David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion)

David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion) wrote to all staff on Wednesday 20 November. Read his message in full:

Dear Colleague,

Today, 20 November, is Transgender Day of Remembrance. It honours the memory of people who have died due to anti-transgender violence, and seeks to raise awareness of continued violence. It follows Transgender Awareness Week, which took place from 13-19 November. The University is marking these important occasions by flying the Trans flag over Sussex House.

The lives and experiences of transgender and non-binary people were in focus during our recent Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation event which welcomed Fox Fisher, artist, filmmaker and Sussex alum. During the event, hosted by the Trans and Non-Binary Staff Network, Fox shared a number of short films from the My Genderation film project and spoke about how showcasing diverse experiences can help foster understanding and connection.

This month, I’d like to talk about:

• Disability Confident Leader accreditation
• Disability History Month
• Workplace Adjustments Toolkit update
• International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November
• Gender and racial equality in academic career progression
• New anti-racism e-learning course for staff
• Black at Sussex event, 21 November

Disability Confident Leader accreditation

Earlier this month, it was announced that the University has now attained Disability Confident Leader status, the highest of the three tiers of the Disability Confident scheme. I am delighted that we have been recognised for our efforts to progressively improve our approach to representation of, and development for, disabled staff. This is an important milestone in our disability equality and inclusion work, and we had committed to achieving this in our Inclusive Sussex strategy. The work of the steering group will continue as we look to build on this achievement and make further improvements.

Disability History Month

This year, Disability History Month, from 14 November to 20 December, focuses on Disability, Livelihood and Employment, inviting us to consider not only employment of disabled people and their experience at work, but more broadly thriving in the workplace. Our Disability Confident Leader status is an important indicator of progress but the work towards equality continues. University data shows under-representation in senior positions, a stubborn disability pay gap and a need to improve accessibility. As well as ongoing work, we are developing positive action and other plans and activities, on which I will return in future updates.

There are several online events coming up at Sussex for Disability History Month which are open to staff. The Business Disability Forum is hosting an information session online tomorrow, 21 November from 10.30am to 11.30am, followed by a webinar on 26 November on navigating self-identification in the workplace. There is also a talk at Brighton and Sussex Medical School on living with motor neurone disease on 27 November.

Meanwhile, please may I encourage all staff to complete the Disability Essentials e-learning on LearnUpon, our online training platform. The one-hour course aims to support all staff in their knowledge and engagement with disabled staff and students through content informed by legal expertise and those with lived experience of disability. The course can be found either by searching the LearnUpon catalogue or by logging in and then following this link.

Workplace Adjustments Toolkit update

As part of our drive to remove or reduce barriers faced by staff when doing their job, we have recently updated our Workplace Adjustments Toolkit which is a useful resource for staff and managers seeking guidance. Workplace adjustments are specific to an individual’s needs, their role and location, and it is important that managers work proactively with their staff to discuss and agree any adjustments which may be needed.

International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women seeks to raise awareness of and combat the ongoing issue of violence against women and girls. At Sussex, we are committed to cultivating a safe, supportive campus and addressing behaviours that undermine respect and inclusion, as detailed in our new Dignity, Respect and Inclusion Policy.

Aligned with this commitment, work is also underway to ensure that the University complies with forthcoming new requirements. The Office for Students (OfS) is introducing a new ongoing condition of registration ─ Condition E6 ─ focused on addressing harassment and sexual misconduct within universities. The condition, which will be implemented from August 2025, aims to support universities in reducing incidents of harassment and misconduct by mandating specific requirements and arrangements. Alongside a new focus on training and information, a key consideration is the approach to staff-student relationships, and whilst our current Relationship Policy already covers this, we are reviewing it to ensure that it meets the new requirements. Our goal is to prevent all harassment and sexual misconduct.

I am leading a working group to ensure Sussex is fully prepared for implementation and we are collaborating with key partners ─ including the Students’ Union ─ to incorporate student perspectives and ensure our approach is inclusive and effective.

Gender and racial equality in academic career progression

I recently chaired a roundtable discussion to identify disparities between men and women, and between people of different ethnicities, in academic career progression at the University. Supporting our ongoing commitment to gender equality through the Athena Swan Charter, the meeting brought together representatives from HR, the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team, and the Gender Equality Steering Group. The roundtable was an opportunity to look more closely at the data, create a space for open dialogue and explore how further progress could be made to address the gaps. In addition to current programmes and initiatives, new work will be taken forward to address the barriers identified and I will return to this in future updates.

New anti-racism e-learning course for staff

We are committed to understanding and addressing the structural roots of racial inequality as considered in our Inclusive Sussex strategy and within our framework of commitment to freedom of speech within the law. This new anti-racism e-learning course, developed with Advance HE, introduces key themes, including microaggressions, privilege, and systemic racism. By engaging with diverse perspectives, staff can deepen their understanding and awareness and so help to challenge biases and contribute to a thriving, more equitable and inclusive community. The course, which takes around one hour to complete, is now accessible to all staff via LearnUpon and can be found either by searching the catalogue or by logging in and then following this link.

Black at Sussex event: Navigating Business – the ‘Black’ Experience, 21 November

The Business School, in collaboration with the Black at Sussex programme, is hosting a Black Brilliance in Business event at the Attenborough Centre tomorrow, 21 November from 3.30pm-6.30pm. The event, which is open to students and staff, is an opportunity to find out more about the Black at Sussex programme and hear from expert panelists Kelly Smith, Founder of The Black Tri Tribe, and Stephanie Prior, Managing Director at Prior Media and Marketing, who will be discussing their experiences in business. There will also be delicious West African food and opportunities to network with people from across the University community.

Finally, as we approach the start of the festive season, I wanted to send my good wishes to all those celebrating over the coming period. Taking place during November is Kathina, a gift-giving ceremony celebrated in Theravada Buddhism in which communities traditionally give gifts of cloth to the monks who had been their teachers. This gift-giving represents the Buddhist virtue of dāna, or charity.

We are also approaching Advent Sunday on 1 December, which is the start of the Christian season of advent that leads to Christmas, observed in most Christian denominations as a preparation for marking the Nativity of Christ. It thus begins one of the most important sections of the Christian year ─ a moment many will mark by decorating Christmas trees and lighting the first candle in their advent wreath.

With good wishes,

David Ruebain
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion)

Recent and ongoing events:

• Islamophobia Awareness Month, 1-30 November
• Anti-Bullying Week, 11-15 November

Coming up:

• World AIDS Day, 1 December

Religious days and observances:

• Shaheedi Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Sikh), 24 November
• Gur Gadi Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Sikh), 24 November
• Lha Bab Duchen (Buddhist), full moon in November
• Rohatsu - Bodhi Day (Buddhist), 8 December

Further information about upcoming awareness days will be shared on the Staff Hub and you can view further faith days and diversity dates in our Equality and Inclusion Calendar 2024.