inclusive students’ unions - equality challenge unit ... · section header 2 inclusive...

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


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

http://www.amsu.net

http://www.nus.org.uk


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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http://www.nus.org.uk


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

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/lgbt-staff-and-students-in-he


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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http://www.hesa.ac.uk

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/law



‘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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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.



http://www.equalityhumanrights.com

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com


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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http://www.officeronline.co.uk/international


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

http://www.officeronline.co.uk/lgbt

http://www.officeronline.co.uk/black

http://www.amsu.net/projects/dawg

http://www.amsu.net/projects/dawg/diversityreports


http://www.suei.co.uk


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

http://www.dius.gov.uk

http://www.scotland.gov.uk

http://www.suei.co.uk/model_how.html


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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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

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-union


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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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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http://www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20

http://www.w3.org/WAI/quicktips

http://www.techdis.ac.uk


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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http://www.kentunion.co.uk


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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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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Democracy and representation


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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http://www.rusu.co.uk


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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http://www.luuonline.com


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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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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http://www.bbk.ac.uk/su



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.


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.

Membership and commercial services


http://www.thesu.com


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.


http://www.ukcisa.org.uk




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.


http://www.ussu.info

www.warwicksu.com

http://www.udsu.co.uk


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).


USSU’svaluestatementsinclude‘participation’and‘respect’.

Participation:

‘whereverandwheneverpossiblewemuststrivetoprovideasmanyopportunitiesaspossible,withoutdiscrimination,forstudentstobeinvolvedinallofouractivities,servicesandgovernance’.

Respect:

‘wecommitourselvestopromotingequalopportunitiesintheprovisionofourservices,asanemployerandasarepresentativeandcampaigningbody’.

Thesemessagesareincorporatedintoequalopportunitiestrainingforallelectedofficers,andintheinductiontrainingforclubandsocietymembers.Additionally,clubandsocietymemberswishingtoapplyforfundingforaneventmustdemonstratehowtheireventcomplieswiththesevalues.


UDSUhasadesignatedmemberofstaff–anEquality&DiversityCoordinator–whoprovidesequalityanddiversitytrainingaspartofthewiderinductionforstudentclubsandsocieties.

Club and society initiation ceremonies – the legal contextStudents’unionsareunderstandablyconcernedabouttherisksofinitiationceremoniesgettingoutofhand,withresultingdamagetopropertyorperson,oraccidentsarisingduringsocietyactivities–andwithwherethelegalliabilityforsucheventsrests.

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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.


http://www.hefce.ac.uk

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/law_and_regulation/charities_act_2006.aspx

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/law_and_regulation/charities_act_2006.aspx



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

www.hullstudent.com

http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

http://www.amosshe.org.uk


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.


USSUhasajointpolicywiththeuniversity’sSportsService,whichprovidesclearproceduresforparents,under-18s,staffandvolunteers.Thepolicysetsoutclearproceduresforallpartiestobeabletovoicetheirconcernsorlodgecomplaints.


http://www.ecu.ac.uk/subjects/age

http://www.susu.org



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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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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Students’ union staff


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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http://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance/impact-assessment


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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http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/choosing-e-and-d-trainers

http://www.amsu.net/projects/dawg



TheUniversityofDerbyfundsthestudents’uniontoestablishanEquality&DiversityCoordinatorpost,toreachouttoandrepresentallstudentsaswellasraisingtheprofileofequalityanddiversitywithintheinstitution.Aswellasprovidingequalityanddiversitytrainingtostudentsaspartoftheirinductiontoclubsandsocieties,theCoordinatorprovidestrainingtounionstaff.Byhavingadesignatedstaffmemberworkingonequalityanddiversity,theunionnowcarriesoutEIAofunionpoliciesandprocedures,andhasintroducedaPlainEnglishPolicy.TheCoordinatoralsoworkscloselywiththeLGBTOfficer,andiscreatingajointcampaignforunisextoilets,aprioritycampaignfortheLGBTstudents.




ConclusionItisclearthatstudents’unionsarehugelyimportantagentsforchampioningandcampaigningfortherightsofstudentsinthehighereducationsector.Itishopedthatthisguidancewillbeapracticalresourcefortheunionsectortoenableinclusivepracticethatmeetstheneedsandentitlementsofthebroadestrangeofstudentsandstaffworkingwithin,andusing,unionservices.

Whilethisguidanceincludesarangeofpracticalcasestudiesfromwithinthestudents’unionscommunity,itisrecognisedthatitislikelytoleavearangeofactivityunacknowledged.ECUwouldbeverykeentohearfromanystudents’unionwithdetailsofspecificactivitythatisbeingundertaken,forinclusioninfutureorupdatededitionsofthispublication.Pleasecontactinfo@ecu.ac.ukquoting‘Students’Unions’asthetitle.


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.


http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/publications/cc60.asp

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/322721.pdf

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/inclusive-students-unions-survey-07

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-in-he-stats-08

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/inclusive-campus

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/lgbt-staff-and-students-in-he

http://www.dius.gov.uk/policy/nsf

http://www.officeronline.co.uk/strongandactive/articles/275629.aspx

http://resource.nusonline.co.uk/media/resource/accessible_campaigning1.pdf


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

http://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications.html

http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/Publication-248.aspx

http://www.esib.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=41&Itemid=271

http://www.esib.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=41&Itemid=271


http://www.impact-associates.co.uk/publications.html

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/Campaigns/Womens-/A-womans-place-

www.ecu.ac.uk

© Equality Challenge Unit 2009. ECU’s publications are produced free of charge to the �E sector. Information can be reproduced accurately as long as the source is clearly identified. Alternative formats are available: E: [email protected], T: 020 7438 1010.

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Equality Challenge Unit supports the higher education sector to realise the potential of all staff and students whatever their race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and belief, or age, to the benefit of those individuals, higher education institutions and society

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