City Students’ Union is here to represent and provide services for all students. It is crucial therefore that our student groups and committees reflect the diversity of our membership and are inclusive and accessible to all. 24 The Union, and associated student groups, is governed by policies, approved by our Board of Trustees. This includes our Equality and Diversity Policy which can be found here. The Union will oppose discrimination, inequality and injustice, and promote freedom of expression and the autonomous political decision-making of its members.
Student groups should be committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment, free from any form of prejudice or discrimination. To achieve this you’ll need to be proactive, collecting feedback, listening to members, and bringing new ideas to the committee.
Promoting an inclusive student group culture
It is important to remember that many people will fall into more than one of these groups. These groups include:
- BAME Students
- International Students
- Students with Disabilities (including physical disabilities, mental health conditions and learning difficulties)
- LGBTQIA+ students
- Women
- Students of Faith
- Mature Students
- Students with families and caring responsibilities
- Local/commuter Students
- Postgraduate Students
- Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds
- Students with specific dietary requirements
- Students with low confidence
Tips for promoting an inclusive culture:
- Challenge inappropriate or offensive remarks which could alienate members, including: ableist language, racism, sexism (including talking over women), homophobia, and transphobia (including using the wrong pronouns intentionally or unintentionally) (e.g. politely telling a friend what they have said is offensive or speaking to a member of SU staff after the event).
- Introduce an inclusion committee position- this position could work with other committee members to ensure that inclusion is taken into consideration in all student group activities. They could also get feedback from members on how to ensure everyone can get involved.
- Collaborate with other student groups on events and activities.
- Add a commitment of inclusivity to your society webpage. This statement could outline the steps you are taking to promote an inclusive culture.
- Educate yourself- the Union delivers lots of training and development for committee members. You could attend an EDI training session and take learning back to your committee meetings to input into events/activities.
- Champion students’ union campaigns and liberation events.
- Including an accessibility statement on all student group events. This should include a description of the activity covered, basic information about physical accessibility, trigger warnings and who students can contact if they have further questions regarding accessibility.
- Choose accessible spaces for your events; ensure that the event can be access by students with disabilities both visible and invisible.
- Sharing information on EDI events and sharing statements released by the students’ union.
If you have any EDI-related questions, please get in touch! You can also contact the University's amazing Office for Instituional Equity and Inclusion (OIEI) at edi@city.ac.uk.