2009 Annual Report - Faculty of Law - Monash University

7. Equity and Diversity
7.1 Membership 2009
The Equity and Diversity Committee in the
Faculty of Law is Chaired by the Director
Equity. It reports to Faculty Board three
times a year, and meets at least four times
a year. The Director, Equity is a member
of the Faculty Executive Committee.
The Equity and Diversity Committee met
on four occasions in 2009. The Chair
represents the Faculty on the University
Workplace Equity Committee. She
attended this Committee’s meetings and
reported back to the Faculty Committee.
• Bronwyn Naylor,
Director, Equity (Chair)
• Gerard Shanahan,
Faculty Manager (ex officio)
• Kelly Tsagournos,
Manager, Student and Academic
Services(ex officio)
• Dale Smith,
Student Equity Officer (ex officio)
• Stephen Gray,
Indigenous Liaison Officer/Students’
Mentor (ex officio)
• Liz Anderson,
Manager, Human Resources (ex officio)
• Heather Beeching,
Disability Contact Officer (Staff)
• Dianne Wiltshire,
Disability Contact Officer (Students)
(ex officio)
• Emilia Michael/Sarah Holloway
Undergraduate Student Representative
7.2 Faculty Priorities
The Faculty’s priorities for 2009, and
progress on these priorities, were as
follows:
Access for Indigenous Students
Financial support: Eight scholarships
were provided for students of Indigenous
Australian descent or from a regional and
remote area.
Promotion of University study at Monash
to secondary students and communities:
Members of the Faculty Equity and
Diversity Committee initiated a working
group with membership from Law, Arts
and Art and Design Faculty Equity and
Diversity Committees and members of
CAIS (the Centre for Australian Indigenous
Studies) to develop public events to
advance Indigenous student participation
in tertiary study. Two events were staged
in 2009:
‘Indigenous Arts and the Law’
Hypothetical raising legal and creative
issues in Indigenous contexts: presented
through the Office of the DVCR as part of
Educate 09 in September 2009;
‘Yarning Up’ schools information
session aimed specifically at Indigenous
secondary students and their teachers
to inform about tertiary study options
and pathways to university (held on 12
November).
Access and Support for Rural
Students
The Faculty’s Lawrie McCredie Student
Support Program includes a successful
Peer Mentor Program for first year
students (with 2nd year student mentors),
and has extended support for language
and learning skills and incorporated mental
health and resilience training into the first
year law program. Additional funding was
obtained in 2009 for programs supporting
the transition of all first year students under
the Faculty’s Peer Mentoring program,
specifically drawing rural, non-Melbourne
and international students into ‘mentor’
groups.
Equity and Diversity Online
Training
The University has developed an effective
set of online training modules covering
issues such as anti-discrimination and
equal opportunity laws, disability access,
sexual harassment, and student equity
in curriculum development and teaching.
Staff are expected to complete the
training, and to update their training
accreditation every three years.
Over a three year period, the Faculty of
Law achieved 111 completions. With
a total of approximately 135 staff (not
including sessional staff). In 2010 the
faculty plans to ensure that all committee
members, senior academic staff and
academic supervisors are accredited.
Annual Report 25