Nora Fernandez Fernandez
Today, Thursday November 24, the first Commission of the URJC Diversity Unit will take place. The objective of this body is to work in an intersectional way the different realities regarding gender and sexuality, and also ethnic-cultural identities within the University Community.
According to Miguel Ángel López, professor of Psychology and head of the URJC Diversity Unit, tells us, "in this first meeting we want to make the members of the Unit known and get in touch, which is made up of Teaching Research Staff, students , PAS and other people that make up the university”.
Regarding the most important points that will be dealt with in the Commission, the different lines of action proposed by the Unit will be explained. Thus, three aspects are formed; "The first will be dedicated to training, raising awareness and disseminating the different realities, whether they are of the LGTBIAQ+ collective or related to ethnic-cultural identity," says López. The second line of action will focus on accompaniment and attention to any member of the community who needs it. "Regardless of the discrimination, the Unit will provide help to all those who request it, whether it be with procedures such as the change of name assigned to you at the University, at the EvAU, at the Civil Registry...". To do this, you can consult the following link Protocol for the management and procedures related to gender identity.
In this sense, the Unit will provide all the necessary support "to associations, faculties or any other body that wants to organize an event that promotes the values of diversity and respect for different identities," says López. Precisely, on November 14, the I Conference on Diversity at the URJC in which several teachers participated.
The third line of action will cover all investigations, evaluations and diagnoses within the framework of diversity. According to López, "the intention is to make visible all the research work that exists in this area within the University in order to be able to make reports that improve existing protocols and propose new lines that improve and promote diversity within the university reality."
In this 2022/2023 academic year, the priority of this body will be to develop lines 1 and 2 of action in depth. As for the first line, training and awareness, "the idea is to hold several conferences and events, in collaboration with associations internal and external to the university to raise awareness and educate both teachers and students in respect for diversity" . In the second aspect, care and support for people, the purpose is to improve the protocols that already exist, "such as the harassment protocol, for example, and propose new ways of acting in new possible cases," adds López.
The Unit's third line of action, consisting of investigating and creating a diagnosis, will be reserved for the coming academic year. “We believe that we need prior work to improve the situation and make the University more inclusive and proud of its diversity”, López clarifies.