- Employee , Student
- 11/10/2022
What's your experience of diversity at TU/e?
When it comes to diversity and inclusion, what do the students and employees of universities and universities of applied sciences think? To answer this question, the magazines of 22 universities and universities of applied sciences have joined forces to produce a survey for distribution at all HE institutions. Not only will this give us a picture of the situation across higher education, we'll also be able to compare each institution's results. But first we need your help. Please complete this survey - it takes about 10 minutes.
The investigation into diversity and inclusion is an initiative of the Kring van Hoofdredacteuren Hoger Onderwijs Media, (de Kring), which promotes independent journalism within higher education (HE) . Ries Agterberg, the group's president, explains why this theme was chosen: “Diversity is a much-discussed topic, both within and beyond higher education. To what extent is diversity policy needed, and if it is, how far can you go in introducing diversity politics? Is HE going too far or, conversely, not moving quickly enough? In a lecture recently, the justice minister said woke culture is jeopardizing academic freedom at universities. Is this true? We want to use this investigation to discover what students and employees think about diversity and inclusion.”
The survey addresses various issues and asks what the HE institutions should be prioritizing in terms of diversity and inclusion. What do students and employees at TU/e think of the measures already taken, like the appointment of diversity officers, diversity week and the appearance of the rainbow picnic benches as an alternative for the defunct rainbow crossing? And where is there room for improvement?
To participate
Would you like to take part in the survey? It comes in two versions, one for students and one for employees. You have until the end of October to send in your answers. The survey results will be published in a series of articles later this year.
The role of de Kring
In 2020 the Lower House was the scene of a heated debate about a National Action Plan for more diversity and inclusion. Broadly speaking, there were two schools of thought. The one said: pay no attention to diversity and ethnic background, it's only about quality. The other said: sometimes quality doesn't emerge because certain people are disadvantaged. What do students and employees think?
Over and above collecting opinions, the investigation offers the opportunity to share personal experience. “Are there students and employees who feel excluded, or feel they are experiencing discrimination? And if so, do they know where they can report this?”
The survey is not de Kring's only contribution within this project. Its members' magazines are also researching the policy being pursued by universities and universities of higher education. What priorities are the executive boards setting? The survey can help us get a better understanding of whether there's a mismatch between the priorities of institutions and students' and employees' ideas on diversity and inclusion.
Funding
De Kring's project has been made possible by support received from the Stimuleringsfonds voor de Journalistiek, an organization that supports investigative journalism in the Netherlands. De Kring has received more than 100,000 euros in funding. The survey draws on interviews with editors of all the participating magazines and has been compiled by Newcom Research & Consultancy. The anonymity of all answers will be safeguarded. Respondents can, if they wish, indicate that a journalist from their own institution may contact them to talk further about their experience.
Discussion