Respect and Diversity at UWS A Fair Go for all!

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Respect and Diversity at UWSA Fair Go for all!
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Welcome to UWS!

• UWS is a secular university, serving a
• multicultural community.
• We are a diverse community of 36 000
  students and 3000 staff, representing 175
  different countries.

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Key points

• UWS is known as a Fair Go university.
• UWS values mutual respect and civility.
• Our policies are conducive to good community
  relations and effective teaching and learning.
• There is no place for prejudice and unlawful
  discrimination at UWS.

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Prejudice may be based on

• Race, skin colour, ethnicity or religious
  background, descent or national identity.
• Gender.
• Sexual orientation (actual or implied).
• Disability (including physical, intellectual
  and/or psychiatric disability).
• Pregnancy or marital status.
• Transgender identity (living or seeking to live
  as a member of the opposite sex to ones birth
  gender).
• Age.
• Health status e.g. HIV/AIDS.

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What is Discrimination?

• Discrimination means treating someone less
  favourably because they happen to belong to a
  particular group of people.
• Discrimination can be either lawful and unlawful.
• Most of discrimination based on prejudice is
  unlawful in Australia.

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Unlawful Discrimination

• Some discriminatory behaviour is prohibited by
  law
• Race Discrimination Act, 1975.
• Sex Discrimination Act, 1984.
• Disability Discrimination Act,1992
• and the Education Standards (2005).
• Age Discrimination Act (2004).
• NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.

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Lawful Discrimination

• Some discrimination is lawful.
• E.g. failing some units of study and not
  meeting the progression requirements may mean a
  student is excluded from studying at UWS.
• This is a form of lawful discrimination,
  because it is based on reasonable grounds.

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Some behaviours occur as expressions of prejudice

• Vilification
• Harassment
• Bullying

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What is Vilification?

• Is a public rather than private slanderous
  statement that uses Freedom of Expression to
  defame particular groups, denying them respect.
• E.g. Making speeches or distributing material,
  smearing, defaming or denigrating Jews,
  Arabs, women, gays etc.
• This could incite others to hate or for violence
  against a group of people based on prejudice.

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What is Harassment?

• In general, harassment is any form of persistent
  or continued public behaviour that
• you do not want.
• targets you specifically .
• offends, humiliates or intimidates you.
• Not all harassment is unlawful, but at UWS any
  form of harassment is unacceptable.

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Examples of Harassment

• Nazi salutes offending German or Jewish students.
• Sexually suggestive remarks about a persons body
  or appearance.
• Offensive phone calls, emails or text messages.
• Making offensive remarks about anothers cultural
  practices e.g. Muslim prayers.
• Making homophobic jokes in the presence of a gay
  student.
• Writing graffiti about a specific student .

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What is Bullying?

• Bullying involves a domineering and unjust use of
  power to intimidate and hurt a weaker person.
• Bullying behaviour is usually repeated actions.
• This abuse of power causes pain, humiliation and
  powerlessness on the part of the victim.
• Bullying is against UWS policy and will not be
  tolerated.

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Bullying can be open or secretive

• Open includes shouting, being verbally abusive,
  intimidating or humiliating someone in front of a
  group.
• Secretive eg, sending terse or threatening
  emails, or using gossip to undermine someone.
• Dont support bullying, either by participating
  in it or condoning it by your silence.

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A fair go at UWS

• UWS supports your right to be treated with
  dignity, respect and goodwill.

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If you experience or witness discrimination,
harassment, vilification or bullying

• You or the victim should contact
• Your lecturer, Unit Co-ordinator, Program Head or
  Head of School.
• A grievance advisor or the Complaints Unit.

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Equity and Diversity Unit

• Phone [phone].
• Monday to Friday 9.00 am 5.00 pm.
• Building G10 Hawkesbury campus.
• UWS Equity and Diversity policies and website can
  be found at
• www.uws.edu.au/equity

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Further information

• For further information and practical assistance
  please visit
• Equity and Diversity http//www.uws.edu.au/equity
• Student Support Services http//www.uws.edu.au/stu
  dents/ods
• UWS policies procedures and guidelines
  http//policies.uws.edu.au/
• Complaints Management and Resolution
  http//www.uws.edu.au/about/adminorg/corpserv/opq/
  complaint