Equality and Diversity Matters

The School of Government was awarded Athena SWAN institutional status in 2019 in recognition of its continuing commitment towards the advancement of gender equality including representation, progression, and success for all.

In the School of Government, we are committed to creating a caring, accessible, and inclusive environment in which everyone feels they belong and may thrive. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity in our staff and student body, such as differences in nationality, cultural backgrounds, race, ethnicity, disability, age, class, religion or belief, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

We aim to embed this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in our teaching and learning practices, our tutorials, our extensive module choices, our curriculum, student representatives and groups, welfare services, research, and the wide range of events and seminars organised. The School of Government will not tolerate any form of bullying, harassment, or discrimination.

In its evaluation, the Athena SWAN Charter panel commended the School of Government ‘on its commitment and work to date.’ It highlighted ‘the positive cultural changes the School has achieved in recent years,’ in particular ‘the embedding of equality, diversity and inclusion within the School.’

The University of Birmingham currently holds a Bronze Athena SWAN Charter Award. It has also held a Bronze Advance HE Race Equality Charter (REC) Award since May 2020. The University’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Scheme 2021-2024 sets out the University’s strategy for achieving its objective to build a more equal and inclusive environment.

View the Publication of Equality Information 2020, the Gender Pay Gap Report 2020, and the Race Equality Action Plan.

Professor René Lindstädt
Head of the School of Government

“The Athena SWAN Bronze status has been a major accomplishment for the School of Government and is testament to the enormous efforts that the School has put into advancing the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda. As a School, we are not only committed to living up to the high expectations that come with this important award, but to further accelerate the advancement of the ED&I agenda and making it a top priority in everything that we do.”

School EDI Committee

Membership 2023/2024

Members of the EDI committee are available to offer informal discussion and peer support with equality-related matters and where applicable help with identifying or locating further sources of support in the University.

Name	Role	Point of contact for:
Dr Mwita Chacha (he/his)	School Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion	All/general EDI issues, Academic - POLSIS
Dr Emily Scott	Acting School Head of EDI	All/general EDI issues, Academic - IDD
Dr Ash Stokoe (they/them)	EDI Committee Member	Academic, POLSIS, Early Career Researchers, LGBTQ+ network, Disabled students and staff
Dr Licia Cianetti	EDI Committee Member	Academic, POLSIS
Dr George Kyris	EDI Committee Member	Academic, POLSIS, LGBTQ+ network
Dr Abena Frimpoma Dadze-Arthur	EDI Committee Member	Academic, INLOGOV
Dr Bizuneh Yimenu	EDI Committee Member	Academic - IDD, Early Career Researchers
Dr Niheer Dasandi	EDI Committee Member	Academic, IDD
Sobia Baig	EDI Committee Member	Professional Services
Dee Pettier (she/her)	EDI Committee Member	Professional Services
Prof Stefan Wolff	EDI Committee Member, Head of POLSIS	Academic, POLSIS
Yuxiang Lin	School of Government EDI Rep for Postgraduate Research	POLSIS, Postgraduate Researchers
Fatima Madani	Undergraduate School EDI student ambassador	Undergraduate students
Tatheenah Mukulu	Undergraduate School EDI student ambassador	Undergraduate students
TBC	Undergraduate School EDI student ambassador

School EDI Committee Terms of Reference

Purpose

To offer strategic direction, leadership and support for the promotion and maintenance of equality, diversity, and inclusion within the School of Government
To oversee and keep under review the implementation of School EDI strategy and the Athena Swan Action Plan to ensure the School delivers its strategic objectives on EDI. To ensure School actions support EDI in respect of all protected characteristics.
To propose and contribute to the development of policies with respect to EDI within the School of Government and CoSS.
To ensure School actions on EDI – including the work of the EDI committee – are transparent, with key documents and minutes of meetings available on the School EDI website/intranet and, for the internal purposes of the Committee, on Microsoft Teams
To work to build accountability into EDI in the School, building adequate processes that allow the School, Departments and Committee to be held to account in relation to inclusive education, equality in research, and recruitment practices
To represent the fullest range possible of minority and under-represented groups, particularly those who experience multiple forms of marginalisation, within the School, including academic and professional services staff, UG and PGT students and doctoral researchers. To include representation from the School LGBTQ+ networks and POLSIS in Colour
Develop, collate, and share best practice in EDI across the School, College, University
To ensure any labour undertaken as part of the School EDI committee is appropriately recognised and compensated through workload allocation or remuneration if participation does not form part of an existing admin role where participation in the committee would be expected.
Support/organise events for the purpose of awareness-raising and community building
Oversee the School EDI budget
When necessary set up separate working groups to work more intensively on particular projects

Frequency of meetings

Three per semester, six per year
Basic workload allocation agreed by Heads of Department on the basis of 2 hours per meeting, two hours preparation and follow-up (35 workload points)

Membership

School EDI Lead, Chair
1-2 additional members of the School Management Team
5-6 academic staff volunteers through open call, should include mix of early and mid-career and senior academics, permanent and fixed term, with representation across all three departments
2-3 Professional Services staff volunteers through open call
PGR EDI rep
2-3 UG/PGT EDI ambassadors

Sources of Support

There are a range of sources of support in equality-related matters in the School, College and University. In addition to reaching out to the School Head of EDI (Dr Charlotte Galpin – c.a.galpin@bham.ac.uk) or an EDI committee member detailed above, the following links and contacts might be helpful.

School

Head of School – Professor Rene Lindstaedt

Head of the Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS): Professor Stefan Wolff

Head of the International Development Department (IDD): Dr Jonathan Fisher

Head of the Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV): Jason Lowther

School of Government Student Wellbeing - gov.wellbeing@contacts.bham.ac.uk

School LGBTQ Network: Charlotte Galpin c.a.galpin@bham.ac.uk or George Kyris g.kyris@bham.ac.uk

School of Government Student Wellbeing - gov.wellbeing@contacts.bham.ac.uk

School LGBTQ Network: Charlotte Galpin c.a.galpin@bham.ac.uk or George Kyris g.kyris@bham.ac.uk

College

College EDI Lead: Rene Lindstaedt R.Lindstaedt@bham.ac.uk

College of Social Sciences Student Wellbeing

University

UoB Central Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team equality@contacts.bham.ac.uk

UoB Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

UoB Staff Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Student Wellbeing

Student Disability Service

UoB Harassment Support Advisors

University of Birmingham Sexual Misconduct and Violence information, support, and anonymous reporting tool

UoB Enabling Staff Network

UoB Parents Carers Network

UoB Race Equality Network

UoB Women’s Network

UoB Rainbow Network

University of Birmingham LGBTQ Student Support Groups

Guild of Students LGBTQ Society

UoB Damsa (Disability and Mental Health Students’ Association), Guild of Students

There is a range of sources of support in equality-related matters in the School, College and University. In addition to reaching out to the School Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Dr Mwita Chacha m.chacha@bham.ac.uk) or an EDI committee member detailed above, the following links and contacts might be helpful.

Events

There are currently no forthcoming events. For information on any posted events, please contact Mwita Chacha and and the EDI Committee

LGBTQ+ Network

We are a social and support network for all academic staff, students and professional service staff based in the School of Government and its three departments – Politics and International Studies (POLSIS), International Development Department (IDD) and Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) – who are supportive of, or who identify as, LGBTQ+. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and supportive environment across the School and providing a space for LGBTQ+ staff and students.

Core aims

to organise networking, social and educational events aimed at bringing together LGBTQ+ staff and allies, and raising the profile of LGBTQ+ issues across Departments and the School
to provide sympathetic and informal peer support for staff and students and to be a first point of contact for those who wish to confidentially discuss sexual orientation or gender identity issues
to share information and advice on issues and events relevant to LGBTQ+ staff and students
to promote a more comprehensive awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and sensitivities across the activities of Departments and the School, including in curriculum design and teaching
To work closely with the Gender and Feminist Research Group to promote interdisciplinary research on sexuality and queer theory

We work closely with the University’s Rainbow Network and share their vision of a workplace where all LGBTQ+ people feel welcomed, included, and able to reach their potential. We also run an exciting series of networking and educational events throughout the academic year which are open to all.

Peer Support

The Rainbow Network offers a range of support wellbeing services available to all staff and students and is able to provide advice and guidance on where further support can be found, where appropriate.

LGBTQ+ staff and allies are also available for informal discussion and peer advice sessions with staff and students who wish to seek support:

Jonathan Fisher (IDD)
Andy Howell (POLSIS)
George Kyris (POLSIS)
Charlotte Galpin (POLSIS)

Join us

If you would like to join the network’s mailing list, be listed as a peer support contact point or have ideas for events or activities that the network could organise then please contact Dr Charlotte Galpin Associate Professor in German and European Politics, (c.a.galpin@bham.ac.uk) or Dr George Kyris (G.Kyris@bham.ac.uk), Associate Professor in International Politics in POLSIS.

Find out more

University of Birmingham Rainbow Network
University of Birmingham LGBTQ Student Support Group
Guild of Students LGBTQ Society
Stonewall glossary of terms related to the LGBT community
Birmingham LGBT (Birmingham’s leading charity advocating for, and supporting, LGBT communities in Birmingham and beyond)

Information for current staff and students (login required)

View the University of Birmingham's detailed sets of policies, procedures, and guidelines relating to equality and diversity
View guidelines the EDI Committee prepared on how to deal with a complaint or concern
View the University of Birmingham’s Race Equality Action Plan
View the Athena Swan Action plan for the School of Government. Please note a review of the Action Plan will be conducted in 2022.