Welcome to HEEU Newsletter No. 9. This is the first issue of the Millennium and a great deal has happened on the equality front since the circulation of issue 8 (April 1999). We have also been very busy so this is very full issue. Just to let you know too that this is the first issue of our Newsletter to be viewed on the HEEU website at http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/units/equality/
The Higher Education Equality Unit is a national unit, funded by the Higher Education Authority and hosted by University College Cork. Our role is to promote and encourage good policy and practice in relation to the tackling of inequalities in the higher education sector in Ireland. We work to enable and assist higher education institutions to more effectively tackle discrimination against staff and students (potential and current) on the grounds of, for example, class/socio-economic background, gender, disability, race, ethnic or national origin, age, sexual orientation, family status, and religious or political belief.
The HEEU is first and foremost a resource for those inside and outside third-level institutions who are interested in progressing educational equality and justice. We believe that sharing relevant information and raising issues is vitally important. Therefore we distribute our Newsletter widely. We host two e-mail discussion lists (see page 23) and our website is now fully up and running (see page 21). The Resource Centre is now well established in its new premises (see page 3) and we welcome visits and requests for information from all those who are working/researching or just interested in the areas of educational equality and justice. As they say at the Circus &endash; please tell all your friends!! As part of our Information Service we have recently established an Equality Initiatives database (see page 8 for brief overview of information held).
Our work also includes forwarding recommendations and reports to the Higher Education Authority in order to assist the Authority in its assessment of the progress of Equality initiatives. ‘Doing it Differently’ Recommendations on addressing racismand discrimination were launched in Nov 99 as was the report on childcare provision in the colleges ‘Who Cares in the Campus’ .
The HEEU always welcomes input into the development of its work and policy and would invite anyone with an interest in any aspect of our work to contact us.
The Unit is staffed by Orla Egan (Director), Jacqui O’Riordan (Deputy Director), Bernie Fitzgerald (Secretary/Administrator), Olive Broderick (Information Worker), Pat O’Connor (Resource Centre Assistant) and Emma Bidwell (Publications). The work and the development of the HEEU is overseen by a Management Board, chaired by Eamon Tuffy of the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, and the HEA.
The HEEU Newsletter is compiled by Orla Egan, Jacqui O’Riordan and Olive Broderick.
Typing and proofreading: Emma Bidwell and Bernie Fitzgerald. Graphics and Layout; Emma Bidwell and Anto Gibbs.
Editorial Board: Eamon Tuffy, Orla Egan, Jacqui O’Riordan
The Editorial Board would like to thank all the contributors to Newsletter No. 9
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the HEEU or its editors.