Objectives
And Strategies
In order to ensure that this policy is implemented, the following
objectives and strategies have been set:
3.1 Objective 1
To achieve full implementation of the policy by the year
2000.
Strategies to achieve Objective 1:
3.1.1 The Committee on Equal Opportunity
(CEO) will undertake an annual formal review, using the reports
provided by chairpersons on progress in implementing the policy
(see Strategy 3.7.2), to identify and measure the University's
achievements in implementing the policy, and to provide a
report to Council. Reports will also be written for inclusion
in On Campus.
Responsibility: CEO
Time frame: Annual
3.1.2 Using the strategies described in this document,
the University will work towards the achievement of all
objectives approved by Council.
Responsibility: Faculties/Divisions/Library
Time frame: Ongoing
3.2 Objective 2
To include goals and strategies by which this commitment
may be achieved in the University's Strategic Plan.
Strategies to achieve Objective 2:
3.2.1 The Committee on Equal Opportunity
(CEO) will inform the Planning Committee of Council's policy
and objectives with respect to gender representation on committees.
Responsibility: CEO
Time frame: October 1993
3.2.2 The CEO will offer advice and assistance to
the Planning Committee and to functional areas of the University
about inclusion of appropriate goals in the University's
Strategic Plan. For example, the Strategic Plan Goal 7,
Governance, Management and Administration could include
an objective to improve gender balance on committees.
Responsibility: CEO
Time frame: December 1993
3.2.3 The CEO will seek an annual report from the
Planning Committee on its progress against this objective.
Responsibility: CEO
Time frame: Annual
3.3 Objective 3
To ensure that Faculties and Divisions include within
their strategic plans:
(a) goals to increase the minority gender in decision
making, and
(b) strategies to achieve these goals which which will
include targets and related timelines.
Strategies to achieve Objective 3:
3.3.1 The Equal Opportunity (EO) Unit will
provide faculties and divisions with statistical information
about staffing together with advice and guidance, in order
to enable functional areas to make well-informed decisions
about local goals and targets.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: April 1994 (annual)
3.3.2 The Policy&Secretariat will provide statistical
information to faculties and divisions about gender balance
on central committees of the University, in order to alert
these areas to the current situation and to provide a basis
for setting local goals and targets.
Responsibility: Policy&Secretariat
Time frame: April 1994
3.3.3 The Policy&Secretariat and the EO Unit
will collaborate to prepare a resource document which will
be updated annually and will include information about:
(a) functions, terms of reference and membership of central
committees;
(b) electoral processes and voting rights; and
(c) the University's policy on gender representation on
committees.
It is intended that such a document will contribute to
stimulating greater interest in committee work and encouraging
larger numbers of women to seek involvement.
Responsibility: Policy&Secretariat/EO Unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.3.4 Following the preparation of the annual Affirmative
Action Report, the EO Unit will promulgate information in
the University community about the gender breakdown of committees.
This will include inserting items in University publications
to raise general awareness.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: April each year
3.3.5 When nominations are called for an election
to a University committee as defined in this policy, the
Returning Officer will issue to the electorate, together
with documents calling for nominations, information on the
Committee's role, composition and current membership and
a statement about the University's commitment to gender
balance in decision making processes.
Responsibility: Returning Officers
Time frame: As required
3.3.6 Wherever possible, elected positions should
be filled prior to identifying persons for nominated positions
as this may enable nominated persons of the minority gender
to be selected in order to achieve a more equitable gender
balance.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As required
3.3.7 Where an election will not be held but a member
is to be appointed to the Committee (either from within
the University or externally), the chairperson should consult
with the Head of Faculty or the Head of the EO Unit in determining
nominees of the minority gender with appropriate expertise.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As required
3.4 Objective 4
To examine structures of committees to ensure that the
level and type of membership as currently stated does not
preclude the involvement of women and unduly limit the numbers
of women able to participate.
Strategies to achieve Objective 4:
3.4.1 Committees should examine ex-officio
membership to consider whether such arrangements are always
essential to their effective functioning. Ex-officio positions,
which are largely held by senior academics who are male, contribute
significantly to the gender imbalance on committees. Greater
use of the "or nominee" provision may open membership to larger
numbers of women and assist in reducing the heavy workloads
of senior staff. Consideration should also be given to introducing
provisions for alternate or deputy members.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As required by the report of the Task Force
on Committees
3.4.2 To contribute to a more equitable gender balance,
powers of co-option should be established or extended as
appropriate, with full membership rights being granted to
co-opted members.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.4.3 Small ad hoc committees convened for the purpose
of dealing with a wide range of policy issues should be
based upon expertise and a variety of perspectives rather
than position and status, as recommended in the Karmel Review
of Administrative Services. Expertise is not necessarily
provided by position and status, and potential members with
appropriate expertise should be sought from outside the
groups customarily called upon to fill positions on committees.
This will open membership to a wider pool of staff including
greater numbers of women.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.4.4 Committees could consider specifying that
amongst their membership there will be certain numbers of
male and female elected members. For example, numbers of
male and female members of a particular group (such as academic
staff) may be specified within the membership of a committee
(eg. Committee on Equal Opportunity).
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.5 Objective 5
To recognise time spent on committee work as being part
of the total duties of academic and general staff.
Strategies to achieve Objective 5:
3.5.1 The Policy and Procedures Manual and
promotional materials about the policy will include information
about participation in University committee work in work time,
particularly for general staff.
Responsibility: Human Resources Division/EO Unit
Time frame: By June 1994
3.5.2 Greater awareness should be encouraged about
the University's recognition of administrative work as an
assessable criterion in the promotions process.
Responsibility: CEO
Time frame: Ongoing
3.5.3 Participation on University committees could
be included in the duty statements of academic and general
staff.
Responsibility: Faculties/Divisions/Library
Time frame: Ongoing
3.5.4 Consideration should be given to holding committee
meetings at times which will not disadvantage people with
family responsibilities.
Responsibility: Faculties/Divisions/Library
Time frame: Ongoing
3.6 Objective 6
To ensure that Faculties and Divisions take measures as
required to have available an adequate number of staff to
achieve gender balance on committees.
Strategy to achieve Objective 6:
3.6.1 Consistent with the information provided
under Strategy 3.3.1, faculties, divisions and the Library
should consider the current gender breakdown in their staffing
profiles, and examine strategies which may be introduced to
ensure that recruitment processes facilitate improved gender
balance.
Responsibility: Faculties/Divisions/Library
Time frame: Ongoing
3.7 Objective 7
To make Chairpersons of all committees accountable for
encouraging and ensuring that committees operate in accordance
with the policy.
Strategies to achieve Objective 7:
3.7.1 Information about this policy will
be provided to chairpersons of committees and support for
its implementation will be available from the EO Unit.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: Ongoing
3.7.2 Chairpersons of committees will be requested
to report annually to the CEO on their efforts to improve
gender balance on each committee and the achievements that
have been made.
Responsibility: CEO/Committee chairpersons
Time frame: Annual
3.7.3 Committees should consider rotating the position
of chairperson (where legislatively appropriate) so that
the committee is convened by both women and men over a period
of time. Where the chairperson is male, consideration could
be given to nominating a woman deputy chairperson. Similarly,
where possible the secretarial role could be filled by both
men and women over time.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.7.4 Many University committees consist of both
elected and nominated members. Where a clear gender imbalance
exists, the chairperson may at his or her discretion request
that a nominated (non-elected) member be substituted with
another nominee of the minority gender.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.7.5 Where it is clear to the chairperson of a
committee that equal representation of women will not be
achievable, and where it is legislatively appropriate to
do so, the chairperson is encouraged to follow the strategies
outlined below:
(a) seek committee members who have relevant expertise
from elsewhere in the University;
(b) seek committee members from groups with relevant expertise
outside the University;
(c) consider whether a reduction in the size of the committee
is feasible and may contribute to gender balance;
(d) consider greater use of general staff on the committee;
and
(e) contact the Equal Opportunity Unit for advice where
attempts to achieve gender balance have been unsuccessful.
Responsibility: Committee chairpersons
Time frame: As appropriate
3.8 Objective 8
To establish and maintain a register of women members
of the academic and general staff, specifying their qualifications
and areas of expertise and interest, which can be used to
identify candidates for election or appointment to University
committees.
Strategies to achieve Objective 8:
3.8.1 Faculty Heads will identify potential
committee members within their faculties and oversee the development
of faculty-based registers. The Director of Administration
and Registrar (DAR) and the University Librarian will also
undertake this responsibility for their staff. This would
involve establishing a list which identifies the skills and
interests of potential committee members.
Responsibility: Faculties/DAR/Librarian
Time frame: June 1994
3.8.2 The Equal Opportunity Unit will encourage
and support the development of such registers by calling
for expressions of interest from women through its newsletter
and passing information on to the Faculty Heads, Director
of Administration and Registrar and University Librarian,
who will be encouraged to take responsibility for compilation
and maintenance of the registers.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: Annual
3.8.3 Each register will include details of women
both within the University and the relevant professions
who are able and prepared to serve on committees. Such registers
should take account of academic qualifications, relevant
experience, skills and interests. The registers could also
include details of the committees on which women currently
serve or have served in the recent past, and may assist
in ensuring that individual women are not overloaded with
committee work.
Responsibility: Faculties
Time frame: Ongoing
3.8.4 The newsletter for women staff produced by
the EO Unit will include regular items explaining the University's
committee structure and will highlight membership and structural
changes as they occur. An information series on the aims,
responsibilities and composition of major committees could
be incorporated to encourage women's interest in committee
participation.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: Ongoing
3.9 Objective 9
To promote the policy throughout the University to raise
awareness and encourage interest in committee participation.
Strategies to achieve Objective 9:
3.9.1 A brochure explaining the policy will
be developed and circulated to all staff and items will be
written for publication in On Campus.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: December 1993
3.9.2 A section will be included in the Policy and
Procedures Manual describing suggested strategies for chairpersons
in the implementation of this policy.
Responsibility: Policy&Secretariat
Time frame: une1994
3.9.3 A leaflet will be produced suggesting actions
which may be taken by chairpersons to assist in the achievement
of this objective.
Responsibility: EO Unit
Time frame: December 1993
3.10 Objective 10
To develop guidelines outlining strategies which may be
used by Faculties and Divisions or the University as a whole
to implement the policy.
Strategy to achieve Objective 10
3.10.1 The development of strategies to achieve
each of the objectives of this policy fulfills this objective.
3.11 Objective 11
To institute a staff development strategy to support the
policy.
Strategies to achieve Objective 11:
3.11.1 Staff development will be provided
by the University to ensure that developmental opportunities
for committee members are available on an annual basis. This
training should include rules of debate and committee procedures
for chairpersons of committees and new committee members,
with priority given to nominations from women.
Responsibility: Policy&Secretariat/Staff development
unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.11.2 Staff training will include the development
of awareness of, and appropriate skills in, listening and
giving equal consideration to, the full range of opinion
and perspectives on committees.
Responsibility: Staff development unit/EO Unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.11.3 Development will be provided for women which
will be designed to raise their confidence to stand for
committee membership and provide skills to enable them to
participate effectively.
Responsibility: Staff development unit/EO Unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.11.4 "Shadowing" of senior women should be used
as a development strategy to introduce women to committee
processes.
Responsibility: Staff development unit/EO Unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.11.5 Skills in workload management should be included
in staff development programmes for women.
Responsibility: Staff development unit/EO Unit
Time frame: June 1994
3.12 Objective 12
To institute a formal review process to monitor and review
the implementation of the policy, with an annual report to
be provided to Council.
Strategy to achieve Objective 12: refer Strategy 3.1.1 |
