Ethnic Diversity Forum

In support of ensuring an inclusive culture where every student and staff member can thrive, we are currently in the process of setting up an Ethnic Diversity Forum consultative forum.

The aim of this forum is to better understand our campus culture in relation to race and minority groups and to develop an Action Plan and related policies that will ensure that UL develops a culture of inclusion, mutual respect, and equity where difference is valued. 

The Ethnic Diversity Forum (EDF) is a sub-committee of the Human Rights – EDI Steering Committee and will lead UL’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion on campus in relation to ethnic, equality diversity and inclusion.

The purpose of the forum is to understand and advocate for a positive campus climate in relation to ethnicity, equality, diversity and inclusion and to make recommendations and progress actions that aim to make UL an equitable, safe and respectful work and study environment for all.

The EDF understands ethnicity to represent groups of people according to their cultural expression nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language and race to represent a sociological designation that identifies a group sharing some outward physical characteristics and some commonalities of culture and history. Commonalities such as racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin may be used to describe someone’s ethnicity.

The key objectives of the Forum are:

•  to educate and engage with staff and students from all ethnic backgrounds to gain a more in-depth understanding of people’s perspectives and lived experiences in UL.
• to publicly commit to tackling racial and ethnic culturally diverse group harassment, inequality and discrimination as a priority issue and foster a campus-wide culture in which all members of the University community can participate and fulfil their potential regardless of ethnicity, race or minority group membership.
•  to heighten awareness of intersectionality between culture and ethnicity and other forms of social identity and review and develop policies and procedures and institution-wide strategies for tackling racism and ethnic group harassment, inequality, and discrimination.

The Ethnic Diversity Group Forum will lead UL’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion on campus by providing governance and oversight on diversity efforts and supporting strategic accountability and consistent leadership for equality, diversity and inclusion across UL.

The initial meeting will focus on understanding the purpose of the consultative forum, defining the ways of working and recognising the responsibilities of members.

Forum members will also get to know each other and engage in candid conversations in an atmosphere of trust, respect and inclusion. Subsequent meeting dates and frequency will be agreed by forum members.

The Meeting will be facilitated by Adaku Ezeudo.  Adaku’s brief bio is set out below:

Adaku Ezeudo – Lead DEI Consultant & Trainer Adaku is an award-winning expert in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a facilitator, educator and sought-after speaker who is on a mission to equip companies and organisations with the skills and know-how to empower multicultural teams to perform at their best. Her work at PhoenixRize, her DEI consultancy, helps organisations to develop and implement anti[1]discriminatory and inclusive policies, fulfilling their statutory equality and diversity requirements, while shaping diversity into a strategic advantage.

The meeting will take place on Zoom
Time: Jun 29, 2021 11:30 AM Dublin

The Ethnic Diversity Forum is led by the Forum Steering Committee.  The ED Steering Committee will oversee the working of the Ethnic Diversity Forum and will report on a quarterly basis through the Chair/Deptuy Chair to the Human Rights Equality, Diversity & Inclusions Committee, a sub-committee of the Executive Committee.

The membership of the forum consists of: