativesinthesector),2.2(legislativebackground)and4(accessiblecommunications)areessentialreadingforallstaffandelectedofficers.
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Summary
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1 IntroductionThisguidancerepresentsthesecondstageofa2007/08projectcarriedoutbyEqualityChallengeUnit(ECU)inconjunctionwiththeAssociationforManagersinStudents’Unions(AMSU,www.amsu.net)andtheNationalUnionofStudents(NUS,www.nus.org.uk).Itprovidesfurtherinformationandexamplesofinclusivepracticewithinstudents’unionsinresponsetoresearchundertakenin2007onequalityanddiversityissues.
Theimpetustocreatethisguidanceresultedfromanacknowledgementthatalthoughhighereducationinstitutions(HEIs)havebeenrequiredtoworktransparentlytomeetvariouslegislativedemandsinrelationtoequality,includingrelativelynewagendasofproactiveworkonrace,disabilityandgenderequality,therehasbeenalackofclarityabouttheequalitylegislationrequirementsastheyapplytostudents’unions.
Whilethestudents’unionmovementmayberenownedforchallengingpracticewithinHEIs,ithasbecomeincreasinglyimportantforindividualunionstobeabletodemonstratethattheirownpoliciesandpracticescanwithstandscrutiny.Thisguidanceseekstoexplorewhatismeantbyinclusivepracticeinastudents’unioncontext,andprovidesexamplesofgoodpracticealreadyadoptedinpartsofthesector.Theguidancecoversallfunctionalareasofastudents’union,frommembershipservicesthroughtocommercialservicesandunionstaff,andwillbeusefultoelectedofficersandstaffalike.
TheguidancehasbeenpartlyshapedbyfindingsofresearchundertakenbyECUduring2007.Thisresearchhadtheparticipationofalmost500studentsandmembersofstudents’unionstaff,whorespondedtoECUsurveysseekingtheirviewsontheinclusivenessandaccessibilityofvariousaspectsofunionlife:services,facilities,communications,democraticprocesses,andthebehavioursandattitudesofstaffandstudentofficers.ThesurveyfindingswerepublishedinInclusive Students’ Unions: Survey Findings 2007 (ECU,2007).
ThesurveywasfollowedupwithafocuseventheldbyECUinOctober2007,andattendanceathighereducationconferences,tofurtherinformthisguidance.Manyexamplesofpracticeemergedwhereunionshadproactivelysoughttoincludediversestudentgroups,andsomeoftheseareillustratedinthisguidanceinordertosharelearning.
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
4 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Theguidanceissupplementedbycasestudiestoprovideexamplesofpracticalinterventionsforinclusivepracticealreadyadoptedwithinthestudents’unionsector.Itishopedthatstudents’unionswillwanttotakeupsomeoftheexamplesofgoodpracticehighlightedthroughoutthispublicationtoenhancethediversityofmembersaccessingunionservicesandimprovetheinclusivityofpoliciesandpracticesforstudentsandstaff.
Introduction
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 5
2 Background and legislative contextTherearejustover150highereducationstudents’unionsinEngland,WalesandNorthernIreland–thesamenumberasthereareHEIs.Thereiswidevarianceinthenumberofstaffemployedbyindividualunions,andinthenumberofpaidelectedofficerpostswithineachunion.TheNationalUnionofStudents(NUS,www.nus.org.uk)estimatesthateachstudents’unionhasbetweenfiveandtenpostsforunpaid,part-timeelectedofficers,oftenincludingleadersofwhattheyrefertoas‘liberationcampaigns’,suchaswomen’sofficerandblackstudentsofficerpositions.
Inadditiontolobbying,campaigning,debatingandcarryingoutotherrepresentativeactivities,moststudents’unionsfacilitatestudentactivities(clubsandsocieties,volunteeringopportunities,sport),offersupport(throughadvicecentres,helplines,jobshops),andprovidevenuestobringtheirmemberstogether.Moststudents’unionsreceivesomefundingthroughanannualallocation,alsocalledtheblockgrant,fromtheireducationalinstitution.Manystudents’unionssupplementthisincomefromcommercialsalesfromtheirvenuesandshops,andfrommarketingrevenue.
2.1 The diversity of the UK higher education student bodyIn2007,ECUcommissionedamappingexerciseofequalitydatarelatingtostaffandstudentsinhighereducationinEngland,WalesandNorthernIreland.Thisexerciseidentifiedexistingdataaswellasgapsindata,andhelpedinformEquality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2008(ECU,2008a).Thefollowingsummarisessomeofthekeydatarelatingtothemake-upofthestudentbody.
41.6percentofundergraduatestudentsaremaleand58.4percentarefemale.
35.9percentofallfemaleundergraduatesstudyparttime,comparedwith28.7percentofmaleundergraduates.
Aroundoneinsix(17percent)ofundergraduate(UK-domiciled)studentsarefromablackorminorityethnic(BME)background.TheBMErepresentationisloweramongpart-timestudents,andloweramongwomenthanmen.
ThelargestBMEgroupisAsianorAsianBritish(6.4percent),thenextlargestisblackorblackBritish(5.4percent).
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6 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
8.2percentoftheundergraduatestudentpopulationdeclareadisability,almosthalfofwhomaredyslexic.Justover7000declarementalhealthconditions,accountingfor5percentofthedeclareddisabledgroup.
Almosttwo-thirdsoftheundergraduatestudentpopulationareunder25yearsofage.Science,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)studentsareyoungeronaveragethannon-STEM;full-timestudentsareyoungeronaveragethanpart-time;andwhitestudentsareyoungeronaveragethanBMEstudents.
Partialdataareavailableforsocio-economicstatusofundergraduates.Amongfull-timefirst-yearundergraduates(wherethedataaremorecomplete),justoverhalfcomefromaprofessionalparentalbackground.Fifty-fivepercentofwhitestudentscomefromaprofessionalbackground,comparedwith43.2percentofBMEstudents,andmalestudentsareslightlymorelikelytodosothanfemalestudents.
Someofthesegeneralpatternsalsoapplyamongpostgraduatestudents.Themaindifferencesarethatthegendergapissmallerinpostgraduatestudy,with53.4percentfemaleand41.6percentmale.BMErepresentationamongpostgraduates(14.8percentofUK-domiciled)islowerthanamongundergraduatestudents.Thedeclareddisabledpercentageisalsolower(4.6percent),andfewerdisabledpostgraduatesthanundergraduatesdeclaredyslexiaastheirmainareaofdisability(1.7percentofallpostgraduates).
Postgraduatesare,onaverage,olderthanundergraduates,andalmostathirdareover35.
Intermsofoverallsatisfactionwiththeircourseofstudy,olderstudents(31+years)aremorepositivethanyoungerones,asarewhitestudentscomparedwithBMEgroups,anddisabledstudents.
Historicallytherehasbeenadeficitofresearchintotheexperiencesoflesbian,gay,bisexualandtrans(LGBT)staffandstudentsinhighereducation.Toaddressthisgap,ECUpublishedalarge-scaleresearchreportinMarch2009.TheresearchfoundunequivocallythatwhileHEIsprovideaverypositivespaceformanyLGBTstudents,thereisarealneedforthesectortoengagewiththisareaandreviewhowitprovidessupportandaddressesdiscriminationagainstLGBTstaffandstudents(www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/lgbt-staff-and-students-in-he).Monitoringdataonsexualorientationandgenderidentityarenotroutinelycaptured,meaningthatitisimpossibletocomparetheachievementandsatisfactionofLGBTstudentswiththoseofotherstudents.TheNUSreportsthatLGBTstudentscanface
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Background and legislative context
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 7
discrimination,harassmentandbullyingfromtheirpeersandlecturers,andbarrierstoparticipatinginstudents’unionsbecauseofdirectorindirecthomophobiaandtransphobia.
The2001censusdeclares77percentofrespondentstohaveareligiousaffiliation,15.5percenttohavenoreligiousaffiliation,and7.3percentnotstated.
Itisalsoworthnotingthehighproportionofinternational(non-UK-domiciled)studentsstudyingatHEIs.Figures for 2006/07 from the Higher Education StatisticsFiguresfor2006/07fromtheHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA,www.hesa.ac.uk)showthat12percentofallfull-timefirst-degreestudentsareinternational(non-UK-domiciled),and66and49percentofallfull-timetaughtandresearchpostgraduates,respectively,areinternational(non-UK-domiciled)students.
2.2 Equality legislation and �EIsand �EIs �EIsForthepurposeoftheequalitylegislation,HEIscanbeemployers,educators,serviceprovidersandpublicbodies.Thisbroadrangeoffunctionsmeansthatinstitutionsmustadheretothefullrangeofequalitieslegislationasitappliestoeachtypeofactivity.FulldetailsoftheselegalobligationscanbefoundonECU’swebsite(www.ecu.ac.uk/law),andaresummarisedbelow.
Asemployers,HEIsareboundbyanti-discriminationlegislationinrespectoftheiremployeesinrelationtorace,gender,disability,sexualorientation,age,andreligionorbelief.
Aseducation providers,HEIsareboundbyanti-discriminationlegislationinrespectoftheirstudentsinrelationtorace,gender,disability,sexualorientation,age,andreligionandbelief.
Asservice providers,HEIsareboundbyanti-discriminationlegislationinrespectoftheirserviceusersinrelationtorace,gender,disability,sexualorientation,andreligionorbelief.Whileagediscriminationisnotyetunlawfulinrelationtoserviceprovision,distinctionsbetweenequalitygroupsandanattempttoharmonisethedifferentequalityareaswillbeaddressedintheEqualityBillexpectedin2009.More details of the implementation of the Bill canMoredetailsoftheimplementationoftheBillcanbefoundatwww.ecu.ac.uk/law.
Aspublic bodies,HEIsarerequiredtoadheretoboththegeneralandspecificequalityduties,whichvaryslightlydependingontheequalityarea.Oneofthemostrecentandkeytranchesofequalitylegislationisoftenreferredtoasthe
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Background and legislative context
8 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
‘publicsectorduties’,or‘positiveduties’onequality.Thesedutiescurrentlycoverrace(sinceApril2001),disability(sinceDecember2006)andgender(sinceApril2007).Itisworthnotingthata single equality duty that will also include age,asingleequalitydutythatwillalsoincludeage,sexualorientation,genderidentity,andreligionandbeliefisexpectedtobeintroducedbytheEqualityBill.
Akeyelementofthespecificequalitydutyforrace,disabilityandgenderequalityisthepublicationofanEqualityScheme;somepublicbodieshavechosentohaveoneschemeincorporatingallthreeequalitystrands.Suchaschemeshouldcover:
thewayinwhichpeoplefacinginequalitiescoveredbytheschemehavebeeninvolvedinitsdevelopment
actionsthepublicauthorityhastaken,orintendstotake,tocarryoutequalityimpactassessmentonitscurrentandfuturepoliciesandpractices
howtheauthorityhasgathered(orwillgather)informationabouttheeffectofitspoliciesandpracticesonpeoplefacinginequalities,andhowsuchinformationwillbeused
howthepublicauthoritywillimplementandmonitorthescheme,whichshouldbereviewedatleasteverythreeyears.
Inadditiontocomplyingwiththeirpublicsectorduties,HEIsneedtoensurethe‘fair’operationofthestudents’unionpursuanttotheEducationAct1994,andallowfreedomofspeechpursuanttoSection43oftheEducationAct(No.2)1986.
2.3 Equality legislation and students’ unionsand students’ unionsstudents’ unionsForthepurposesofequalitieslegislation,students’unionscanbeemployersandserviceproviders,andmustadheretotheequalitieslegislationasitappliestoeachactivity.
Asemployers,students’unionsareboundbyanti-discriminationlegislationinrespectoftheiremployeesinrelationtorace,gender,disability,sexualorientation,age,andreligionorbelief.
Asservice providers,students’unionsareboundbyanti-discriminationlegislationinrespectoftheirserviceusersinrelationtorace,gender,disability,sexualorientation,andreligionorbelief.Whileagediscriminationisnotyet
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 9
unlawfulinrelationtoserviceprovision,distinctionsbetweenequalitygroupsandanattempttoharmonisethedifferentequalityareaswillbeaddressedintheEqualityBillexpectedin2009.More details of the implementation of the Bill canMoredetailsoftheimplementationoftheBillcanbefoundatwww.ecu.ac.uk/law.
Positive dutiesStudents’unions,whilenotpublicbodiesintheirownright,willbeaffectedbythepositivedutiesoftheirparentinstitution(exploredinsection2.2).
Manystudents’unionswillbeinvolvedincontractualrelationshipswiththeirparentinstitution,forexamplethroughuseofpremisesandthroughprovisionofservicesonbehalfoftheuniversity.Statutoryguidancefromthethreeformerequalitycommissions(nowsubsumedintotheEqualityandHumanRightsCommission,www.equalityhumanrights.com)remindsHEIsthatcontractsprocuringservicesneedtoincludeconditionsrequiringcontractorstomeettherace,disabilityandgenderequalityprovisionsoftherelevantstatutewhenprovidingservicesunderthecontract.Theguidanceprovided(whichisstillinforce)outlinesthatthesecontractualrequirementsshouldbeproportionatetotherelevanceofthecontracttothepublicsectorequalityduty(formoreinformationseewww.equalityhumanrights.comandclickonForadvisers,Codesofpractice).
Practical stepsOnapracticallevel,itisrecommendedthatstudents’unionsmaintainthesameinstitutionalstandardinrelationtothepromotionofequalityanddiversityastheirparentinstitution.Indeed,AMSU’sDiversity Report 2006recommendsthat‘unionswouldbewisetoactasiftheywerecoveredbythislegal(publicsectorduty)requirement.’Inaddition,students’unionsarecharitableorganisations.GuidancefromtheCharityCommission(2008)suggeststhatoneofthewaysacharitycandemonstrateitisfitforpurpose(hallmark3)istoshowit‘recognises,promotesandvaluesequalityanddiversityinbeneficiaries,staffandvolunteers,andinallareasofitsactivity.’Students’unionsmaydecidethatthemosteffectivewayofensuringfitnessforpurposeinthisrespectisbyimplementingtheequivalentofanequalityscheme.
Background and legislative context
10 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
3 Equality initiatives in the students’ union sector3.1 National Union of StudentsBlack,LGBT,disabledandwomenstudentsarerepresentedbyspecificallyelectedofficersontheNUSNationalExecutiveCommittee.TheofficersconvenethefourliberationcampaignsaimedataddressingtheinequalitiesfacedbyparticulargroupsofstudentswithintheUKeducationalsystemandsupportingtheestablishmentofliberationgroupsandofficersinstudents’unions(thefourgroupshavebeenidentifiedbystudentsthemselvesovertime,andestablishedthroughNUSdemocraticstructures).Theofficersareelectedbystudentswhoself-defineintothosegroupsandareelectedspecificallytorepresentthemandcampaignontheirbehalf.AutonomouscampaignsalsooperateinScotland,WalesandNorthernIreland.StaffworkingintheSocialPolicyUnitoftheNUSalsolookatissuesfacedbymatureandinternationalstudents,aswellasthosewithchildren.NUShasaninternationalstudentcampaign(www.officeronline.co.uk/international)thatincludesaspecificprojectfundedbythePrimeMinister’sInitiative(PMI)forinternationaleducation,whichisdevelopingandpilotinganinternationalstudentstrategyforstudents’unions.
Despite20percentofNUSmembersbeingfromBMEgroups,theyaccountforfewerthan4percentofelectedofficersandsabbaticals(RunnymedeTrust,2007,p.5).AMSU’sdiversitysurvey(2007)indicatesthatBMEofficersfacebarrierstoenteringstudents’unionstaffpositions.
Womenareunder-representedaselectedofficers,despitehavingasignificantlyhigherrateofparticipationinhighereducation(section2.1).Certainelectedpositionsaresignificantlymorelikelytobeheldbymalestudents,includingpresident,treasurer/financeofficer,clubs/societiesofficer,sportsofficer,andLGBTofficer.Theroleofwelfareofficerissignificantlymorelikelytobeheldbyafemalestudent.TheNUSrecommendsthatstudents’unionshavewomen’sofficerpositions,andshouldalsotargetwomenfornon-traditionalunionroles.Genderauditsshouldbecarriedouttoassesswhetherparticularareasofworkaredominatedbyanygender(NUS,2008a).
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 11
Useful eventsInJulyeachyear,theNUSrunsaneventcalled‘Liberation’.Thisisanopeneventforallofficersfromstudents’unions,providingaforumtoexplorethehistoryandreasonswhyliberationcampaignsareessentialinthefightforequality,tofindoutwhatliberationcampaignsdoandwhytheydoit,andhoweachunioncangetinvolved(www.officeronline.co.uk/lgbt,www.officeronline.co.uk/black,etc.).
3.2 AMSU’s Diversity Action Working GroupAMSU’sAnnualGeneralMeeting2005passed a motion noting that increasedpassedamotionnotingthatincreaseddiversity,bothinsocietyandinthestudentpopulation,wasnotreflectedinstudents’unionstaff.Anecdotally,itwasknownthatunionswerestrugglingtorecruitBMEstaffandwomenintoseniormanagementpositions.TheAMSUConferencenotedthatthisneededtobeaddressed,orthemismatchwouldgrowandthemovementwouldfaceacrisisoflegitimacy.ConferenceapprovedtheestablishmentofaworkinggrouptoreporttotheAnnualGeneralMeetingin2006withdataandinformation,benchmarkedagainstother,similarsectors.Thegroupwasaskedtoresearchothersectorstoidentifyeffectivestrategiesandpractices,andtomakerecommendationsforchange.
TheDiversityActionWorkingGroup(DAWG,www.amsu.net/projects/dawg)producedaninitialDiversity Report(AMSU, 2006) summarising the position relatingAMSU, 2006) summarising the position relating2006)summarisingthepositionrelatingtoemploymentofstaffinstudents’unions,andinitiatedanannualstaffmonitoringsurvey,whichhasnowbeenundertakenintwosubsequentyears.
DAWGhaslaidasolidfoundationfortacklingthehistoricallackofdiversityintheworkforceofstudents’unions.AMSU’sdiversitysurveyin2008(www.amsu.net/projects/dawg/diversityreports)indicatesabarriertobecomingamemberofunionstaffforBMEofficers.DAWG’sworkin2009willfocusontheissueofunder-representationofstafffromBMEgroups..
3.3 Students’ Union Evaluation InitiativeInitiativeIn2006,theStudents’UnionEvaluationInitiative(SUEI,www.suei.co.uk)wassetuptoofferanindependentaccreditationandqualityassuranceprogrammeforstudents’unions.Accreditationfollowstwoyears’preparationandasuccessfulfinalauditbasedontheSUEImodel,whichsupportscontinuousdevelopmentbasedontheneedsofstudents.
Equality initiatives in the students’ union sector
12 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
ThefirstfiveSUEIawardswerepresentedattheHouseofCommonsinOctober2008.ThesewenttoLeedsUniversityUnion(goldaward),BathandHullUnions(silver),andTeessideandEssexUnions(bronze).Over50unionsarecurrentlyparticipatinginthescheme,whichissupportedbytheNUSandAMSU.NUSsupportforSUEIincludessecuringfundingbothfromtheNUSitselfandfromtheDepartmentforInnovation,Universities&Skills(www.dius.gov.uk)andtheScottishGovernment(www.scotland.gov.uk).
AtthecoreofSUEIistherequirementforunionstoconnectwithallmembersandtoidentifyanddeliveroutcomesthataddvaluetotheirstudentexperience.ECUworkedwithSUEIin2007tostrengthentheequalityanddiversitycomponentsoftheSUEIKeyLinesofEnquiry(www.suei.co.uk/model_how.html),whichnowreinforcetheimportanceofequalityimpactassessmentinrelationtoalltheunion’sfunctions.
Equality initiatives in the students’ union sector
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 13
4 Inclusive communication strategiesToensurestudents’unionsarecommunicatingeffectivelytothefullmembership,itisimportanttoconsiderdifferentwaysofcommunicatingthesamemessage.Wherepossible,wehaveincludedexamplesofinnovativecommunicationwithstudentsadoptedbysomestudents’unions.
4.1 Knowing who your members areThemake-upofthestudentbodyhasbecomeincreasinglydiverse,anditisimportantnottomakeassumptionsaboutmembers’background,oraboutwhysomedoordon’tparticipateinstudents’unionservicesandactivities.
Thereareanumberofwaysinwhichstudents’unionscanresearchthemembership,whichcanleadtoin-depthknowledgeandacomparabledatasettotrackshiftingdemographics,providekeyinformationastowhois(andisnot)accessingservices,howtheyaccessthem,whattheyfeelaboutthestudents’union,andanybarrierstheyencounterinaccessingwhatisoffered.
Ideasforresearchingthestudentprofilearelistedbelow.
HESAdataprovideaninvaluablesourceofinformationabouttheprofileofstudentsateachHEI(www.hesa.ac.uk).
Requesttheuniversity’sacademicregistrytoprovideanonymiseddataontheprofileoftheuniversitybyequalitygroup(themoredetailedtheinformationthebetter).Ideally,aswellasdetailsoneachoftheequalityareas(age,disability,gender,ethnicity,religionorbelief,sexualorientation),theinformationrequestedshouldincludemodeofstudy(full-/part-time),yearofstudy,undergraduate/postgraduatestatus,andwhetherastudentisacarerorhasdependentchildren.WhilestaffandstudentdataareownedbyHEIs,andthereisnoobligationforthemtodisclosesuchdatatothirdpartiessuchasstudents’unions,unionscanneverthelessmakearequesttoseethisinformationastheHEImaybelikelytocomply.
Undertakelocalresearch(surveysonline,face-to-face)onthestudentprofilebyaskingmembershiphowtheyaccessinformationandwhatbarrierstheyhaveexperiencedonaccessingtheunion’sservices(seecasestudies).
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14 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Wheneverthemembershipissurveyed,itisimportanttogiveaclearexplanationastowhytheinformationisbeingrequestedandwhatwillbedonewithit.
University College London Union (www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-union)
UCLUrunsanannualsurvey,whichconsidersarangeofstudentissues:
satisfactionwithservices
relevanceofservices
levelofuseofcafés,bars,shopsandsports/fitnessfacilities
membershipof,andinvolvementwith,clubsandsocieties
awarenessofadviceandvolunteeringservices
useofadviceandvolunteeringservices
understandingofdemocracyissues
viewsonstudentmediaandinformationservices
studentprofileinformation.
Thesurveyisdisseminatedprimarilyviathewebsite,supplementedbyateamofpeoplewhospeaktostudentsone-to-one,withtheaimofaccessingacross-sectionofthestudentbody.Thesurveyresultsallowtheuniontomakechangestotheirserviceprovisionandconsidertheneedsofequalitygroups.
4.2 Accessible communication with studentsAcommunicationstrategyisacriticalelementinpromotingequalityandencouragingstudentstofeeltheywillbefullyrepresentedandsupportedbytheunion.Toreachthediversestudentaudienceandanticipatetheirneeds,itisvitalthataccessibilityisbuiltintoallformsofcommunication.
Itisrecommendedthatstudents’unionsintegrateequalityanddiversitytrainingintotheorientation/inductionperiod.ThedisabledstudentsubgroupoftheNationalStudentForumadditionallyproposea‘moresystematicapproachtoraisingawarenessofdisabilityamongstthegeneralstudentpopulation,especiallyduringtheorientationperiod,e.g.offeringworkshopsondisability,selfdiagnosispostersandleaflets’(NSF,2008:p.50).
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Inclusive communication strategies
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 15
Someimportanttipstorememberwhencommunicatingface-to-facewithstudentsarelistedbelow.
Ifyouarecommunicatingatameetingorassembly,findoutinadvanceifanystudentshaveaccessrequirements(adjustmentsneededforhearing,visualorphysicalimpairments)andmakeadjustmentsinadvance,forexamplebyprovidingeitheraninterpreterorpalantypist(someonewhotranscribesanyspokenwordsontoavisualscreen);providingvisualmaterialsinalternativeformats;andensuringthevenueisaccessible.
Ifyouarecommunicatingwithagroupofstudentsoneofwhomhasasignlanguageinterpreter,itisimportanttospeakdirectlytothestudent,nottheirinterpreter.
Whencommunicatingwithaspeech-impairedstudent,avoidcorrectingthemorfinishingtheirsentences.Ifyoudon’tunderstand,don’tpretendthatyoudo,bepatientandaskthemtorepeatifnecessary,andtellthemwhatyouhaveunderstoodsofar.
Dyslexicstudentsorthosewithotherlearningdifficultiesmaywishtousearecordingdevicetokeepanaudioversionoftheconversation.Youshouldtryandcaterforsuchoccasionsbyspeakingclearlyandatanevenpace.
Writtenmaterialsshouldbeavailableinaccessibleformatssothatallstudentscanparticipateintheworkoftheunion.Forexample,providingballotpapersinalternativeformatsallowsallstudentstohavetheopportunitytocasttheirdemocraticvote,thusensuringtheunionisfullyrepresentative.
Accessiblewrittenformatsincludeemail,Braille,EasyRead(www.officefordisability.gov.uk/resources/background0604.asp),largeprintandaudiotape.Adisabledperson’srequirementswilldependontheirimpairment,aswellasotherfactors.Forexample,manyblindpeopledonotreadBraille,butinsteadprefertoreceiveinformationbyemailoronaudiotape.Some general tipsSomegeneraltipstorememberwhenproducingelectronicdocumentsaregivenbelow.
Do:
userelevantgraphics,imagesandpicturestobreakuptext
ensuresequentialpresentationsallowenoughtimeforaslowreader(whomayhavetodecodeeachwordseparately)tokeepup
allowtheusertogobackandre-readinformation
useheadingsandwidesidemargins
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16 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
useboxesforemphasis,ortohighlightimportanttext
putkeyinformation,instructionsandtaskstowardsthetopofapage.
Don’t:
continueapresentationuntiltheuserisready(doprovideusercontrol)
usegraphicsthatservenoinformationalpurpose.
(Source:www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials)
Theinternetisanincreasinglyimportantresourceinmanyaspectsofstudentlife.Anaccessiblewebsitewillgivestudents’unionstheopportunitytoengageallstudentswiththeirwork,campaigns,electionsandactivities.Astudents’unionmayhaveawebsitethathasexistedforanumberofyears,somayhavesomeaccessibilitybarriers.
Whileimprovingaccessibilityonanexistingwebsitemayseemoverwhelmingatfirst,thereareapproachestomaketheprocessmoreefficientandeffective.Shouldyoudecidetoupdateyourwebsite,itisadvisabletobecomefamiliarwiththeWebContentAccessibilityGuidelines2.0(www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20).ThesehavebeendevelopedbytheWorldWideWebConsortiumandareaninformativeresourceforanyonewithresponsibilityforwebsitedevelopment.
SomequicktipsforimprovingwebsiteaccessibilityareavailableonthewebsiteoftheWebAccessibilityInitiativeatwww.w3.org/WAI/quicktipsandonthewebsiteofJisc-TechDisatwww.techdis.ac.uk.
4.3 Knowing how to communicate with students
Providing outreach opportunitiesThefollowingcommentsfromtheECUsurveyhighlighttheneedforstudents’unionstoconsiderprovidingoutreachworktoensurethewidestpossibleinclusionofallstudentgroups.
‘Activitiestendtobemoreaimedatstudentswhoarealreadyinvolvedintheunioninonewayoranother.’
‘Staffwillgooutoftheirwaytohelpsomeoneiftheycan–butIimaginethatalotofthetimethatwoulddependonthestudentneedingtoaskforhelpinthefirstplace–sosomepeoplewillremainexcluded.’
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 17
Increasing awareness of the union and its elected officersAlthoughapproximatelyhalfthestudentssurveyedfelttherelationshipbetweenelectedofficersandthestudentbodyasawholewastransparentandfunctionedwell,studentsreportedbeingunawareofthepurposeofthestudents’union,thatofficerscanbeinaccessibleandtheirworkunnoticed,andthattheroleofofficerscanbemisunderstood.
Ideas for increasing awareness of officer rolesUsethestudentnewspapertoshowcasethedifferentpositions,andallowofficerstowriteaboutwhattheydo.
Havewellpubliciseddrop-inhourswhenstudentscancomeandtalktoofficersabouttheirroles.Considerholdingtheseinpublicplaceswherethereisahighfootfall,ratherthanintheoffices.
Itislikelythatthemajorityofstudentsareunawareoftheunseenactivitiesthatstudentofficersspendmuchoftheirtimeengagedin,suchasHEImeetings.Someunionsmanagethisbyplacinganoticeboardinaprominentareaintheunion,listingsabbaticalofficers’whereaboutsfortheweek,toensurethereisaverypublicrecordofexactlyhowbusyofficersare.Makesureyouexplainwhattheworkmeanstostudents–plentyofofficersspendalldayinuniversitymeetingsthatchangestudents’lives,butitishardforthemembershiptoseetheimpactoftheseactivities.
Usee-democracysuchasblogging,onlinetimetablesandregulare-newsletters.Podcastsandweb-basedvideosaboutofficers’rolescanbeagoodwayofmakingsabbaticalofficersmorevisibletothosewhodon’tusetheunion.Bewareofthenewphenomenonof‘Facebookblindness’,however–justasstudentsnolongerseepostersinthehalls’corridor,theymaybecomeincreasinglyunawareofelectronicmessages.
University of Kent Students’ Union (www.kentunion.co.uk)
KentUnionemploysanoutreachworkertomakecontactwithhard-to-reachstudentsand/orstudentswhohaveneverbeeninvolvedwiththeunionbefore.Thisrolewasseentobeparticularlyimportantforstudentsstudyingforhighereducationqualificationsatpartnerfurthereducationcolleges,asthesestudentscanhaveverylittleideaoftheirentitlementtounionservices.
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18 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
5 Democracy and representationThissectionlooksatoneofthekeyfunctionsofstudents’unions:democracyandrepresentation.ItrespondstosomeofthequestionsposedintheInclusive Students’ Unions survey(ECU, 2007), and considers some of the issues around diversity andECU,2007),and considers some of the issues around diversity andandconsiderssomeoftheissuesarounddiversityanddemocraticparticipation.Italsoprovidesexamplesofbestpracticeinrelationtoelectionprocesses,representation,andideasforincreasingawarenessoftherolesofstudents’unionsandofficers.
5.1 Improving the diversity of elected candidatesTheInclusive Students’ Unionssurvey(ECU, 2007) uncovered a perception amongECU,2007)uncovered a perception amonguncoveredaperceptionamongbothunionstaffandstudentsthatthepeoplewhostandfor,orwhoareelectedto,studentofficearea‘certaintypeofperson’.Thispersonisleastlikelytobeapostgraduate,apart-timestudent,oraparentorcarer.Thereportalsoidentifiedissuesaroundthediversityofelectedstudentexecutiveteams,andtheircorrespondencewiththediversityofthestudentbody.Inparticular,thefollowinggroupswereconsideredtobeespeciallypoorlyrepresentedinstudentelectedofficerteams:
BMEstudents
maturestudents
postgraduatestudents
disabledstudents
studentswhoholdareligiousbelief
studentswithdependants.
ResponsesfromstaffinunionstotheECUsurveysuggestedthatalackofdiversityonstudentexecutivesisdirectlyrelatedtobarrierstoparticipatinginelectionprocesses.Thissectionconsiderswaystoimproveelectionprocessessoastoencouragethewidestrangeofstudentstostandforelection.
Research and monitoringCarryoutresearchtoascertaintheexperiencesofequalitygroupsinrelationtotheunion.Thisisakeystartingpointforimprovingthediversityofelectedofficials.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 19
Equalitymonitoringofunioncandidatesprovidesbasicinformationaboutwhoisstandingforelectionandwhoisbeingelected.Thisinformationcanbeusedlatertoidentifywhereproblemsexistinrepresentation,whencomparedwiththedatadescribingthestudentbodyasawhole(section4.1).
Targeted encouragement of a diverse range of candidates for electionsPublicityforelectioncampaignscanbeausefulvehicleforpromotingimagesofdiverserolemodelsinsabbaticalandpart-timepositions.
Accessstudentsthroughpre-existingstudent-lednetworkssuchasdisabledstudents’groups,religiousgroups,LGBTgroups,etc.
Targetcourseswhereparticulargroupsarewellrepresented;forexample,inmanyinstitutionsstudentswithdependantsareparticularlywellrepresentedonteaching,healthandsocialcarecourses.
Supporting candidatesRuncandidates’meetingsinaccessiblevenues,awayfromalcohol,andofferanumberofoptionstoallowthemaximumrangeofstudentstoattend.
Considerofferingsomehelpwithchildcareorcaringexpensesduringthecourseofanelectioncampaign,toenableacandidatewithdependantsathometorunafaircampaignagainsttheiropponents.
Considerallowingjob-sharingand/orflexibleworkingforsome/allelectedpositions.
Ideas to promote standing for election
FinancesThesalariesforsabbaticalofficersareoftennotenoughtosupportdependants.Unionsmaywanttoconsiderwaysofsupportingchildcareneedsandothercaringresponsibilities.
Electionscanbeanexpensivebusiness.Candidatesshouldnotbeputofffromrunning,orsufferadisadvantage,bynothavingalargeamountoffundingfortheircampaign.Cappingtheamountspentbycandidates,orrefundingaproportionback,arepositivestepstocombatthis.
Publicity and communicationsNominationperiodsshouldbeadvertisedearlyandwidely,andinanumberofformats,toensuremaximumexposure(section4.2).
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20 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Heavilypromotethebenefitsavailablewithanyunionelectedposition,forexamplestatingclearlythatforpart-timepositions,expensesareavailableforchildcarewhileonofficialduties.
Informyourstudentsaboutthesingletransferablevoteprocesssothatitisbothdemystifiedandaccessibletothefullmembership.
Createculturalsupportforelections–makesurestudents’unionstaffandelectedofficersareexcitedabouttheelections,andhavearangeofstrategiestoreachouttoadiverserangeofpotentialcandidatesandvoters.Itisimportantthatcurrentofficersusetheirprofiletoappealtogroupsnottraditionallyinvolvedintheunion,andavoidpromotingparticularcandidates.
Wherepossibleusemultilingualballotboxesandelectionpublicity,especiallyinhallsorareaswithalargeinternationalpopulation.
Reading University Students’ Union (www.rusu.co.uk)
In2007/08,RUSUrebrandedthewayitmarketeditsfull-timeofficerelections,leadingto1000morevotesthaninthepreviousyear.Methodsusedincludedadvertisingtheelectionsatermearlierthanusual,viaaleafletdistributedtoawiderangeofstudentsgivinginformationonalltherolesavailableintheelection.Thiswasdistributedtostudents’groupsandsocietiesandinhalls,availableonline,andhandedoutoncampus.Prospectivecandidateswereabletoattendoneofaseriesofworkshops,whichincludedsessionsonwhatisinvolvedinbeingatrustee,howtocampaign,andhowtowriteamanifesto.Theworkshopsbuiltintimetoensureallcandidateshadachancetoaskquestionsandbeinformedonwhattoexpectthroughouttheprocess.
RUSUusedanonlinevotingsystemforthefirsttime,supplementedwithanaccessiblebrochureprovidinginformationonhowthesystemworked.Threethousandhardcopiesweredistributedthroughseveralroutes:availableinthelibrarycomputerarea,online,hand-distributedthroughouttheweekinthecentreofcampus,placedindepartmentsandcomputerrooms,andavailableallweekintheunionbuilding.
Part-time positions and job-sharesJustunderhalfofthestudentswhorespondedtotheECUsurveystatedtheywouldbepreparedtostandforpart-timeoffice,comparedwithjustunderathirdofthosewhosaidtheywouldconsiderstandingforfull-timeoffice.Inparticular,part-timeelectedpositionsappeartohavethepotentialtoappealtomorefemale
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students,morestudentswithareligiousbelief,andmorestudentsinthe18–21agegroup,aswellasthoseintheir40sand50s.Inordertoencouragestudentswhocannotundertakeafull-timecommitmenttostandforfull-timepositions,itisworthconsideringinstitutingjob-shares.
Manyunionsarecreatingnon-officertrusteepositions.Thesearenon-representativeroles,andoftentakeuplesstimethantraditionalroles,butallowstudentstohaveameaningfulinfluenceonthegovernanceoftheunion.Someunionsco-optthesepositionswithaparticularviewtopersuadingstudentswhowouldn’tnormallyruninelectionstobecomeinvolved.
Leeds University Union (www.luuonline.com)
LUUhasbeenproactiveinincreasingthediversityofcandidatesstandingforelectiontotheStudentExecutiveCommittee.IthasconvenedaUnionWorkingGroup,whichlooksatthediversityofthestudentpopulationcomparedwiththeelectedexecutive.Prospectivecandidatesareencouragedtocompleteanequalopportunitiesmonitoringform,whichallowstheuniontoidentifyunder-representationofspecificgroupsanddevisewaysoffuturetargeting.
AnexampleofthiskindoftargetingcanbefoundintheinformationbookproducedbyLUUforpotentialcandidates.Inanefforttotargetinternationalstudents,informationwasprovidedabouttheimplicationsforastudent’svisaandstatusofremaininginthecountryforayeartobeasabbaticalofficer.Theunionalsouseditsannual‘CultureWeek’topromotetheelectionstogroupsrepresentingdifferentcultures,faithsandethnicities.
5.2 Improving the inclusivity of representative structuresTheInclusive Students’ Unionsreport (ECU, 2007) identifies a number of issues in(ECU,2007) identifies a number of issues inidentifiesanumberofissuesinrelationtotheaccessibilityandopennessofelectionprocesses.Bothstaffandstudentsfeltthereweresignificantbarrierstoparticipationforthefollowinggroupsofstudents:
disabledstudents
postgraduatestudents
studentswithdependants
part-timestudents
internationalstudents.
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22 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Issuesidentifiedforthesegroupsofstudentsincludedthelanguageusedbyunions,timetablingclashes,timeconstraints,negativeperceptionsofthestudents’union,andfinances.Inparticular,thefollowingwerehighlightedasproblematic:
shortlead-intimestoelections
meetingsintheevenings(whenstudentsmayhaveotherresponsibilities)
timeconstraints(e.g.notenoughtimeforcanvassingortoholdavoluntarypositionontopofothercommitments)
postgraduatestudents’perceptionofthemselvesasstaffratherthanstudents
accumulationofdebtforpostgraduatestudents
difficultyforstudentswithphysicalimpairmentstoaccessservices
lackofawarenessoftherightofinternationalstudentstobecomesabbaticalofficers
studentswithdependantsfindingitdifficulttomakefull-timecommitmenttoelectedpositions.
Althoughnotidentifiedintheresearch,itisalsolikelythatinternationalstudentsparticipatelessthanothergroupsinstudents’uniondemocracy.Issuesaroundlanguageandculturalunderstandingsofdemocracycanbebarrierstothisgroup(section6.2).
Ideas for increasing access to election processes
�ustingsSomeunionshavechangedthenameof‘hustings’to‘meetthecandidates’–thisisasimplewayofclarifyinganold-fashionedtermthatassumesalevelofknowledgeaboutthepoliticalprocesswhichmanystudentswillnothave.
Candidatemeetingsshouldbeformalandrunaccordingtostrictrules.Whiletheyshouldbelively,thesemeetingsshouldnotinvolveactivitiesthatmaybeoffensiveordiscriminatorytoparticulargroups.TheNUSWomen’sCampaignreportshearingfromstudentswhowereaskedtomud-wrestleandundressincandidatemeetings.Thisshouldclearlybeavoided.
Allowstudentstoemailquestionstocandidates,toenablethosewhocan’tattendtoparticipate.
Producesummariesofcandidatemeetingstodistributetopeoplewhocan’tattend;ifyouhavethetechnology,recordthemeetingsandputthemonyourwebsiteasapodcast.
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Timetabling and locationsHoldvotingandrelatedcandidatemeetingsinanumberoflocationsandatdifferenttimes,inordertocapturediverseaudiences.Manystudents’unionshaveoptedforonlineelections.Itisimportanttoconsidertheneedtobeevenmoreproactiveinadvertisingonlineelectionsthanwithpaper-basedonesforthemtobesuccessful,aswellasinclusive.
Trytoensureallofficialelectionbusinesstakesplaceinalcohol-freezones.
Wherepossible,holdcountsinalcohol-freevenuesthedayaftertheelections(ratherthanlateintothesamenight).Thisallowsallstudentstoattendduringnormaluniversityhours,andwillbenefitthosewithchildren,othercaringresponsibilitiesandthosewhocommutetouniversityfromothertowns.Ithastheaddedbenefitofallowinganyelectionissuestoberesolvedbeforethecountstarts.
Specific representation for groupsRepresentationofanystudentbodycoverstwomainaxes:representingthedifferenttypesofpeoplewhoarestudents(alsocalledliberationgroupsbysomeunionsandtheNUS),andthedifferenttypesofstudents(international,postgraduate,part-timeetc.).
Forthefourmainliberationgroups(women,black,LGBTanddisabledstudents),NUSrecommendsthatstudents’unionshavespecificcampaigningandrepresentationpositions,openonlytostudentswhoarethemselvesfromoneoftheliberationgroups.Inpractice,thisusuallymanifestsasawomen’sofficer,blackstudentsofficer,LGBTofficeranddisabledstudents’officer.Closedpositionsonstudentexecutiveteamsforspecificgroupswillhelptoensurestudentswhobelongtothosegroupsarerepresented.Thelevelofrepresentationwilldifferfromeachuniontothenext,dependingonsize,funding,etc.Manyunionscreateforums,committeesorspecificofficerpositionsforspecificgroupsofstudents.TheNUSadvocatesthatcreatingapositionisnotenoughonitsown.Theremustbesufficientresourcesandsupportforthosegroups,andfortheofficerswhorepresentthem.
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24 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Birkbeck Students’ Union (www.bbk.ac.uk/su)
BirkbeckStudents’Unionrecentlycarriedoutagovernancereviewwiththeaimofincreasingdemocraticparticipation.Thereviewcameaboutpartlyforlegalreasons,butalsoinresponsetoafeelingthatthehierarchicalstructureofasabbaticalfull-timePresidentdidn’tsuittheBirkbecklifestyleofworking/familycommitmentsandpart-timeeducationandresearch.Thishasresultedinanewconstitutionforthe2008/09academicyear.Itincludesanewstructureforstudentrepresentation,whichfeaturessevenequalpart-timesabbaticalofficers,aguaranteedwomen’sofficer,arulethat40percentofcouncilmustbewomen,andacaringresponsibilitiesofficer.Boththeguaranteedwomen’sofficerandthecaringresponsibilitiesofficerpositionsinvolvebeingatrusteeandsabbaticalofficeroftheunion.Thestructureseekstofreeuptimesothatcouncilcangetonwithcampaigningandrepresentation,whilethenewTrusteeBoardwillensurestrategicplanningandcompliance.Italsoprovidesprotectionforautonomousandliberationcampaigning,andthecreationofpeergroups.
5.3 Improving the diversity of member votingNUSElectionResearch2007,whichhadresponsesfrom80students’unionsacrosstheUK,foundthat,onaverage,onlyaroundonein10studentsvoteinelections.TheECU(2007)Inclusive Students’ Unionssurveyfoundthatamongthosewhodon’tvote,themostcommonreasonscitedinclude:
lackofawarenessofelections
notfeelingelectionsareimportant
forgettingtovote
distancefromcampus/problemofsplitcampus
notknowing/notbeingimpressedbycandidates
notbeingaround/involved.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 25
Leeds University Union (www.luuonline.com)
LUUholdstworeferendaeachyearandallowsmemberstosubmitmotionstobevotedon.Inthemostrecentreferendum,theunionhadarecordturnoutof3358votes.Theunionputsthisdowntoanumberofinitiatives,includingthefollowing.
Ballotboxstaffbeingtrainedtoapproachstudentsandengagethemwiththeissuesbeingvotedon.Ratherthansittingbehindtheboxandcollectingvotes,theyproactivelywentoutandencouragedstudentstovote,andexplainedtheissuestothem.Staffwereimpartialontheissuesthemselves,butpromotedthedebateingeneral.
Thiswassupportedby‘cribsheets’summarisingwhatwasdiscussedduringpublicdebatesonthemotions.Thisallowedstudentswhowereunabletoattendtoreadaboutwhathappenedandfollowthedebate.
Ballotboxeswereplacedinanumberofdifferentlocationsaroundtheuniversityandunion,includinginthelibrary;onlinevotingwasalsoavailable.
Stafftomanmultilingualballotboxeswererecruited.Theunionidentifiedthemostcommonlanguagesspokenasafirstlanguagebystudents,andadvertisedtimeswhenstaffspeakingtheselanguageswouldbeattheballotbox.
Campaignmeetingswereheldwithcandidatesproposingmotions,wheretheyreceivedstaffsupportindevelopingideasaroundcreativecampaigning.
Thereferendahadstrongbrandingbasedaroundthethemeof‘buildingchange’.Ballotboxstaffworehardhats,andtheunionwasdeckedoutlikeabuildingsiteforthereferendumperiod.
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6 Membership and commercial servicesInadditiontoitsdemocraticandrepresentativefunction,moststudents’unionsprovidesocialspacestobringmemberstogether,facilitatestudentactivitiesviaclubsandsocieties,operatecommercialservicessuchasbarsandcafés,andoffersupportthroughadvicecentres,helplinesandjobshops.
Thischapterexplorestheequalityanddiversityaspectofthesefunctions,andofferstipsandexamplesofgoodpracticefordevelopingmoreinclusiveandwelcomingservices.
6.1 Social spaceTheInclusive Students’ Unionreport(ECU,2007)showsthatonly50percentofstudentsdescribedgeneralsocialspacesas‘welcomingandinclusive’.Somesimpleideastoimprovetheinclusivityandaccessibilityofsuchspacesarelistedbelow.
Web-basedinteractivetoursand online maps of union offices and buildings canonline maps of union offices and buildings canmapsofunionofficesandbuildingscanaidsomestudentstoorientatethemselvesaboutthelocationoffacilities,whichmayencourageabroaderrangeofstudentstousethem.
Informationonaccessshouldbeavailableinleafletform,inhandbooksandonthewebsite,andshouldstateclearlywhatadjustmentsareavailabletomeettheneedsofequalitygroups(forexample,hearingloopsforhearing-impairedstudents;facilitiesforstudentswithchildren).Thisinformationshouldincludedetailsofdisabledaccesstosocialspacesandotherunionamenities.
Advertiseclearfireevacuationplansfordisabledstaffandstudents.TheDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernmenthasproduceddetailedpracticalguidanceonemergencyevacuationfordisabledpeople(DCLG,2007).
Usecontrastingpaintcoloursfordoorsandcorridors,toassistvisuallyimpairedstudentstonavigateunionbuildings.
Conductanaccessibilityaudit(seeECU,2008b).
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6.2 Commercial services: bars, cafés, shops and entertainmentTheECU(2007)surveyreflecteddissatisfactionaboutalackofchoiceinstudents’unionservices,ratherthananyissueswiththeirquality,inclusivityoraccessibility.Thedominanceofanalcoholculturecameupasachiefconcern.
Somestudentswithareligiousbelief,studentswithchildren,orthosewhoseliveshavebeenaffectedbyalcoholismmaychoosenottoenterareaswherealcoholissoldandconsumed.
Leeds University Union (www.luuonline.com)
LUUmembersaskedforarecreationalareaintheunionbuildingwherestudentscouldrelaxandgetsomerefreshment.LUUdecidedtoopentheJuiceBar.ItwasfeltthattheJuiceBarwouldofferaverygoodalternativetothealcoholcultureintheunionbars.Thebarprovidesarelaxedenvironmentwherememberscangetahealthydrink,madefromfreshfruit.Theyalsohavetheuseofthefreecomputersandcomfortableseating.
Equality and diversity messageItisimportanttohaveaunion-widevoiceonbeinginclusiveandinvolvingstudents.Students’unionsneedtocommunicatehowequalityanddiversityrelatestoeachdepartment,aswellashowtheworkofeachdepartmentaffectstheinclusionandinvolvementofallmembers,andtheexpectationsoftheunion.
Oxford Brookes University Students’ Union (www.thesu.com)
OxfordBrookesUniversitynoticedthatChinesestudentsdidnotappeartoaccessstudents’unionservices,andundertookresearchtoidentifyanybarrierstoaccess.ThisuncoveredamixtureofreasonswhyChinesestudentswereunder-representedinunionactivities,includingpressurefrompeersandparentstoconcentrateonstudy,andnotidentifyingtheunionasaplaceforthemduetoalackofotherChinesefaces.OxfordBrookesStudents’Uniontookavarietyoftargetedstepstoencourageinvolvementofthesestudents,includingmeetingrequeststostockChinesefooditemsinunionoutlets,andinvolvingChinesestudentsinstaffdevelopmentdaystolearnaboutthedifferenceinperceptionofwhatastudents’unionis.
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28 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Range of eventsECUsurveystaffandstudents’responsesfoundtherangeofeventsofferedbyunionstobetoonarrowandfocusedonthe‘traditional’youngBritishstudent.Whererespondentscitedexamplesofevents,thesetendedtobelinkedtofreshers’events.Itwasalsonotedthat,althoughinclusiveeventsareprovided,thesearerarelywellattended.
Theneedforarangeofeventscanbeparticularlyimportantforinternationalstudents.Thisishighlightedbytheinternationalstudentsubgroup’srecommendationsintheNationalStudentForum’sAnnual Report 2008(NSF,2008).Thegroupproposesthattocombatinternationalstudentisolation,unionsshouldbeencouragedtobemore‘internationalstudent-friendly’.Thesamegroupalsoproposedthat‘culturaltransitionworkshops’beintroducedaspartofanorientationprogramme(thismaybeappropriateforbothinstitutionsandunions).
NUSiscurrentlyworkingwiththreestudents’unionsaspartofthePMIforinternationaleducationtodevelopadraftstrategytoembedtheneedsofinternationalstudentsattheheartofunionculture.ThePMIiscoordinatedbytheUKCouncilforInternationalStudentAffairs(UKCISA,www.ukcisa.org.uk).MoredetailsoftheNUSprojectcanbefoundatwww.officeronline.co.uk/international.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 29
University of Sussex Students’ Union (www.ussu.info)
USSUhasincorporatedarangeofeventsthroughouttheFreshers’weekcalendartoprovideopportunitiesforallequalitygroupstogetinvolved.‘Laidbackandlatte’,whichincorporateswatchinglivebandsovercoffee,wascreatedspecificallytotargetnon-alcohol-drinkingstudents,andhasbecomeapopularstapleofFreshers’week.Additionally,USSUrunsaBarnDance,ComedyNight,PoetryNight,MondayFunday(gamesandeventsduringtheday),Re-Fresh(freemassages,healthchecks,healthyfoodanddrink,hairdressers,etc.)andSportsTrialstogiveafullrangeawayfromthestandardalcohol-basedeventsoftheBrightonclubs,pubcrawlsandFreshers’ball.
University of Warwick Union (www.warwicksu.com)
TheUnionhelpsthePostgraduateSocietyputonawelcomeeventinthefirstweekoftermbyhiringavenueintheunionbuilding.TheSocietyusuallyhasaneventeveryTuesdayduringtermtime,supportedbythestudents’union.AmemberofthesabbaticalteamalsoattendsmanyofthePostgraduateInductiontalkstowelcomenewstudentsandtalkabouthowtheunioncansupportthem.Alargenumberofnewinternationalstudents,includingmanypostgraduates,attendOrientationWeek.TheuniversityrunsOrientationWeek,buttheunionworkscloselywiththeInternationalOfficetoprovidesupportforinternationalandpostgraduatestudents.
University of Derby Students’ Union (www.udsu.co.uk)
TheEquality&DiversityCoordinator(afulltimeunionstaffposition)providesresourcestothediversestudentvoicethatmakesupDerby’sstudentpopulation,andassistsintherunningofstudent-ledprojects.TheCoordinatorhelpedruntheStudentshipFestivalin2008,andworkedinpartnershipwiththelocalMulti-FaithCentre,withcommunitycohesionasatheme.Thefestivalwasaweekofstudent-ledeventswithactivitiesrangingfromananti-racismgig,throughIslamicawarenessday,toapoetrynightwithEdinburghFestivalAward-winners.Studentscreatedtheideasforeachday,helpedorganisetheevent,andalsoparticipatedeitherthroughperformances,film-makingordebate.Withineachday,alocalcommunitygrouporpartnerorganisation(suchasStonewall)attended,ranworkshopsorprovidedguestspeakers.TheEquality&DiversityCoordinatorisalsoamemberofDerbyEquality&DiversityNetworkGroup,whichismadeupoflocalcommunitypartners.Thegrouplooksatbenchmarking,sharinggoodpracticeandworkingtowardsjointprojects,oneofwhichisaMultiFaithCalendar,coordinatedbytheunion,sponsoredbymembersofthegroup,anddistributedcity-widefromschoolstopolicestations,studenthallsofresidenceandhealthservices.
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30 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
6.3 Clubs and societiesTheInclusive Students’ Unionsreport (ECU, 2007) cites clubs and societies as the(ECU,2007) cites clubs and societies as thecites clubs and societies as thecitesclubsandsocietiesasthemostinclusiveelementofstudents’unions.Bothstaffandstudentscommentedthatiftherearegapsinprovision,anystudentcanstartone,andwilloftenbeassistedinthisprocess.Clubs,societiesandsportsgroupsareaneffectivewayofbringingdiversegroupsofpeopletogethertoenjoyasharedpassionorinterest.Inthiscontextitwassurprisingthat14percentofstudentsdidnotbelievethatclubsandsocietiesarewelcomingandaccessible,andafurther16percentresponded‘don’tknow’.Analysisoftheresultsshowedthatpostgraduatesappearedtobethegroupthatfeltmostmarginalised.
Theproblemsidentifiedwerethat:
clubsandsocietiescanbecliqueyandelitist
students’attitudesandbehaviourcanbeoff-putting
experienceandknow-howonequalityissuesarenotspreadevenlyacrossclubsandsocieties
thepresenceofadrinkingculture
theuseofinitiationceremonies
groupsdonotdoenoughtoencouragematurestudentsandpostgraduatestoparticipate
resourcesarelimitedintermsofvenues,timeandmoney.
Ideasforimprovingtheinclusivityandwelcomeofclubsandsocietiesincludethefollowing.
SomeHEIsareconsideringprovidingequalityanddiversitytrainingfornewstudents(bothhomeandinternational)coveringthelegalandculturalenvironmentandacceptablemodesofbehaviour.Students’unionsmaywishtolobbyforthistrainingorcollaboratewiththeirparentorganisationtoinfluencethenatureandleveloftrainingprovided.
Providingequalityanddiversitytrainingtargetedatpresidentsofclubsandsocieties,outliningresponsibilitiesandgoodpractice.
Exploitingthepocketsofknowledgeandgoodpracticethatdoexistbycoordinatingsessionstoallowclubsandsocietiestoshareknow-how.
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Introducingincentives/finesforclubsandsocietieswithregardtoequalityanddiversity.
Promoting‘giveitago’schemestohelpstudentsovercomethebarrierstojoiningclubsandsocieties.
Providingwrittenguidanceandtrainingtoclubsandsocietiesonhowtomakeadjustmentstoenabledisabledstudentstoaccesstheseopportunities(unionsmaywanttoutilisetheexpertiseoftheHEI’sdisabilityadviserorequivalent).
University of Sussex Students’ Union (www.ussu.info)
USSU’svaluestatementsinclude‘participation’and‘respect’.
Participation:
‘whereverandwheneverpossiblewemuststrivetoprovideasmanyopportunitiesaspossible,withoutdiscrimination,forstudentstobeinvolvedinallofouractivities,servicesandgovernance’.
Respect:
‘wecommitourselvestopromotingequalopportunitiesintheprovisionofourservices,asanemployerandasarepresentativeandcampaigningbody’.
Thesemessagesareincorporatedintoequalopportunitiestrainingforallelectedofficers,andintheinductiontrainingforclubandsocietymembers.Additionally,clubandsocietymemberswishingtoapplyforfundingforaneventmustdemonstratehowtheireventcomplieswiththesevalues.
University of Derby Students’ Union (www.udsu.co.uk)
UDSUhasadesignatedmemberofstaff–anEquality&DiversityCoordinator–whoprovidesequalityanddiversitytrainingaspartofthewiderinductionforstudentclubsandsocieties.
Club and society initiation ceremonies – the legal contextStudents’unionsareunderstandablyconcernedabouttherisksofinitiationceremoniesgettingoutofhand,withresultingdamagetopropertyorperson,oraccidentsarisingduringsocietyactivities–andwithwherethelegalliabilityforsucheventsrests.
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32 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
Almostallunionsareestablishedbyauniversity’scharterandstatutes,orbyaprocessundertheequivalentarticlesofgovernmentoftheHEI.Inpre-1992universities,onlythreehavestudents’unionsestablishedbyordinancesratherthanbycharter.Ifestablishedbyordinances,theunion’sexistencecanbeterminatedbyactoftheinstitutionwithouttherequirementoftheconsentofthePrivyCouncil.
Theliabilityofastudents’union’sofficers/membersdependsonitsconstitution.Somestudents’unionshavealreadybecomeincorporated,eitherasacharitablecompanylimitedbyguaranteeoracharitableincorporatedassociation(anewlegalstructureintroducedbytheCharitiesAct2006).Eitherway,theliabilityofitsofficers/membersislimitedtoanominalamount(or,inthecaseofthelatter,theymayhavenoliabilityatall).
Whereastudents’unionisanunincorporatedassociation,theunionitselfisnotalegalentityandcannotbesued.Unionofficers(andinsomecircumstancesthemembers)havepersonalliabilityforactions/activitiesoftheunion,andcouldbesuedbyaggrievedparties.
From1October2009,theCharitiesAct2006willintroducesomechangestotheregulationofHEIsandstudents’unions.HEIsinEnglandwillremainlargelyoutsidetheCharityCommission’sjurisdictionandwillberegulatedbytheHigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland(HEFCE,www.hefce.ac.uk).WelshinstutionswillberegulatedbytheCharityCommission.Students’unionswilllosetheirexemptcharitablestatus(whichtheyhavehaduntilnowduetofallingunderanHEIumbrellaofbeinganeducationalcharity).Whereastudents’unionhasagrossannualincomeofmorethan£100,000,itwillneedtoregisterasacharitywiththeCharityCommission(seewww.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/law_and_regulation/charities_act_2006.aspx).
TheCharitiesAct2006islikelytoleadtomostunionsbecomingincorporatedassociations,andmayresultinofficershavingmoreprotectionfromlegalliabilityforunionactionsoractivities.However,regardlessofthelegalentityoftheirunion,officerswillneedtoensurerelevantlegislation(suchasthatrelatingtocontracts,healthandsafetyandequalityissues)iscompliedwith.
Membership and commercial services
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 33
Membership and commercial services
6.4 Union support servicesTheInclusive Students’ Unionsreport (ECU, 2007) highlights that support services(ECU,2007) highlights that support serviceshighlights that support serviceshighlightsthatsupportservicesarewellreceived.Concernswereraisedaboutwhetherservicesreachallsectionsofthestudentmembership,anditwassuggestedthatunionsneedtocommunicatemoreeffectivelyandcreativelytopromoteservices.
Conductingasurveyofthemembershiptoascertainmembers’knowledge,experienceof,andaccesstounion-ledservicesshouldraiseawarenessoftheservices,aswellasprovidingusefulinformationonbarrierstoaccessandwaystoimproveservices.
�ull University Union (www.hullstudent.com)
HullUnionintroducedavirtualreceptionist–VirtualDee–toallowcommunicationwithandaccessibilityforatargetaudiencewhodonotnormallyvisittheunionbuilding.Thesystemoffersareal-timecommunicationmediumformemberswhomayfeeluncomfortable,orchoosenottoaccessservicesinperson.Certainreligiousgroupswhodonotenterthestudents’unionbecauseofthepresenceofalcoholareactivelyencouragedtoseekinformationandguidancethroughtheVirtualDeesystem.Enquiriesonwelfareoracademicadvicearereferredappropriatelytoasuitablyqualifiedpersontoanswer.VirtualDeereceivesanythingfrom15to100enquiriesaday,andhasimprovedaccessibilitytounionservicesconsiderably.
6.5 Under-18sTheintroductionoftheEmploymentEquality(Age)Regulationsin2006hasmadeitdifficultforHEIstosetminimumagerestrictionsforadmissiontouniversity.Theregulationshaveconsequentimplicationsforstudents’unionsintheircapacityasserviceproviders.
InFebruary2008,ECUconductedaworkshopataconferenceorganisedbyUniversitiesUK(www.universitiesuk.ac.uk)andAMOSSHE(TheStudentServices,www.amosshe.org.uk)–‘Safeguardingchildren:issuesforHEIsdealingwithunder-18s’–whichfocusedonwelfareandquality-of-lifeissuesforyoungstudents.Workshopdiscussionshighlightedaviewthatstudentsandtheirparentstendtoseetheinstitutionandthestudents’unionasoneandthesameorganisation–the‘university’–andthereforeitwasfeltimportanttoworktogethertocreate
34 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
asuitablysafeenvironment.SomeHEIsandstudents’unionshaverespondedbycreatingjointpoliciestosafeguardunder-18saccessingtheirservices.
TheIndependentSafeguardingAuthorityistheagencyresponsibleforvettingallindividualswhowanttoworkorvolunteerwithvulnerablepeople.FromNovember2010,institutionsarerequiredtoregisteranystudentsandstaffinvolvedinregulatedactivityasdefinedbytheSafeguardingVulnerableGroupsAct2006.Thisplacesaresponsibilityonstudents’unionstosafeguardunder-18sinasmallnumberofsituations.FurtherinformationcanbefoundonECU’swebsite(www.ecu.ac.uk/subjects/age).
Southampton University Students’ Union (www.susu.org)
AttheUniversityofSouthamptontherehasbeensomecollaborativeworkbetweentheinstitutionandtheunion.Safeguardingofficershavebeenplacedinappropriatestudentsupportareas,withinboththeuniversityandtheunion.Forexample,itwasidentifiedthatstudent-runclubsandsocietieswouldneedsupport,andaunionNominatedSafeguardingOfficer(NSO)islocatedinthedepartmentdealingwiththeadministrationofclubsandsocieties.SouthamptonalsohasastaffmemberinwelfareadvicetrainedasanNSO.Theappropriateunionstaffhaveundergoneanationallyaccreditedtrainingprogramme(fundedbytheuniversity)andarenowqualifiedtosupportunder-18s.
University of Sussex Students’ Union (www.ussu.info)
USSUhasajointpolicywiththeuniversity’sSportsService,whichprovidesclearproceduresforparents,under-18s,staffandvolunteers.Thepolicysetsoutclearproceduresforallpartiestobeabletovoicetheirconcernsorlodgecomplaints.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 35
7 Students’ union staffAMSU’sDiversityActionWorkingGroup(DAWG)hasundertakendetailedworkonstudents’unionstaffandequalityanddiversityissues.ThissectionoutlinestheconclusionsandrecommendationsoftheWorkingGroup,andrecommendsadoptionoftheimpactassessmentapproach,traininginitiativesanddiversitychampions.
7.1 Staff diversityAMSU’sDAWG(seealsosection3.2)researchesandreportsonstaffequalityanddiversitydata,andmakesrecommendationsforchange.TheAMSUDiversity Report 2007,reportingontheresultsofthe2006monitoringsurvey,foundthat:
thestudents’unionworkforceispredominantlywhite,agedunder40,andable-bodied
thereareslightlyhighernumbersoffemalestaffoverall,butmenaremorelikelytobemanagers
thelargertheunionincommercialterms,thelesslikelyitisthatthegeneralmanagerwillbeawoman–30percentofgeneralmanagersoverallarewomen,buttheyareconcentratedinverysmallunions
only6percentofpermanentstaffand4percentofmanagementarefromBMEgroups,comparedwithBMEelectedofficers(18percent)andBMEstudentstaff(30percent)
7percentofstaffreportedadisability
theageprofileshowedonly15percentofrespondentstobeover50;almosthalfofpermanentstaffwereunder30,withanotherquarterbetween31and40
DAWGfoundnoevidenceofovertorconsciousdiscrimination–thesmallsurveyconductedonunions’recruitmentpracticesindicatesthatthechiefconstraintisthelackofapplicants,ratherthandiscriminatorypracticeduringtheprocess
progressionwasidentifiedasanissue,particularlybywomenandBMEstaff
work–lifebalanceisdifficulttoachieveatseniorlevels–unionswereperceivedasoperatingalong-hoursculture.
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36 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
TheAMSU(2007)reportnotes:
‘Unlessthemovementeffectivelyaddressesthisagenda,unionshavediminishingrelevancetoasignificantandgrowingsectionofthestudentbody.Thisislikelytoleadtounions’legitimateremittorepresentstudentsbeingcalledintoquestionbyinstitutions.’
TheInclusive Students’ Unionsreport (ECU, 2007) highlights a lack of clarity(ECU,2007) highlights a lack of clarityhighlights a lack of clarityhighlightsalackofclarityaboutdiversity,inparticularwhetherpermanentstaffshouldreflectthestudentpopulation,orthecommunityfromwhichtheyaredrawn.ThekeymessagefromAMSUisthatbenchmarkingisimportantinorderforauniontoreportonitsimprovement/successinachievinggreaterdiversityamongunionstaff.Thisisexploredfurtherinsection7.3.
7.2 AMSU recommendationsTheAMSUreportnotesthatthereisaneedtoattractandretainamorediverseworkforce,andthatthereisequalaccesstoprogressionforhistoricallydisadvantagedgroups.Toachievethis,DAWGrecommended:
target-setting,monitoringandevaluation
positiveaction
establishmentofamentoringexchange
diversitychampions
training.
Thereportalsorecommendsthatallunionpoliciesandpracticesshouldbesubjecttoequalityimpactassessment(seesection7.3).Tosupplementthisrecommendation,DAWGranworkshopsinMarchandNovember2008topromoteequalityanddiversity,toreviewequalityanddiversitypolicies,andtosharebestpracticeineffectiveimpactassessment.TheseworkshopswereopentoallstaffandofficersinUKstudents’unions.
7.3 Conducting equality impact assessmentsEqualityimpactassessment(EIA)isareviewofanorganisation’spoliciestoensureitisnotdiscriminatingunlawfully–andthatitismakingapositivecontributiontoequality.Theprocessinvolvesexaminingproposedorexistingpolicies,plans,
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 37
strategiesorprojectsinordertoidentifywhatconsequencestheirimplementationmayhavefordifferentequalitygroups.EIAsareakeytoolinmakingunionservicesinclusive,becausetheybothanticipateandrecommendwaystoavoidanydiscriminatoryornegativeconsequencesforaparticularequalitygroup(onthegroundsofage,disability,gender,genderidentity,race,religionorbelief,andsexualorientation).EIAsalsoenableorganisationstoidentifyanddemonstratethepotentialbenefitsforequalitygroupsarisingfromaproposedpolicyorproject.
Suchassessmentsarebestunderstoodinthewidercontextofthepositiveequalitydutiesthatexistintheareasofrace,disabilityandgender(seesection3.3forhowtheseapplytounions).Impactassessmentiscoretothespecificdutiesunderpinningthegeneralduties.ECUhaspublishedguidanceonequalityimpactassessment(www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance/impact-assessment).
AnexampleofimpactassessmentinpracticeisbeingexploredbyAMSU,whoseresearchhasshownthatthelackofdiversityamongunionstaffisaproductofalackofdiversityofcandidates,ratherthananydiscriminatorypracticesorprocedures.Animpactassessmentofpre-recruitmentpoliciesandproceduresislikelytoestablishthestepsthatneedtobetakentoincreasethediversityofcandidates.Thiscouldinvolveunionstakingthefollowingactions:
decidewhichpopulationtomeasureitselfagainst–thelocalorthestudentpopulation
carryoutresearchtoestablishwherethegapsare,andconsiderwhat,ifany,actionisrequired
reviewjobdescriptions,essentialrequirementsandcompetencies,andconsiderifthesearesuitable,necessaryandpresentanyunintendedbarrierstoanyequalitygroups
reviewwhereandhowpostsareadvertised,andconsidertargetingspecificequalityanddiversityorganisationslocallyandnationallyfordistribution
reviewpositiveactionmeasures–ifany–ortheneedforthemifnone
monitorcandidatestoestablishifimprovementsaremade,andwhatthismeansforrecruitment
communicatewhatisbeingdonetoincreasediversity,andcommunicateimprovements/successtostaffandstudents.
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38 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
7.4 Equality and diversity trainingTheInclusive Students’ Unionsreport (ECU, 2007) explored equality and diversity(ECU,2007) explored equality and diversityexplored equality and diversityexploredequalityanddiversitytrainingforstaff.Twentypercentofstafffelttheywerenotwelltrainedinequalityanddiversityissues.Manynotedthatwhiletherewasanever-increasingawarenessofequalityanddiversitywithinstudents’unions,thiswasnotyetmatchedwiththeavailabilityoftraining.
TheissueofstafftrainingwasexploredintheECUfocusgroupeventatwhichparticipantshighlightedunevennessintrainingprovision.Staffattheeventsaidthattrainingavailableconcentratesonfrontlinestaff.Itwasfeltitshouldbeextendedtocommercialservicesstaff,whoseworkhasahugeimpactontheinclusivenessofservicesandhoweventsaremarketedand/orpresentedtostudents.Additionalsuggestionsincludethefollowing.
Providecompulsorytrainingforallstaff.Thissendsapowerfulmessageabouttheimportanceofequalityanddiversitytotheunion.ECUhasproducedguidanceonappointingequalityanddiversitytrainers:www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/choosing-e-and-d-trainers.
Trainingshouldbedevelopedthatistailoredtodifferentroles(entertainment,marketing,strategic,etc.),whichprovidesstaffwithknowledgeoftheimpactofequalitylegislationontheirroles,howtheirrolesinfluencediversity,andpracticalexamplesofhowtomakeimprovementsandachievegoodpractice.
Considerappointingdiversitychampionstoactasthekeycontactwithintheuniontoassistitinengagingwithequalityissuesforstaff(seewww.amsu.net/projects/dawg).Theirresponsibilitymayalsobeextendedtogatherandshareexamplesofbestpracticenationally.
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Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 39
University of Derby Students’ Union (www.udsu.co.uk)
TheUniversityofDerbyfundsthestudents’uniontoestablishanEquality&DiversityCoordinatorpost,toreachouttoandrepresentallstudentsaswellasraisingtheprofileofequalityanddiversitywithintheinstitution.Aswellasprovidingequalityanddiversitytrainingtostudentsaspartoftheirinductiontoclubsandsocieties,theCoordinatorprovidestrainingtounionstaff.Byhavingadesignatedstaffmemberworkingonequalityanddiversity,theunionnowcarriesoutEIAofunionpoliciesandprocedures,andhasintroducedaPlainEnglishPolicy.TheCoordinatoralsoworkscloselywiththeLGBTOfficer,andiscreatingajointcampaignforunisextoilets,aprioritycampaignfortheLGBTstudents.
Students’ union staff
40 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
ConclusionItisclearthatstudents’unionsarehugelyimportantagentsforchampioningandcampaigningfortherightsofstudentsinthehighereducationsector.Itishopedthatthisguidancewillbeapracticalresourcefortheunionsectortoenableinclusivepracticethatmeetstheneedsandentitlementsofthebroadestrangeofstudentsandstaffworkingwithin,andusing,unionservices.
Whilethisguidanceincludesarangeofpracticalcasestudiesfromwithinthestudents’unionscommunity,itisrecognisedthatitislikelytoleavearangeofactivityunacknowledged.ECUwouldbeverykeentohearfromanystudents’unionwithdetailsofspecificactivitythatisbeingundertaken,forinclusioninfutureorupdatededitionsofthispublication.Pleasecontactinfo@ecu.ac.ukquoting‘Students’Unions’asthetitle.
Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice 41
References and further informationAMSU(2006,2007,2008)Diversity Reports. AssociationforManagersinStudents’Unions,Macclesfield.www.amsu.net/projects/dawg/diversityreports
CharityCommission(2008)TheHallmarks of an Effective Charity,revisededn.CharityCommission,Liverpool.www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc60.asp
DCLG(2007)Fire Safety Risk Assessment: Supplementary Guide, Means of Escape for Disabled People.DepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment,London.www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/322721.pdf
ECU(2007) Inclusive Students’ Unions: Survey Findings 2007.EqualityChallengeUnit,London. www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/inclusive-students-unions-survey-07
ECU(2008a) Equality in Higher Education: Statistical Report 2008. EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-in-he-stats-08
ECU(2008b) Inclusive Campus: Accommodation and Social Space.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/inclusive-campus
ECU(2009)Experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff and students in higher education: research report 2009.EqualityChallengeUnit,London.www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/lgbt-staff-and-students-in-he
NSF(2008)Annual Report 2008.NationalStudentForum,DepartmentforInnovation,Universities&Skills,London.www.dius.gov.uk/policy/nsf
NUS(2008a)Students’ Union Election Research 2008.NationalUnionofStudents,London.www.officeronline.co.uk/strongandactive/articles/275629.aspx
NUS(2008b)Accessible Campaigningin NUS.NationalUnionofStudents,London.http://resource.nusonline.co.uk/media/resource/accessible_campaigning1.pdf
NUS/UCCF(2007)Guidance for Students’ Unions and Christian Unions.NationalUnionofStudents/UCCF:TheChristianUnions,London.
42 Inclusivestudents’unions:equalityanddiversityinpractice
RunnymedeTrust(2007)Not Enough Understanding? – Student Experiences of Diversity in UK Universities. RunnymedeTrust,London.www.runnymedetrust.org/publications.html
UCLanStudents’Union(2007)Diversity Report 2007. UniversityofCentralLancashireStudents’Union,Preston.
UnionofBrunelStudents(2005)Widening Democratic Participation.UnionofBrunelStudents,Uxbridge.
UUK(2006)Part-time Students and Part-time Study in Higher Education in the UK. UniversitiesUK,London.www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/Publication-248.aspx
Online resourcesEuropeanStudents’Union–EqualityandAccess.www.esib.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=41&Itemid=271
HigherEducationStatisticsAgency,StatisticsandDataCollection.www.hesa.ac.uk
ImpactAssociates–InclusivitySportsToolkits. www.impact-associates.co.uk/publications.html
NUS–AWoman’sPlaceisinherUnion!www.nus.org.uk/en/Campaigns/Womens-/A-womans-place-
References and further information
www.ecu.ac.uk
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