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21 February 2012 |
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• News
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Downloadable Calendar 2012 now available
The Equality and Diversity Team has produced a calendar for 2012 which can
be downloaded from the Equality and Diversity website.
This calendar engages with various themes and issues related to equality
and diversity. It contains dates for relevant events, programmes and
deadlines.
The calendar is a living document and will be updated regularly to
showcase forthcoming events relating to the School's Equality and Diversity
agenda. To have your event featured in the calendar, please email
equality.and.diversity@lse.ac.uk
Download a copy of the calendar
here.
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• Direct View
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• Carolyn
Solomon-Pryce, equality and diversity adviser
My role at LSE is essentially to clarify equality law as it relates to staff
and students and to oversee the way in which those responsible for
making decisions fulfil their legal obligations. However, I like to
think it extends much further than this. Creating an environment in
which difference can flourish is at the heart of what I do. My goal is
to ensure that those with whom we study, teach and work can access the
opportunities which the School offers, whilst being supported to develop
as individuals.
LSE has always been committed to promoting equality and diversity, but
there are several reasons why we have produced this Equality & Diversity
Special now. In recent years, several drivers have provided a
stimulant for change: the Equality Act 2010 has brought about a significant
overhaul of anti-discrimination legislation; at the same time, our School
population has become more diverse at an unprecedented rate, and so too have
people's attitudes and levels of tolerance towards inequality.
The Equality Act 2010 replaced previous anti-discrimination laws,
removing inconsistencies and making the law easier for people to understand
and comply with. The Act
covers nine protected characteristics, and by design protects everyone
against unfair treatment, recognising that everyone shares one or more of
those characteristics.
LSE's reputation as one of the most renowned social science universities
in the world makes the Act especially relevant to the School. With a
cosmopolitan staff and student population, and over 100 languages spoken on
campus, the Act presents us with an exciting opportunity, not just to take
legal responsibility but to tell a genuinely interesting story, which in
turn will help drive the conversation on social justice and equality
internally.
The opening up of the debate about difference is challenging. In order to
make the debate real, however, we need to widen it and take it out of the
realm of ticking boxes and creating policies. We need to hear from curious
minds used to passionate inquiry, to fully promote our commitment to this
agenda. A risky approach, some may argue, but one, in my opinion, that is
very timely.
I see a most exciting learning opportunity ahead. I believe the
forthcoming series of equality and diversity events will engage people on
different levels - mentally, socially and emotionally - allowing real
learning with longevity to take shape.
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• Events and workshops
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LGBT History Month Quiz
Wednesday 22 February at 6pm in the Senior Common Room, Old Building
Places can now be booked for SPECTRUM'S LGBT History Month Quiz, which will
include a Question of Sport round as well as rounds on aspects of LGBT
history. Places are limited and you don't need to book as part of a team -
teams can be made up on the night - but team bookings are also fine if you
would like to come with a group of colleagues.
To book or for more information, email
spectrum@lse.ac.uk
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LGBT
History Month Archive Session
On: Thursday 23 February at 6pm in R301, Library
The Hall-Carpenter Archives (HCA) are Britain's major resource for the study
of lesbian and gay activism in the UK since the publication of the Wolfenden
Report in 1957. Housed in the LSE Library, there are three main sections to
HCA: records and publications of gay organisations and individuals in the UK
and worldwide; gay, lesbian and bisexual newspapers and magazines, from 1954
to date,
collected from the UK and the rest of the world, particularly the USA; and
ephemera from 1907 onwards. More on the HCA
here.
This event is free but booking is required. To attend this tour, organised
by SPECTRUM, email spectrum@lse.ac.uk
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Achieving Good Quality Sleep
Students: on Monday 27 February at 1pm in KSW 1.04, 20 Kingsway.
This event is full but a place on the waiting list can be booked via the
LSE Training System
Staff: on Monday 12 March at 1pml book via the
LSE Training System
This workshop will look at a range of difficulties associated with sleep,
including stress and mental health. It will increase your understanding of
its process and examine a number of strategies and ideas about how you might
work towards achieving better sleep.
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Mindfulness
and Stress Management (for students)
On: Tuesday 28 February at 12 noon in CON 7.05, Connaught House
Mindfulness is an approach which can help reduce the amount of time you
spend worrying about things. This workshop will look at how mindfulness can
be combined with other practical techniques to reduce stress and better
manage the pressures of everyday life and work.
Students can book online via the
LSE Training System.
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Class
Wars/Culture Wars: Owen Jones and the chavs
On: Thursday 1 March at 5-6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Sue Christoforou, policy analyst and campaigner,
Professor Mary Evans, centennial professor at the Gender Institute, LSE,
and Owen Jones, author of Chavs: the demonization of the working class.
This
event, which runs as part of the LSE Literary Festival 2012, examines the
concept of the British 'underclass', or the 'chavs', and asks has a social
identity has been created for them that sees only the negative in their
behaviour?
This event is free but a ticket is required. To request a ticket see
Class Wars/Culture Wars: Owen Jones and the chavs.
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Mental
Health First Aid (for staff)
On: Wednesday 21 and Wednesday 28 March at 10am in TW1 1.01, Tower
One
This course, run over two days, aims to give staff the knowledge and
confidence to recognise signs of mental health problems and to offer help
and guidance towards obtaining professional support. It is aimed at those
without specialist mental health training, but who might encounter mental
health issues in the course of their work.
Staff can book online via the
LSE Training System.
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• Groups and webinars
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The LSE Student Counselling Service is running the following groups
for students this term.
Stress management group (for students)
This group will be run by the LSE Student Counselling Service for three
weeks starting on Thursday 23 February
from 11am-1pm. It
will offer opportunities to explore anxieties and concerns (including about
exams and essays), help participants develop coping strategies and learn
relaxation techniques.
Self-esteem group (for students)
This
group will be run by the LSE Student Counselling service starting on
Monday 27 February from 11am-1pm. It will offer participants
opportunities to manage social anxiety and look at ways of developing self-esteem.
Booking is required for both these groups. To book a place, email
student.counselling@lse.ac.uk
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Webinars (for staff)
These quick-bite webinars include top tips for flexible working, managing
workload and maximising efficiency at work. They will be available to view
through the
Working Families website
- Top Tips for Working Mothers: how to banish the guilt (in
celebration of Mothering Sunday), Thursday 15 March from 10-10.15am
- Finding your MOJO: building motivation and performance at work and
life, Thursday 19 April from 10-10.15am
- Balancing Work and Being Dad: how to be there (in celebration of
Father's Day), Thursday 14 June from 10-10.15am.
For more on Working Families, see
www.workingfamilies.org.uk
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• Best of the blog
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Visit the Equality and Diversity at LSE blog at blogs.lse.ac.uk/diversity.
To contribute, write to
equality.and.diversity@lse.ac.uk
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Dalam Botol, Malaysia’s first ‘gay’ film: two steps forward, one
step back
Dalam Botol, a film with a ‘queer’ character, became a huge success within a week of its release in Malaysia because it
presents a contrast to the usually conservative censorship laws of the
country. But the film has not been that well received in the LGBT circle of
Malaysia. Alicia Izharuddin, a doctoral student in gender studies at the School
of Oriental and African Studies, explains why.
More
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Brief Reflections on Disability Theory, Language, Identity,
Equality and Inclusion
Nicola Martin (pictured), head of the Disability and Wellbeing
Service
at LSE, reflects on the way that ‘special needs’ language can lead to negative identity
fixation and elaborates on the requirement to engage disabled people in
developing inclusive practice to minimise disadvantage and promote equality
of opportunity.
More
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Reflections on the role of women in Ramadan
Sara Yasin, who graduated from LSE’s Gender Institute in 2010,
critically reflects on the role of women during Ramadan - their duties,
access to public religious spaces and their status within religion and
family. She talks about how her personal experiences made her question and
rethink Islam and its practices and how she learnt about Islam from a
feminist perspective.
More
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Tackling Multiple Discrimination: delivering equality in the 21st
century
The Equality Act 2010 sought to introduce the concept of multiple
discrimination into legislation but failed to deliver on its objectives.
Iyiola Solanke, a visiting fellow at the LSE European Institute, argues that the
approach to incorporating protection from multiple discrimination in law
needs to move away from the current additive or cumulative approach.
More
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Interview with Ted Brown, Gay Liberation Front veteran
Theodore (Ted) Brown is a Gay Liberation Front (GLF) veteran and the main
motivator of Black Lesbians and Gays Against Media Homophobia. In this
exclusive interview, Ted Brown shares his feelings about his early days of
involvement with the GLF and his best and worst memories of the time and
reflects on the current issues that need urgent attention of LGBT activists.
More
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• 60
Second Interview
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with...Erik Baurdoux
I was born in the Netherlands and,
after some years in Brussels,
Edinburgh and Bath, I obtained a PhD
in Mathematics from Utrecht
University in the Netherlands. Since
2007 I have been working as a
lecturer in statistics at LSE.
I like trying things I have never
done before. Apart from mathematics,
an important aspect of my life is
raising awareness and challenging
stigma regarding mental health
issues. I am passionate about the
Time to Change campaign, which has
exactly that aim, and it has been a
great source of inspiration for me
to get involved with it. I have been
involved for a while, and in fact
was
the face of a campaign by Time to
Change to end discrimination
experienced by people with mental
health problems which was publicised
in Staff and Student News a couple
of years ago.
I enjoy being a befriender for
Mind in Camden and I have also just
become a member of the Lived
Experience Advisory Panel for a
research project involving Rethink
Mental Illness as well as
researchers from UCL. Its aim is to
explore the best ways to predict and
manage cardiovascular risk in people
with severe mental illnesses. As
most of my own research is rather
mathematical and abstract I enjoy
contributing to such a practical and
important project.
What is your best memory at
LSE?
If I had to choose a single
moment it would be accompanying our
MSc students to Cumberland Lodge and
seeing their excitement when they
had the opportunity to meet the
Queen. The best overall experience I
have had was the feeling of
depression lifting and being able to
enjoy the simple things again such
as a cup of mint tea with a friend
in the Garrick.
And the worst?
A large part of 2009 and 2010 I
spent in a dark swamp. Because of
depression, it became a struggle for
me to do even the most basic things
such as eating and getting out of
bed. Somehow, I still managed to
teach my lectures, but overall I
felt completely lost at LSE, just as
I did in respect to almost all
aspects of my life at that time.
What are some activities at
LSE you are involved in outside your
job?
Together with Ann O’Brien from
Health and Safety I started the
Mental Health Mutual Support Group,
which has informal meetings once a
term and is open to any member of
staff at LSE who would like to
discuss mental health issues. I also
very much enjoyed the Spanish course
I took in the Language Centre.
What is your favourite
pastime?
I love travelling, cycling,
playing squash, reading and drinking
peaty whiskies (not all at the same
time though). I’m a novice meditator.
If you could spare £1,000,
what cause would you donate to?
I would split it in equal parts
between Mind, Rethink Mental
Illness, the Samaritans, and Shelter
as these charities all offer vital
support to people in distress
regardless of their background.
Describe what would be an
ideal day for you at LSE.
It would be a sunny day and after
cycling in to work I talk to
students about things they are
struggling with and also about what
is going well. I teach for two hours
and as it is a nice day I join
colleagues to go for lunch in
Lincoln’s Inn Fields. After lunch I
do not receive any referee or
reference letter requests, but
instead get an invitation to speak
at a conference in Japan. The
afternoon is quiet so I have time to
do some research. I then join some
friends at a public lecture by
Stephen Fry.
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• Networks and meetings
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There are many networks that students and staff can join
DERN
Disability Equality Research Network (DERN) is a cross-LSE informal network
that provides disabled and disability researchers with an opportunity to
share their work with critical peers. It meets once a month.
Contact: k.s.beninger@lse.ac.uk
Disabled Staff Network
Open to disabled staff, carers of disabled people, and allies who have an
interest in disability issues.
Contact:
network.disabled.staff@lse.ac.uk
EMBRACE (pictured top)
EMBRACE is the School’s black and ethnic minority group open to all staff.
Contact: embrace@lse.ac.uk
Gender Equality Forum
Staff network of women across LSE committed to addressing gender inequality
in pay, access and culture.
Contact: h.johnstone@lse.ac.uk
Mental Health Support Group
Open to all staff who have experienced mental health difficulties or are
interested in mental health issues.
Next meeting: 15 March, 1pm, TW1 3.02, Tower One.
Email Health.and.Safety@lse.ac.uk
to confirm your attendance.
Neurodiversity Interest Group
A group for both staff and students with neurodiverse conditions to meet
other members and exchange strategies.
Next meeting: 7 March, 1pm, LCH 2.04, Lincoln Chambers
Contact:
disability-dyslexia@lse.ac.uk
SPECTRUM (pictured bottom)
LSE’s LGBT staff network
Contact: spectrum@lse.ac.uk
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