Minutes

Name of Committee Equality and Diversity Committee
Date and time 9th December 2014, 14:00
Place The Board Room
Present Members
(voting)
Alison Mcmanus
Communications Coordinator Thomas Gleeson
LGBT Coordinator David Wikramaratna
Vice President Student Communities Anjit Aulakh
Race & Ethnicity Coordinator Chibeza Mumbi
Equality & Diversity Officer Sam Bailey
Disabilities Coordinator Orla Sheehan Pundyke
Faith and Religion Coordinator Miriam Animashaun
Absent with Apologies Coordinator without Portfolio Ed Baird
University Diversity Alexander Melhuish
Vice President Welfare Beckie Thomas
Absent without Apologies Gender Identity Coordinator Rebecca Lake

Actions and Decisions

TypeDescriptionWho
Action Email Improving Participation Report to Committee Alison Mcmanus
Action Invite Zone Coordinators to next meeting Sam Bailey
Action Ccontact Union Films with regards to availability, films with subtitle option and cost.
Action Contact Comms Team to publicise any subtitled event arranged. Sam Bailey
Action Ask for permission for Committee member information to be put on E&D Facebook Forum Sam Bailey
Action Pro choice policy to be prepared and taken to next E&D Committee meeting for discussion. Beckie Thomas, Orla Sheehan Pundyke
Action Promotion of vacant E&D positions: Age Coordinator and Coordinator without Porfolio. Sam Bailey
Action Discuss Action Plan for Equality Impact Assessment at next meeting. Sam Bailey
Action Email updated version of Impact Equality Assessment to Committee. Alison Mcmanus
Action Prepare timeline for Impact Equality Assessment implementation and bring to next meeting for discussion. Beckie Thomas, Sam Bailey
Action To hold a sign language only day in SUSU with involvement of Sign Soc. Anjit Aulakh
Action Discuss taking gender balance on Disciplinary Committee to Ideas session at Union Council. Sam Bailey
1. Matters Arising from Minutes of the last meeting (13 November 2014)

Matters arising from the previous meeting of 1st October were went through as were not covered in meeting of 13th November.

  • Improving Participation Report was not emailed to the Committee.
  • The Equality Impact Assessment Policy was taken to Union Countil on 8 December and the policy was passed.
  • Produce a list of student groups to contact to ask for planned events - This has been done since this meeting.
  • Invite Zone Coordinators to next meeting - This action was not carried out.
  • Bring Trans Inclusion policy to next meeting - An update was received by Alex Melhuish by email.  The policy has been sent to Kamaljit Kerridge-Poonia, Head of Equality & Diversity at the University.  Kamaljit has raised it with Jeremy, Steve White (Interium COO) and Kevein Monaghan, Director of Estates and Facilities.  No feedback has been received yet.  Kamaljit will chase a response.
  • Contact Union Films and Sign Society regarding films to be shown - Orla updated that Union Films were booked up for this semester, so will look into available for next Semester.  There is an option to show a DVD but not as effective as showing a more up to date and popular film with subtitles.  Orla will check prices for a more recent film.
  • Contact Comms Team to publicise any subtitled event arranged - Will do when film arranged.
  • Send list of Black History Month event to Communications Crew - Done
  • Inform E&D of Inclusivity Sessions to attend - Information sent and some E&D committee members attended.
  • PDF of Freshers' Mag to E&D Committee - This was put on Facebook Group.
  • To request that 'Inclusive' is included in SUSU's values - This was discussed further at ?.  However the 'inclusive' will not be added as a value.
  • Look into the suggestion of idea facebook forum - It was asked if there was a list of committee members on facebook?  There isn't.

Matters arising from meeting of 13 November

  • Pro choice discussion went to Union Council.  Members interestested to hear what other unions have done.  A policy will be produced and will be brought back to next meeting for discussion.
  • Vacant E&D Committee positions were promoted but no one came meeting to nominate themselves.  More promotion will be carried out in time for next meeting.
  • Accessiblity Discussion Meeting Notes have been typed up.
  • Trans Gender Day of Remembrance vigil was well attended followed by a talkk from Chryslis Charity.  Keen to repeat again next year.
  • Ideas for University E&D Development Strategy Vision for 2020 were passed to Alex.  These included Access, Trans and stigma on mental health.
  • Promotion of Election Coaching to Student Leaders was not done, but 22 ex Sabbatical officers have signed up.

 

Action Email Improving Participation Report to Committee (Alison Mcmanus)
Action Invite Zone Coordinators to next meeting (Sam Bailey)
Action Ccontact Union Films with regards to availability, films with subtitle option and cost.
Action Contact Comms Team to publicise any subtitled event arranged. (Sam Bailey)
Action Ask for permission for Committee member information to be put on E&D Facebook Forum (Sam Bailey)
Action Pro choice policy to be prepared and taken to next E&D Committee meeting for discussion. (Beckie Thomas, Orla Sheehan Pundyke)
Action Promotion of vacant E&D positions: Age Coordinator and Coordinator without Porfolio. (Sam Bailey)
2. Improving Participated Project Update

Zoe updated on the Improving Participation Project.   Sabbatical Officers will be updating the opportunity profiles for all of the Student Leaders within their Zones.

3. Election coaching update

Beckie advised that Election Coaching will be offered to support any candidate prior and during election.   Ex Sabbaticals have offered to mentor candidates.   Emphasis will be to promote this to under represented groups as defined in the Improving Participation Project Initiation Document.

4. Accessibility Discussion report

Following the discussion that took place in the Bridge Anjit and Beckie will take suggestions to Tony Addison, Head of Commercial Development.  It was suggested to have a campaign to highlight alterations required.

 

Zoe commented that now that the Equality Impact Assessment has been passed at Union Council the committee need to work out how E&D can drive this forward.  She suggested at next meeting to discuss an action plan for bringing this forward.

 

Anjit advised that there are employers who only employ staff with disabilities and customers can only order in sign language.  He suggested a day where only sign language is used with an incentive given.  Suggested that Sign Society are involved.  Anjit to speak to Sign Soc and Orla.

Action Discuss Action Plan for Equality Impact Assessment at next meeting. (Sam Bailey)
Action Email updated version of Impact Equality Assessment to Committee. (Alison Mcmanus)
Action Prepare timeline for Impact Equality Assessment implementation and bring to next meeting for discussion. (Beckie Thomas, Sam Bailey)
Action To hold a sign language only day in SUSU with involvement of Sign Soc. (Anjit Aulakh)
5. Disciplinary Committee gender balancing - discussion

Sam advised that it was raised at a Zone meeting that currently there is no gender balance required for the make up of Disciplimary Committee and asked if we should ensure that gender is balanced on the panel for Disciplinary Committee?  It was thought that this would be difficult to ensure it happened for every hearing as it is down to the availability of the pool of students whether they can attend the hearing or not.  It was thought that there would be other areas to consider too, if it was ensured that the panel was gender balanced fairness for other areas such as racist members of the panel, etc would need to be considered.

 The outcome of the discussion was for Sam to discuss taking this idea to Union Council with Beckie Thomas and Guy Drury, Democracy Coordinator.

Action Discuss taking gender balance on Disciplinary Committee to Ideas session at Union Council. (Sam Bailey)
6. LGBT History Month Project Update

Sam updated that a proposal for budget from the Innovation Fun has been submnitted for a special edition of the Wessex Scene and the Edge to tie in with LGBT History Month.  The project has been award £814 for this.  Some money from the diversity budget will be used to run events during the month too with the involvement of other societies.  One suggestion was to hold a panel event. 

 

7. Any other business

Next meeting date to be first week of February 2015.

As there was no other business the meeting closed at 3.15pm.

Key: P (Papers Provided), PF (Papers to Follow)