EDI Resources

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We are committed to working together to ensure that the Classics Faculty at Oxford is inclusive and welcoming to all. We aim to provide an environment which promotes equality, values diversity, and maintains a working, learning, and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected to assist them in reaching their full potential. 

The Faculty's work in this area is overseen by the EDI Committee, established in 2021, which is chaired by the EDI Officer, Professor Rhiannon Ash (Merton College). The committee includes student representatives at both graduate and undergraduate level, the two Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors, the Chair of the Faculty Board, the Head of Administration and Finance, the Disability Officer, a representative from the Outreach Committee, an External Advisor, and Machilu van Bever Donker, the EDI Officer Humanities Division, who is there in attendance. It meets once a term, usually in second week. Minutes go to Faculty Board and the Joint Sub-Faculties.

Please do feel free at any time to approach Rhiannon Ash (rhiannon.ash@classics.ox.ac.uk) with any business which you would like the EDI Committee to consider, or any ideas which you have for new initiatives. We actively welcome input from the wider Faculty community into the ongoing work of the EDI Committee.

In addition, Rhiannon Ash holds two ‘EDI Office Hours’ each term. She is very happy to meet people at these office hours, but she is also available to speak at any time. Please do email to ask for an appointment. She also regularly liaises with other EDI Officers across the Humanities Faculty, participates in EDI meetings with counterparts at other universities, and sends around regular emails with information and resources relating to EDI.

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The available range of resources relating to EDI is potentially vast, but here are some links to material which you might find useful. Please feel free to email the EDI Officer with further suggestions.

Within Oxford

The Christian Cole Society for Classicists of Colour in Oxford is available here:
https://www.facebook.com/oxfordclassicistsofcolour/

Within Oxford, there is the EDI Hub Bulletin available. The bulletin is distributed fortnightly during term time and less frequently during the vacations. It features information, profiles, resources, funding opportunities, case studies and events relating to any aspect of equality, diversity and inclusion at the University of Oxford.

If anybody wants the EDI Bulletin delivered directly to their inboxes, please send a blank email to:
edi-hub-newsletter-subscribe@maillist.admin.ox.ac.uk

 

The Neurodiversity at Oxford project, supported by the Oxford Diversity Fund and organised by Dr Laura Seymour and Prof Siân Grønlie, supports, celebrates, and empowers neurodivergent staff and students: 
https://neurodiversityoxford.web.ox.ac.uk/

The Oxford and Colonialism website brings together the wide range of initiatives across the collegiate University engaging with its colonial past and its ongoing manifestations:
https://oxfordandcolonialism.web.ox.ac.uk/

Beyond Oxford

There is a vast array of very useful Equality and Diversity resources available via the CUCD. These include links to EDI Organisations in Classics (such as Sportula, an organisation offering microgrants for Classics Students), other useful EDI resources and initiatives (such as Leading Routes, a pioneering initiative that aims to prepare the next generation of Black academics), and teaching resources (such as a Cornucopia of Classics Resources, a searchable website that highlights innovative work by female scholars and scholars of colour): 
Resources – CUCD EDI (wordpress.com)

Rebecca Futo Kennedy’s Race/Ethnicity Bibliography is a starter bibliography designed to promote scholarship related to topics of race and ethnicity in antiquity and is continually updated. The bibliography is massive and includes primary source anthologies, classical scholarship, and reception studies. https://rfkclassics.blogspot.com/p/bibliography-for-race-and-ethnicity-in.html  

Rebecca Futo Kennedy’s Race/Ethnicity Teaching Resources provides a comprehensive list of materials that can be used to develop academic curricula to discuss the topics of race and ethnicity in the Classical world. https://rfkclassics.blogspot.com/p/teaching-race-and-ethnicity.html

The public bibliography of Black-Centred Resources for Ancient Mediterranean Studies is continuously updated and includes resources for a wide array of topics from Black scholars in Classics and adjacent subjects. https://ancientworldonline.blogspot.com/2020/11/black-centered-resources-for-ancient.html

Sarah Emily Bond’s Hold My Mead: A Bibliography For Historians Hitting Back At White Supremacy is a bibliography dedicated to combating the problem posed by the use of historical literature by white supremacists. https://sarahemilybond.com/2017/09/10/hold-my-mead-a-bibliography-for-historians-hitting-back-at-white-supremacy/

There are some very useful anti-racist links and resources available on the SCS website: https://classicalstudies.org/education/antiracist-resources-links-and-lists

What is bullying and harassment?

Harassment consists of engaging in unwanted and unwarranted conduct which has the purpose or effect of:

  • Violating another person’s dignity, or
  • Creating an intimidating hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for another person.

You do not need to have explicitly stated that the behaviour was unwanted, and the person engaging in this behaviour need not have had the intention of engaging in such conduct for the effects to be very real.

Bullying may be characterized as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, or misuse of power through means intended to undermine, humiliate, denigrate, or injure the recipient.

The full university policy definition can be found here

If you are being bullied or harassed, help is available.

Who can help?

Anyone in the Classics Faculty (undergraduates, graduates, administrative or academic Staff) can arrange to speak privately and in confidence to one of the two Faculty Harassment Advisors

They will help you to work out next steps and who to talk to, whatever you are experiencing, and regardless of whether it is happening in a Faculty or a College situation. If you wish to speak to someone completely outside the Classics Faculty, that is also possible and you can contact the University Harassment Advisor Network by emailing harassment.line@admin.ox.ac.uk

Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors

You are welcome to contact the Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors at any time for a confidential discussion about any concerns.

 

What can you expect when you consult a Faculty Harassment Advisor?

  • You will be listened to without judgement and in confidence
  • You will be believed
  • You will be advised as to where to find further support
  • You will be advised as to possible next steps

 

There is a helpful summary of what the Harassment Adviser can and cannot do available here:

https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/support#collapse1229891.

We understand that it can feel daunting to take the step of contacting a Harassment Adviser, but we are here to help and you should not hesitate to contact us.

What is sexual harassment and sexual violence?

Sexual harassment and violence is any unwanted sexual behaviour which takes place without consent, whether someone knows the person or not. It may happen online for example on social media, via email or messaging.

Sexual harassment and violence can include:

  • Catcalling, wolf-whistling, leering, unwanted comments or jokes about a person’s body, clothing or sex-life.
  • Stalking someone or following them (in person or online).
  • Unwanted physical contact, such as groping, sexual assault, abuse or rape.
  • Abusive or coercive behaviour within a relationship.
  • Unwelcome sexual requests.
  • Non-consensual photos like up-skirting or sharing of explicit material.

Sexual harassment is usually directed at an individual, but this is not always the case. Sometimes there can be a culture of sexual harassment in a workplace or group that is not specifically aimed at one person, but still makes you feel uncomfortable. Someone can still make a complaint of sexual harassment in this situation.

If you have been the victim of sexual harassment and/or violence, help is available.

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What can you expect when you consult a Faculty Harassment Advisor?

  • You will be listened to without judgement and in confidence
  • You will be believed
  • You will be advised as to where to find further support
  • You will be advised as to possible next steps

There is a helpful summary of what the Harassment Advisor can and cannot do available here:

https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/support#collapse1229891. 

We understand that it can feel daunting to take the step of contacting a Harassment Adviser, but we are here to help and you should not hesitate to contact us.

Who can help?

Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors

You are welcome to contact the Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors at any time for a confidential discussion about any concerns.

The University's Equality and Diversity Unit lists a growing number of online training courses on its website, custom-built for Oxford staff. They include Equality and Diversity Briefing, Impicit Bias, Race Awareness, LGBTQ+ Role Models, Challenging Behaviour: Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace, Recruitment and Selection, and Cultural Awareness in the Workplace.

All you need is your single sign-on (SSO) to begin the courses, which take between 30 minutes and 1 hour to complete.

The courses are well designed and broader uptake of them within the Faculty could significantly enhance the well-being of our personnel and our students and improve the culture of our Faculty.

BOOK YOUR ONLINE COURSE:

 

Equality and Diversity Briefing
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182876

Implicit Bias in the Workspace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182886

Tackling Race Bias at Work
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1182896

Challenging Behaviour: Dealing with Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1236586

LGBTQ+ Role Models
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1183186

Recruitment and Selection
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse1321591

Cultural Awareness in the Workplace
https://edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/training#collapse3069421

The University has various resources available to help those with caring responsibilities. Two sites which gather together information on the university’s offerings are here:

Some specific schemes/policies worth highlighting include:

Departments will co-ordinate and monitor provision for graduate students, maintaining 'a watching brief' throughout the student’s studies. However, in respect of the services they provide, departments and faculties will also be proactive in ensuring that appropriate provision is made for undergraduate students.

A collaborative partnership between colleges and departments is integral to ensuring that reasonable adjustments are implemented smoothly.

Disability Officer and Contact for Undergraduates

nikki

Nikki Carter

Email: nikki.carter@classics.ox.ac.uk

 

Contact for Postgraduates

Andrew Dixon

Andrew Dixon

Email: andrew.dixon@classics.ox.ac.uk

 

Disability Drop-In sessions:

Nikki Carter runs a disability drop-in session every Monday during term. These drop-in sessions are to discuss the provision of support here in the Classics Faculty.

Hilary Term (all between 11-11.30am):

Week 2 – Outreach Room

Week 3 – Online*

Week 4 – Outreach Room

Week 5 – Online*

Week 6 – Outreach Room

Week 7 – Online*

Week 8 – Outreach Room

* - Please email Nikki for the link if you wish to attend an online drop-in sessions 

Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors:

​You are welcome to contact the Classics Faculty Harassment Advisors at any time for a confidential discussion about any concerns.

 

Professor Ed Bispham (Brasenose College)

Dr Ed Bispham

ed.bispham@bnc.ox.ac.uk

Professor Laura Swift (Magdalen College)

Image result for Laura Swift Classics. Size: 108 x 106. Source: twitter.com

Laura.swift@magd.ox.ac.uk

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Classics Faculty Mental Health First Aiders