Dean of the School of Health, Sport and Bioscience (HSB) at the University of East London (UEL), Rob Waterson, writes about the focus on diversity and inclusion within the school, as well as the wider sector, and the policies all universities should implement.
Being openly gay is a big part of who I am, and I didn’t want to hide it in the workplace. I wanted to be authentically myself. Across the sector, there aren’t many people who identify as LGBTQ+ in senior leadership positions. We need more representation everywhere, across all levels and facets of gender, for many reasons, including so people feel safe at work, and so there are role models and people to look up to.
At the University of East London, our Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Amanda Broderick, has created an atmosphere that means leaders can be open and diverse without feeling out of place.
The culture of an organisation is key – you can spend lots of money and make it look good, but building an accepting, open culture takes time, as does building influential, appropriate HR policies around equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). EDI is one of four cross-institutional priorities within Vision 2028, our ten-year strategy.
Our Mental Health Charter Award, created by Student Minds, recognises our ongoing commitment to continually improve the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff. UEL is one of only five universities in the UK to be granted this status.
I am the co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network which champions the positive development of LGBTQ+ related equality and diversity support and representation within the university. It is a network consisting of LGBTQ+ staff, supporters and champions coming together to share stories and experiences with their colleagues. Through this, people are able to feel part of an identity within an organisation.
Another key part of the culture is the Office for Institutional Equity (the OIE), established in 2019 to provide institutional leadership in shaping an inclusive and equitable environment for all within the UEL community, and supporting the creation of an anti-racist institution. This intersectionality is key to having a wide lens across any discrimination may face at work, whether that be disability, race, gender or sexuality.
There are various staff networks across all protected characteristics, and the University’s Executive Board support these. I have a role model myself in gay board member and Chief Marketing Officer, Vanessa Varvas. The network is much more than just talk or just a float at the annual Pride parade – it is a live, living thing. While we are trying to get more LGBTQ+ people on the network, we also have a lot of allies, and that puts into action the support you can receive from your peer.
There was an anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment hate crime against someone on campus recently, and immediate action by the board followed after a round table to make sure people feel safe in the community and feel heard. Equality, diversity and inclusion is a core part of who we are in HSB and is in our vision statement.
I use my lived experience as a gay man and am able to think about how I feel as a minority if someone comes to me needing support. So, how can we support one another?
I use my pronouns for any speeches I give to introduce myself and guests; and I encourage everyone to do that. It can be a big step for someone to do that, and if nothing else, pronouns included in email signatures can start a conversation.
Our rainbow lanyards are popular and create an identity for people to feel represented in a group, as well as giving visibility. It is about opening up conversations, and around not making assumptions. For instance, there can be assumptions around people being married and having kids, or the fact someone maybe straight and not have a partner.
Putting inclusive leadership into practice is important, and we invite different speakers to our events to try to include diverse representation. For example, we were lucky enough to have trans campaigner Paris Lees speak at a recent event.
Personally, I have had a reawakening since becoming co-chair of the network. There is a shared, common understanding of the stigma we’ve faced through life. I’ve experienced physical as well as verbal abuse as a victim of ridicule and hate, and every LGBTQ+ person carries shame. This has been exacerbated by portrayals and stereotypes of gay characters in fiction and on TV, and is only just starting to change.
As a consequence, confidence in your work can be affected. I was more confident before I came out, and am only regaining that confidence now. This is why having a community spirit at work with the network is important, so our staff can live fully as themselves, and have that supportive network around them in the workplace. Of course, we still have a way to go, and lot to learn from the private sector. I hope we can make further change by working closely together on policy, such as a Trans policy.
New English regulation and legislation has already or is about to come into force that interact with existing legislation, producing a more nuanced environment to navigate through. This includes the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
UEL is updating its policies to both ensure they remain compliant and clearly promote expected behaviours in line with our values and vision. The policy update will incorporate 3 key principles:
- Challenge and debate are central to the pursuit of knowledge within universities. It is recognised that the expression of individual views and opinions may cause offence to some. ‘Being offended’ is not a sufficient basis for complaint nor is it legally protected. Censoring or marginalising some groups to protect others is not allowed. Nevertheless, all members of the university community are required to behave with dignity and tolerance for others in work and study.
- Fear of being cancelled can mean leaders don’t speak out or support causes important to them. As leaders it’s our role to understand that what we say carries weight, and that we think before we speak or put things in the public domain.
- Our diversity is our strength – in ideas and viewpoints as well as in individual life experiences. We want every member of staff and student to bring their whole selves to work and study, to feel supported and treated with dignity and respect, whilst also being open to constructive challenge, encouraged to consider alternative viewpoints, as well as to recognise what is not acceptable behaviour.
To find out more about EDI at UEL, visit the website.
