Maastricht University Diversity Day

Let’s talk consent and become the first ‘age-friendly’ university on the European continent!

Attend the UM Diversity Day on 8 MARCH 2018!

The UM Diversity Day 2018 is part of the UM Diversity Initiative launched by our rector Rianne Letschert in the fall of 2017. The aim of this initiative is to make the UM a more diverse and inclusive organization. In order to translate this aim into concrete policy measures, UM appointed Diversity Officer Constance Sommerey in January 2018. Diversity Day 2018 is organized by her, in collaboration with the Centre for Gender and Diversity, to spark debates and generate insights that may shape future policies for UM staff and students.
All members of the UM community are warmly invited to attend this UM Diversity Day on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2018 at the Kumulus Theatre, Herbenusstraat 89, Maastricht.

The morning session is organised by the UM student group Feminists of Maastricht in collaboration with Dionyx and Consent Matters Maastricht. It deals with a topic close to our students’ hearts and every day experiences which has hardly been discussed so far within the UM context, i.e. Sexual Harassment and the Meaning of Consent at UM. Students will act out short vignettes of potentially transgressive situations to inspire discussion with the audience about the meaning of consent in such situations. This discussion will provide input for UM’s Code of Conduct that is currently being drafted.

For the afternoon session, we have deliberately chosen to go beyond the conventional focus on gender (in-)equality, to showcase how the often overlooked diversity category of age intersects with gender, ethnicity, etc. in the daily experiences of staff and students at our university. The afternoon session is devoted to Taking Steps Towards an Age-Friendly University and deals with ageism in the university, focusing on two age groups in our community, i.e.  25-35 year-old and 55+ employees and students.

Aagje Swinnen (Centre for Gender and Diversity, UM) will give a presentation on debunking ageist myths and Christine O’Kelly (Dublin City University) will introduce the International Network of Age-friendly Universities and the 10 principles of an Age-Friendly University on which the network is based. Their presentations will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives of the age groups mentioned, plus Christoph Rausch and Antoon Vugts of the HRM department. We will address age-related career plans and obstacles, and ways in which the UM can reduce such obstacles to help fulfil ambitions of students and staff.

In conclusion of the afternoon  session, Rector Rianne Letschert will sign The Declaration of the 10 Principles of an Age Friendly University, which will turn the UM into the first continental European university to join the International Network of Age-Friendly Universities.  

For more information on UM Diversity & Inclusivity click here.

Organisers:

• Constance Sommerey, Diversity Officer
• Lies Wesseling, director Centre for Gender and Diversity

Programme:

Panel members

Morning session:
Dionyx
Consent Matters
UCM Feminists
Wendy Geijen, UM student Confidential Advisor, student Psychologist
Moderator: Feminists of Maastricht

Afternoon session:
Luana Russo, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University
Anna Wolters, independent researcher, Maastricht University alumna
Christine O’ Kelly, Dublin City University
Andre Klip, Faculty of LAW, Maastricht University
Antoon Vugts, HRM, Maastricht University
Christoph Rausch, HRM,  Maastricht University
Moderator:  Aagje Swinnen, Centre for Gender and Diversity, Maastricht University