About the Committee
Updated: April 2012
Below you will find information on the following:
A. Information about the Committee
B. History of the Committee
C. Current Membership of the Committee
A. Information about the Committee
1. Name of Committee:
The name of the committee shall be the UCC Equality Committee.
2. Statement of Purpose :
The Committee shall be responsible for promoting equality of access and equality in employment and opportunity for staff and students of UCC, for overseeing the implementation of Equality Legislation in the University and for making recommendations to the University Management Team on all matters relating to Equality.
3. Membership and Meetings:
a. Membership
Originally the Committee comprised of an Executive Board and Advisory Group. To make more effective use of the time of those attending the meetings and to balance the portion of time spent by the Committee on the consideration of student equality issues as well as staff eqaulity issues, the Board and Group were merged to create two new sub-strata; a Student Equality Sub-Committee and a Staff Equality Sub-Committee. See Appendix A for membership of both Committees.
In order to aid its operation, the Equality Committee may from time to time arrange for subgroups to consider specialist issues and bring forward recommendations to the Committee. The membership and duration of these sub-groups shall be determined by the issue in question.
The Chairperson of the Staff Equality Sub-Committee shall also be the Chairperson of the Student Equality Sub-Committee. This person shall be nominated by the President.
In attendance for specific items of business:
RelevantUniversityOfficers/Staff shall attend as requested by the Committee.
b. Frequency of Meetings
The Equality Committees shall meet twice a year (February & May) and a plenary meeting will take place annually (October) with both Committees in attendance.
c. Quorum
The quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be 50% of membership plus one.
4. Terms of Reference :
The student and staff sub-committees shall have joint responsibility for:
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driving the equality agenda in UCC ensuring equality is a key consideration in all plans developed by the four colleges and the University as a whole;
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ensuring the University complies with all legislative requirements in relation to equality matters, with particular reference to the Universities Act 1997, the Employment Equality Acts 1998 - 2008, the Equal Status Acts 2000-2004, the Disability Act 2005 and any other relevant legislation;
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approving, overseeing and providing guidance anddirection for the achievement of the objectives identified in the University Equality Strategy 2010 - 2012;
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bringing to the attention of the University Management Team developments in national and European equality policy that have implications for UCC;
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making recommendations to the University Management Team on addressing inequalities in the University and make suggestions on positive action measures;
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submitting an annual report to UMTS and to Governing Body on the progress of the Committee;
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highlighting anddiscussing inequalities in the University;
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contributing towards the objectives set in the University Equality Strategy 2008 - 2012;
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evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of the University’s equality anddiversity policies, procedures and plans;
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reviewing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with legislation and codes of practice;
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maintain the development of equality training programmes developed by the University and;
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assisting in the promotion and mainstreaming of equality throughout UCC.
5. Reporting Relationships:
The Committee reportsdirectly into the University Management Team (Strategy) on a yearly basis in advance of its annual report to Governing Body. This report will be jointly prepared by the student and staff equality sub-committees.
Period of Office:
The period of office of the Equality Committee shall be co-terminous with Governing Body.
6. Administrative Support:
Support and administration for the Student Equality Sub-Committee will be provided by the Disability Officer from Office of the VP for Student Experience and support and administration for the Staff Equality Sub-Committee will be provided by the EODS team in the Department of Human Resources and Organisational Development.
In addition, the Department of Human Resources and Organisational Development will provide the support for the annual plenary meeting. The sub-committees and plenary will be chaired by the overall chair of the Equality Committee and both sub-committees will be responsible for setting their own agendas to meet the goals identified in this strategic document and for compiling their respective sections of the Equality Committee’s annual report for UMTS and Governing Body on progress in achieving this plan.
Information and Contact:
Kieran Creedon, Employee Relations Officer, 021 490 3604 kcreedon@per.ucc.ie
APPENDIX A
Student equality Sub-Committee
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Chairperson
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Secretary – Disability Support Officer
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Vice President for the Student Experience
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SU President (ex-officio)
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SU Post-Graduate Officer (ex-officio)
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SU Equality Officer (ex-officio) or nominee
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Mature Student Officer
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Support Officer for International Students
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SU Welfare Officer (ex-officio)
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UCC Plus Programme Manager
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Buildings Officer
Staff Equality Sub-Committee
- Chairperson
- Secretary – HR OD Advisor
- SEFSCollegeManager
- Director of Development and Alumni
- LGBT NetworkStaff Liaison Officer
- Staff member from a minority religion/non Irish national staff member
- Buildings Officer
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4 staff members with a special interest in Equality
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Representative from Association of Research Contract Staff
B. History of the Committee.
The Committee on Equality of Opportunity was established by the Governing Body of U.C.C.
in 1990. Its remit is defined as: "to advise on the formulation, implementation and monitoring of a programme of positive action in pursuit of equality of opportunity within the College. The Committee reports annually to the Governing Body".
The role of the Committee on Equality of Opportunity was further consolidated under the Universities Act, 1997. In pursuant of article 36 (1) which states:
- A governing authority shall, as soon as practicable but not later than 12 months after it is established under this Act and at such other times as it thinks fit, require the chief officer to prepare a statement of the policies of the university in respect of:
- ( a ) access to the university and to university education by economically or socially disadvantaged people, by people who have a disability and by people from sections of society significantly under-represented in the student body, and
- ( b ) equality, including gender equality, in all activities of the university, and the chief officer, in preparing the statement, shall have regard to such policies on those matters as may from time to time be determined by the Minister.
The University equality policy statement:
"University College Cork is committed to working towards equality of opportunity in all aspects of its business for staff and students."
The Committee is interested in a broad range of issues encompassing equality of opportunity.
In previous years, the Committee has focused on gender inequality within UCC. This resulted in a number of recommendations to Governing Body, which are available for viewing in the Annual Reports section of this site. A guide to Non-Sexist Language was published by the Committee in 1993 distributed to all staff. It was subsequently reissued in 1994 and 2003. The committee has been involved in a range of initiatives and publications in relation to the prevention of harassment and bullying. In 2000 the Committee was instrumental in a diversity survey of existing staff being carried out. This report on the Analysis of the Equality and Diversity Survey is available online.
The Committee has also focused on bringing UCC into line with new equality legislation contained in the 1997 Universities Act, the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts. It has produced documents on Interview Policy and Practice (see ) to ensure a fair recruitment process in UCC. A comprehensive submission of the equality policies of the University was submitted to the Higher Education Authority in 2001 (see X)
The Committee was actively involved in pursuing improvements in creche facilities, the introduction of anonymous assessment, equality/diversity monitoring, and a review of scholarships for compliance with equality legislation and has had a number of successes in these areas.
Further information on the Committee's work is available in the Annual Reports to Governing Body.
This website is a further initiative aimed at making the work of the Committee known to those whose interests it serves and to make the Committee accessible to the staff and students of the University.
All committees of the University are currently under review; this committee is soon to be reinvigorated into a highly productive one.
C. Current Membership of the Committee
Student equality Sub-Committee
- Chairperson – Dr Geraldine Boylan
- Secretary – Ms Mary O’Grady, Disability Support Officer
- Vice President for the Student Experience
- SU President (ex-officio)
- SU Post-Graduate Officer (ex-officio)
- SU Equality Officer (ex-officio) or nominee
- Mature Student Officer
- Support Officer for International Students
- SU Welfare Officer (ex-officio)
- UCC Plus Programme Manager
- Buildings Officer
Staff Equality Sub-Committee
- Chairperson – Dr Geraldine Boylan
- Secretary – Employee Relations Officer
- SEFSCollegeManager
- Director of Development and Alumni
- LGBT NetworkStaff Liaison Officer
- Staff member from a minority religion/non Irish national staff member
- Buildings Officer
- 4 staff members with a special interest in Equality
- Representative from Association of Research Contract Staff
