Diversity & Welfare

RUSU is committed to promoting equality and diversity throughout our work. We strive for an inclusive and safe atmosphere and all our activities are governed by the principle of equal opportunities for all. No individual will be treated differently on the grounds of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or ethnic origin, disability, marital or parental status, religion and belief, age or any other reason.

As the leaders of our Societies, Sports Clubs, JCR and Volunteer Activities you have a crucial role to play to make sure that everyone, regardless of background, can get the most out of their time here at Reading.

RUSU provides lots of support to help you make sure every student is fully included in your activities. Your team of 9 elected Part-time Officers represent and further the rights of students who have typically been under-represented and/or faced discrimination. Their role, alongside RUSU’s Diversity Officer, is to promote inclusion and to support other students across the Union, University and beyond to do the same. They are here to support every student at Reading so if you have a diversity question (big or small) get in touch with the team who will be happy to help.

Welfare

Signposting
Welfare Rep Training Presentation

Who are your members?

Each member of your will have different needs, so it is important to understand how to meet them. Consider organising a range of activities that will appeal to a broad range of people from a variety of backgrounds. You may wish to have an alcohol free social event for example to enable students from a variety of backgrounds to attend.

Vary the timings of your activities. Perhaps hold a selection session the day as well as evenings to enable students with care-giving responsibilities to attend. Avoid events that may inadvertently exclude others. E.g. traffic light nights with a focus exclusively on heterosexual sexual couples.

Only 95% of disabilities are invisible so be mindful of access needs when organising events and activities. If you are unsure what access requirements a person may have invite them to tell you what they need.

Promoting your events

Promote your events to a variety of students. Let students know that your events are open to all. This may sound obvious but doing so shows students that you want to be open to everyone, and may attract students to attend that may not otherwise think of coming along.

Top Diversity Tips

  1. Our Part-time Officers are always here to help you and to answer any questions you may have, but to get you started on the road to greater inclusion here are some top tips to think about in your work as a committee member.
  2. 95% of disabilities are invisible so be mindful of access needs when organising events and activities. If you are unsure what access requirements a person may have invite them to tell you what they need.
  3. Consider organising a range of activities that will appeal to a broad range of people from a variety of backgrounds. You may wish to have an alcohol free social event for example to enable students from a variety of backgrounds to attend.
  4. Vary the timings of your activities. Perhaps hold a selection of events during the day as well as evenings to enable students with care-giving responsibilities to attend.
  5. Avoid events that may inadvertently exclude others. E.g. traffic light nights with a focus exclusively on heterosexual couples. Promote your events to a variety of students. Let students know that your events are open to all. This may sound obvious but doing so shows students that you want to be open to everyone, and may attract students to attend that may not otherwise think of coming along.
  6. Remember there’s no perfect answer when it comes to diversity issues. The important thing is to be open to a variety of perspectives. Try and consider people from a variety of different backgrounds to your own when developing your activities to ensure they are as inclusive as possible.