On March 27th at the Copernican Center for Integration (KOI), the first meeting from the series 'Let’s Talk about Equality and Diversity’ took place. The meeting was organized with the support of the Rector’s Commissioner for Equal Treatment, Professor Aleksandra Derra, the Toruń Feminist Brigade, and the Research Laboratory on Otherness and Exclusion.
The aim of the “Let’s Talk about Equality and Diversity” series is to enable and facilitate contact and communication between academic communities and the governing bodies of UMK. During the meeting, problematic aspects of the university were discussed, such as the situation in certain dormitories, UMK’s actions regarding the implementation of the Gender Equality Plan, and the situation of people with disabilities.
Rebuilding the community
One of the main goals of the meetings at KOI is to rebuild the academic community. For this reason, much time was devoted to discussing actions that the university can take to engage students. Among the identified problems was poor communication between various entities at UMK. The meetings from the “Let’s Talk about Equality and Diversity” series are intended to be one of the places that will facilitate better communication between academic units.
Another goal of the meeting was to invite academic groups to conduct their activities at KOI. During and after the event, discussions were held that could result in the organization of new events at KOI in the future. Some events are also intended to integrate the academic community with the rest of the groups operating in Toruń.
Several students also attended the meeting. They raised a wide range of issues such as the situation in certain dormitories and their prices, the possibility of changing their name in the USOS system, and the organization of teaching at UMK.
Future Perspectives
The participants of the meeting came up with several specific demands for changes that, according to them, could have a positive impact on the university’s operations. One idea was to reintroduce a break between the winter and summer semesters. Another was to pay more attention to management and governance skills when selecting future rectors and deans.
The organizers hope for increased student attendance at future meetings, which will allow for a greater diversity of voices to be heard. There was also an expressed desire to listen to individuals from conservative backgrounds, although no one representing this perspective attended the first meeting. Next meetings are scheduled to take place monthly, always on the last Wednesday.
[Fot.: Kopernikański Ośrodek Integracji]
The Polish version of the artcile by Piotr Zimmermann here.