University Relaunches its Diversity and Inclusion Calendar

The University has relaunched its Diversity and Inclusion Calendar this year in an effort to promote diversity initiatives and disseminate educational materials. September was Accessibility Month and this October will focus on Race and Ethnicity Equality. The Calendar will be “a central repository and communication channel to promote and highlight events, activities and learning related to People and Diversity themes from across our University community,” People and Diversity Executive Officer Pamela Dobson explained. 

‘Diverse’ is a theme of the University Strategy, with Action Nine of the University’s Diverse Action Plan making a commitment to “further develop and expand the Diversity Calendar as a mechanism for developing, bringing together, and promoting diversity initiatives across the University and create a central hub for sharing EDI initiatives and ideas.”

Dobson, who is managed by Vice-Principal (People and Diversity) Dr Rebekah Widdowfield, is responsible for drafting the Calendar, taking staff and student feedback into account. A new webpage dedicated to different themes under the umbrella of Diversity and Inclusion is set to be published every month. Each page will feature sections for accessing multimedia resources, calls to action letting students know how they can be involved in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work, event spotlights, and more.

The purpose of the Diversity and Inclusion Calendar is primarily informative. “No new events are being created centrally as part of the Diversity Calendar work,” Dobson said. “We recognise that both students and staff across the university are already doing a large amount of positive work related to the Diversity Calendar themes, and the new webpages seek to gather this information in one central location,” she continued.

The site is meant to engage the University community. For Accessibility Month, the Disabled Student Network was contacted and given the opportunity to provide feedback. The Sabbatical Officers also suggested additions. “We shared our themed week calendar, which includes weeks organised by our equalities subcommittees, with the team behind the Diversity Calendar so that information regarding particular weeks could be included in the resource,” Director of Wellbeing and Equality Caitlin Ridgway told The Saint. The Diversity and Inclusion Calendar will be discussed at the first Student-Staff Equality Forum with student representatives from the Equality Committee, which will “potentially promote further student engagement,” Ridgway continued.

Dobson has additionally consulted with Afro-Caribbean Society (ACS) President Zahra Gueye about the Calendar. “It is a step in the right direction,” Gueye expressed. “EDI leaders on campus who are students take so much time in our week alongside class planning and organising these events. We truly deserve a platform and a larger audience for the things we put together.”

Gueye emphasised it is important that the Calendar be more than an informative tool. “While awareness is a good place to start, EDI calls for specific action … On days honouring a certain cultural heritage, for instance, it may include pertinent student organisations, the steps the institution is taking to assist that group or measures that the community can support,” Gueye said.

For UK Black History Month this October, the ACS will host their annual Panel of Power, which is supported by the University’s EDI fund. The society has invited five speakers from various sectors to St Andrews to have a panel discussion around the theme ‘Reclaiming Voices’. The event will be advertised on the Diversity and Inclusion Calendar.

Dobson recognises that the Calendar must be an ever-evolving project. “The Diversity Calendar is very much a work in progress and the team welcomes […] ideas on how to best communicate with students who would like to be involved in drafting future pages,” Dobson said. The pages are still being drafted and input from any student or society is welcome. Ideas can be sent to edicomms@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Gueye is optimistic about the positive impacts the Calendar can have on the University community. “In the end, I want the Calendar to create a lasting dedication to EDI by integrating it into the University’s culture and fostering camaraderie among students via respect for one another and common principles,” she concluded.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons