In 2019-20 the University organised, hosted or sponsored multiple events throughout the year to celebrate the diversity of the community, build strong community relationships and lead the way with inclusion. Even through the pandemic, our Students' Union did everything they could to represent, celebrate and empower our diverse student population, and delivered one of the most inclusive programmes to date.
In October 2019, a series of events were organised to celebrate arts, culture and provide reflection on black history. Recent events included film screenings, dance classes, exhibitions and seminars. It culminated with a showcase event supported by Santander Universities for students and staff at the College Lane Campus which featured art exhibitions, guest speakers and a Q&A panel, followed by African and Caribbean street food with live music.
The Journeys to Success saw Hertfordshire Students’ Union team up with BAME staff and students from across the University to empower and inspire through our Rise Up Campaign. These were well attended with excellent feedback from students.
In February 2020, Vice-Chancellor Professor Quintin McKellar joined colleagues from across the University to mark the beginning of LGBT History Month by raising the rainbow flag outside Main Reception on the College Lane Campus. There were numerous other events held across the University, including the showing of the film ‘Pride’ by our Hertfordshire Law School and workshops focusing on mental health within the LGBTQ community.
One of the biggest events organised by the Students’ Union was PrideFest for LGBT+, a massive celebration for students and staff across the University. The event was also supported by the Equality Office and our Chaplaincy.
The Equality Office celebrated International Trans Day of Visibility by holding two transgender awareness quizzes to help broaden staff knowledge of issues relating to trans people.
An event in March 2020 was organised for International Women’s Day by the Schools of Humanities, Business, Law and Education, and the Research Office. Topics discussed included everything from the impact of breast ironing, to arranged marriages, women and United Nation sustainability goals, and the history of misogyny in the Israeli Defence.
In February 2020, an event for both staff and students to mark Time to Talk Day was organised by the Health, Safety and Sustainability team and supported by the Equality Office and the Dean of Students. The event also raised £70 for MIND.
For Inter Faith Week 2019 the Chaplaincy teamed up with the Students' Union to stage a 'Pick up a prayer event'. We offered printed prayers from six major faiths in this country - Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Sikh - along with sweets. We challenged passers-by to pick up a prayer that was not from their own tradition. This sparked interesting conversations and some surprise at how acceptable and similar the prayers from different faiths could be.
The Students’ Union celebrated different cultures through the cultural series which included student led events for Diwali and Lunar New Year. The events were a huge success and attended by students from all backgrounds.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Annual Report is published on an annual basis. The report provides an overview of our EDI objectives and key equality and diversity statistics relating to the protected characteristics of our staff and student body.
The report has been approved by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board, the Chief Executive Group and the Board of Governors.
