1.
EQUITY AND EQUAL OPORTUNITY COMMITTEE
18 August 2004
MINUTES
The meeting was held on Wednesday 18 August 2004 in the Senate Conference Room, commencing at 4.30pm.
Present: Ms Margaret Banks – Chair
Dr Sally Cawley
Ms Carolyn Jakobsen
Assoc Prof Ralph Straton, Director, Institute for Social Programme Evaluation
Ms Barbara Whelan (representing Mal Bradley)
Dr Casta Tungaraza (Secretary)
Apologies: Prof John Yovich (Vice Chancellor) ex officio
Mr Mal Bradley (Guild President), ex officio (represented by Barbara Whelan)
1.Membership
A.New Members
The Chair Ms Margaret Banks noted that this was her first meeting as Chair of the Equity and Equal Opportunity Committee for a term expiring on 31 December 2005. She welcomed Barbara Whelan who was representing the Guild President Mr Mal Bradley.
B.Co-option of Members
The Chair welcomed back the outgoing Chair Dr Sally Cawley as a co-opted member to the Committee for the next term.
2.Declarations of Interest
No interests were declared at the outset of the meeting.
3.Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of 10 June 2003 were confirmed without amendment.
4.Retention of the Committee
The Chair reported the outcome of the Senate review of the future of the Equity and Equal Opportunity Committee. In August 2002, Senate resolved that the Committee’s future be reviewed at the end of 2003. Ms Margaret Banks explained that the Governance Working Party conducted this review and concluded that the revamped committee is performing a useful role. The May meeting of Senate therefore resolvedto retain the Equity and Equal Opportunity Committee.
5.Review of Equity Performance against Targets for 2003
The Committee received the Performance Against Targets Report:Students and Staff Equity Profile for 2000 – 2003 and revisited the equity priorities set in 2001 and 2003. The discussion focused on the University’s performance in meeting its equity targets, and whether this warranted any changes to targets and/or strategies.
In accordance with #3 of its terms of reference, the Committee was invited:
to review performance against targets in these areas, for each of the designated equity groups;
to consider whether, in light of this performance, the Committee should recommend to Senate any changes to targets and/or strategies;
to agree on the content of a report to Senate on performance against targets for each of the designated equity groups.
Members reviewed performance against targets in each of the designated equity groups and revisited the equity priorities endorsed by Senate.
In May 2001, acting on the Committee’s recommendation, Senate resolved:
RESOLVED:S/41/2001 / (a) / that the following three target equity groups be the priority areas for the University’s equity activities in 2002-2006:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- people from low socio-economic background
- people with disabilities or chronic medical conditions
(b) / that in a situation of scarce resources, preference be given to the above groups, but the University continue to provide support for the following designated equity groups:
- people from non-English speaking backgrounds (staff and students)
- people from rural backgrounds (students)
- people from isolated backgrounds (students)
- women from non-traditional areas – engineering (students and staff)
Following discussion, the Committee agreed that the University should maintain the current priority areas for the next twelve months. It was also agreed that at this stage there would be no recommendations to change the targets and/or strategies set in 2001 and 2003. However, it was decided that prior to making any suggestions to priority areas to guide the University’s equity business for the next three-years, the following information should be provided to members:
- Equity student data breakdown by Division;
- Actual equity student numbers to be included in the Performance Against Targets Report rather than percentages only;
- Statistics of potential Indigenous students as reflected in the WA student population – What is the real figure of Indigenous students in WA high schools and / or those in high school age. How many eligible students does the University expect to attract each year? What is the projected high school age population for Indigenous peoples?
- The relevant potential students’ population indicator for people from rural and isolated areas in WA.
Further, the Committee discussed the University’s performance in employing staff with disabilities and noted that with the ageing population the numbers of people with disabilities within organizations are likely to grow and that strategies should incorporate ageing staff needs - such as the development of coherent health and well being strategies.
It was suggested that the University may consider exploring means of promoting health and wellbeing culture as part of the staff disability strategy.
There was a general agreement that the Committee would review strategies and targets for people with disabilities once all the requested additional information was provided.
The Committee requested the University to include staff age profile in the next Performance Against Targets Report since age discrimination in the workplace is a growing equity area of concern nationally. [Secretary’s note: this will be included in the Committee’s final report and recommendations to Senate.]
The Committee’s report will be presented to the 22 November meeting of Senate.
Action:Dr Sally Cawley agreed to meet with Dr Casta Tungaraza prior to the next EEOC meeting to assist with shaping the relevant data for the Senate Report.
6.Capacity for Getting an Increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students
The Equal Opportunity and Social Justice Manager reported that since mid last year there has been greater participation of WA universities’ senior executives in enhancing capacity for getting an increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. She explained that the Vice Chancellors were working together on a Combined Universities Initiative for Indigenous Higher Education in WA, and provided committee members with a summary of this project.
Further she informed members that the Equity Coordinating Committee would continue to provide guidance and follow-up on operational matters that would arise from the implementation of strategies that aim at increasing the percentage of commencing Indigenous students.
7.Next Meeting
The Committee agreed to have an additional meeting in October to continue with the outstanding matters to be included in the Report to Senate.
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Equity and Equal Opportunity Committee minutes – 18 August 2004