Approved Minutes
UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
20 November 2007
(2:00pm – 4:15pm)
MINUTES
Chair
Present
Apologies
Secretary
Mrs Stamp
Dr Burnett, Mr Capella, Mrs Endean, Ms Fletcher, Ms Jones, Mr Kent, Mr Murray
Mrs Collett, Ms Gray, Dr Martin
Ms Romaine, Graduate Trainee
MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS OF REFERENCE (EADC/07/06)
Noted
Mrs Collett would be retiring from her post as Academic Registrar at the
University in March 2008. EADC thanked Mrs Collett in her absence for her
hard work and commitment to the Committee. She had made a considerable
contribution to equality and diversity at the University this was greatly
appreciated.
30/07
Members questioned whether it was necessary to use titles such as Dr, Mr and
Ms in the membership list.
31/07
Secretary’s note: The inclusion of titles in the membership list was a convention
applied in all University committees.
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MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 22 MAY 2007
Approved
The minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2007.
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MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
a) Establishing a network of equality committees at partner institutions (M. 4/07)
Reported
The first meeting of the equality network had taken place. Equality
representatives from the University, Writtle College, South East Essex College,
Colchester Institute and Insearch had met and discussed the benefits of such a
network, which would be a useful forum for the exchange of documents and
ideas. The next meeting would be held in January 2008 and it was hoped that
representatives from both University Campus Suffolk and the Tavistock and
Portman NHS Foundation Trust would be able to attend.
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b) Update on e-learning package (M. 6/07)
Noted
The Equality and Diversity Unit was able to access data on the individuals who
had completed the e-learning programme and the scores they had achieved. The
Equality and Diversity Officer agreed that, from a rights perspective, users
should be informed that the Unit had this facility, and noted that it would be
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useful for Heads of Sections/Departments to be aware that the Unit could
provide this information for monitoring purposes.
The data showed that uptake of the e-learning programme had been
disappointing. The current approach had been to limit access to certain sections
of the University whilst the programme was phased in. The Equality and
Diversity Officer agreed that more publicity and an ‘open access’ approach
might be more effective in increasing participation and agreed to consider this.
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The Equality and Diversity Officer would also consider the suggestion that the elearning programme be added to Personnel’s Useful Information for New Staff
webpage.
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The e-learning programme was not designed for students, however, students in
specific roles where equality and diversity issues were very relevant, such as
those in the SU or the Residents’ Support Network, would be encouraged to
complete the programme. The Equality and Diversity Officer would contact the
SU to organise this and the SU Equal Opportunities Officer indicated that it was
likely to be a welcome development.
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c) The ‘two ticks’ disability symbol (M. 7/07)
EADC agreed that consultation with Heads of Sections/Departments would help
to galvanise support for the University to apply for the ‘two ticks’ disability
symbol. The Director of Personnel Services would begin the consultation
process.
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DISABILITY MATTERS
a) New training programme for disability awareness
Reported
A programme of disability awareness training was being introduced, with
generic sessions for all staff, and more specific training aimed at academic staff.
It was hoped that in-depth courses on mental health issues and dyslexia would be
introduced once the new training programme was underway.
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Noted
The SU Equal Opportunities Officer queried what training Security staff
received in terms of non-visible disabilities and mental health issues. Student
Support had previously requested to be involved in the training of patrol staff,
however, response to this request had been limited and therefore the Director of
Student Support agreed to follow this up with the Security Manager.
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b) Access Forum’s Terms of Reference (EADC/07/07)
EADC appreciated the Forum’s enthusiasm, however, it was important that the
Forum did not over-formalise itself or duplicate the work of other staff or
groups. EADC recommended several changes to the terms of reference, which
the Equality and Diversity Officer would communicate to the Forum.
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STATISTICS
a) Student equality and diversity statistics (EADC/07/08)
The SSS demonstrated that students with dyslexia rated certain aspects of their
experience, such as learning resources and academic support, less highly than
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the University average. It was possible that dyslexic students were not fully
engaging with the sources of support available at the University.
Reported
The report from Undergraduate Admissions showed that the Department of Law
had rejected 30% of all applicants with a declared disability for entry in 2007/08.
EADC was concerned that this statistic was high compared that of other
departments (allowing for exceptions where low numbers of disabled applicants
which made the percentage of rejected disabled students appear higher).
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The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Comparative Studies agreed to
discuss the high level of rejected disabled students in the Department of Law
with the Dean of the Faculty of Law and Management.
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The report from Graduate Admissions had highlighted that the percentage of
postgraduate applicants who declared a disability was lower than for
undergraduate applicants. The Assistant Director of Student Support (Disability)
agreed to discuss this issue with the Head of Graduate Admissions.
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EADC noted the significant differences in the gender of applicants to
traditionally male and female subjects. It was acknowledged that this was a
problem at ‘grass roots’ level and that the Widening Participation Office worked
with schools to raise the aspirations of local school children. EADC agreed that
it would be helpful if future reports on the gender of applicants could include
some comparison with national averages, if available.
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The report of the Disciplinary and Membership Panel had highlighted the
disproportionate number of Nigerian students who were required to see the
Proctor in 2006/07. One of the cases had involved a student with mental health
problems. Student Support was aware that the percentage of international
students who disclosed mental health problems was lower than for home or EU
students. This was thought to be caused by issues such as lack of special
funding for international students with mental health problems, and cultural
concerns about disclosing mental health difficulties.
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In order to attempt to reduce incidences of conflict, information designed to
enhance cultural understanding had been disseminated this year to students
living in University accommodation.
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KPIs
a) Progress on the Race Equality Scheme action plan (EADC/07/09)
Noted
It was very satisfying to see the areas of progress highlighted in the action plan.
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(b) Progress on the Disability Equality Scheme action plan (EADC/07/10)
An implementation group would be set up to monitor progress in the Disability
Equality Scheme action plan. It was suggested that the Access Forum could
benefit from participation in this group.
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The first year of the action plan had set ambitious targets. More work would be
required from both the SU and Student Support in order to implement the
objectives outlined in the plan.
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(c) Review of KPIs (EADC/07/11)
Resolved
EADC’s KPIs were updated as outlined in Appendix A.
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GENDER EQUALITY SCHEME (EADC/07/12)
Reported
The Gender Equality Scheme had been revised following additional
consultation. The revised version had now been approved by the University
Steering Group.
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Noted
The action plan included a requirement to carry out an equal pay audit. The
Director of Personnel Services reported that the equal pay audit was already in
progress. Initial findings had been positive, although certain areas required
further investigation. The outcome of the audit would be summarised at the next
meeting of EADC.
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The action plan also included a requirement to investigate the possibility for the
cost of pre-paid parking permits to be calculated pro-rata for part-time staff.
This issue had already been raised with the Estates Section, but the Equality and
Diversity Officer would continue to pursue the matter.
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The consultation exercise had found that 31% of respondents did not know who
to contact for advice if they encountered a gender-related issue. It was pointed
out that although these respondents might not know who to contact, they may
still know where to find this information. The Equality and Diversity Officer
appreciated this suggestion and would consider revising the wording of such
questions in future consultation exercises.
57/07
The Equality and Diversity Officer and Ms Dennett were thanked for their hard
work on the Gender Equality Scheme.
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that the Gender Equality Scheme be approved.
59/07
Recommended
to Senate and
Council
EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENTS (EADC/07/13)
Reported
Dr Burnett was a member of the GTA Sub-Committee and reported that the
Committee had already established a working group to consider the
recommendations made by the Equality Impact Assessment Working Group
(EIAWG).
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Resolved
EIAWG had recommended that EADC receive annual statistics on
GTAs/Demonstrators by department and equality target group. EADC agreed
with this suggestion and would incorporate these statistics into its annual
consideration of staff statistics.
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Noted
EIAWG had also recommended that EADC consider whether the timing of the
publication of the teaching timetable could have a negative effect on equality
target groups. It was reported that the timetable had been released
approximately two weeks later than normal this year, and that even this short
delay could have a significant effect on the planning of personal arrangements
such as childcare. However, EADC heard that the Timetable Office already
strived to publish the timetable as early as possible and that there were
significant constraints (such as the need to carry out detailed analysis of complex
data on staff availability) on their ability to publish it any earlier. EADC
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acknowledged the difficulties involved in publishing the timetable earlier, but
agreed that even slight delays could increase the negative impact on GTAs from
equality target groups.
EIAWG had provided useful feedback on the process of conducting equality
impact assessments (EIAs). These suggestions would be noted for future impact
assessments.
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Reported
Two more EIAs were planned for the near future. These would cover student
admissions and the recruitment and selection of staff.
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Agreed
The Academic Registrar, the Director of Personnel Services, the Equality and
Diversity Officer and the Assistant Director of Student Support (Disability)
would meet to agree the membership of the upcoming EIA panels.
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UPDATED POLICY STATEMENT AND CODES OF PRACTICE
Reported
Revision of the Code of Practice on Disability for Students would be completed
shortly.
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a) Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice on Equal Opportunities
for Students (EADC/07/14)
Recommended
to Senate
that the revised Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice
on Equal Opportunities for Students be approved.
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b) Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice on Equality and
Diversity in Employment (EADC/07/15)
Recommended
to Council
that the revised Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice
on Equality and Diversity in Employment be approved.
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c) Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice on the Promotion of
Racial Equality (EADC/07/16)
Recommended
to Senate and
Council
that the revised Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice
on the Promotion of Racial Equality be approved.
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d) Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice on Disability in
Employment (EADC/07/17)
Recommended
to Council
that the revised Policy Statement on Equality and Diversity and Code of Practice
on Disability in Employment be approved.
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Noted
In considering the codes of practice, members discussed use of the term ‘mature
students’. The Director of Student Support, who was in the process of reviewing
the University’s prospectuses, queried whether the term was still appropriate.
EADC agreed that the term was helpful and non-discriminatory and advised that
it should continue to be used in prospectuses.
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PROMOTING DIVERSITY ISSUES IN STUDENT ACTIVITES (EADC/07/18)
EADC found the paper very informative and requested that, if completed, the
outcome of the SU’s Diversity Audit be discussed at the next meeting of EADC.
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ANY OTHER BUSINESS
None.
Date of next meeting: 2pm on 20 May 2008 in the Council Room (6.02)
Camilla Romaine
Graduate Trainee, Academic Section
10 December 2007
F:\eadc\meeting2007-11-20\2007-11-20m.doc
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