Seminar:
"Smashing
the ivory tower - from exclusion to inclusion"
Sofia, Bulgaria
12-17 May 2003
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This
project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained therein.
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Welcome!
Welcome to the ESIB web-based resource on equality issues. The website will provide you with infromation, links to useful organisations as well as model training materials and campaign materials to assist in your work on these topics.
ESIB has done considerable work on equality issues during its 20 year history, particularly surrounding gender and race issues, running projects on issues such as “No means No” and surrounding the European Year against Racism in 1997. Over the past two years ESIB has also started to do more work on sexuality and disability discrimination producing statements on these topics during our Board Meeting in Poland May 2002. ESIB has a permanent working group tackling equality issues and it was following a meeting of the Equality Working Group in Helsinki in February 2002 that we came up with the idea for a more extensive project on equality issues including a seminar entitled "Smashing the Ivory Tower - from Exclusion to Inclusion" and running training for our members. The project will also produce an Equality Charter and Handbook that will be distributed to all our members and through them to the local students unions across Europe. The Equality Charter will help provide a campaign tool for local and national students unions in their work on ensuring equal access to higher education.
Students and student movements across the globe have traditionally been at the forefront of the fighting for equality and human rights and with the uniquely progressive nature within higher education this is an excellent opportunity to lead by example and show the rest of society what can be achieved. Throughout history there has been oppression of minority groups within society and higher education has often been seen as a liberal environment where discrimination has been lessened, although it should be pointed out that in reality higher education is not always the bastion of equality that it is portrayed as. Higher education and society more generally has come up with various tools in the past few decades of trying to overcome discrimination and ensure these oppressed groups can take their rightful place in society such as positive discrimination, affirmative action and safe space.
It is important for student organisations to strive for equal access to higher education for all groups within society and they should address these problems and come up with proposals on how to effectively fight discrimination and ensure that equality of access becomes reality rather than a utopia. There might be disagreement on the measures to take and there might be controversy about the way forward. I do however believe that controversial discussions and initial disagreement in groups gives a bigger impetus for moving forward than a group where differences of opinions hardly exist.
Equality project partners:
