EDI and Welfare

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Within the School, we value respect and are committed to creating a culture of inclusivity, diversity, equality and safety for all students and staff.  There are several EDI-related projects and activities taking place across the School. The School’s Directors of EDI Dr Alice Toniolo and Professor Juan Ye can be contacted at edi-cs@st-andrews.ac.uk should you have any queries, suggestions or concerns relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.

The School is against any kind of discrimination and harassment on any basis, including but not limited to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability or sexual orientation. We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation of any kind. This means that all allegations will be reported and if appropriate, disciplinary action will be taken. 

The University Report and Support tool is available to report any concerns related to wellbeing, bullying, discrimination, abuse, assault or harassment. What happens after reporting is discussed here. Student services  and student welfare is available for support. For EDI issues in the school, you can contact the School’s Director of EDI or the Head of School.

Student welfare

The School’s Student Welfare Officers, Dr Kirsty Ross and Ms Sylvia Niven, can be contacted to discuss any aspect of student welfare via student-welfare-cs@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Staff conduct

All staff in the School operate under the University’s Equality and Diversity Inclusion Policy and statement “The University of St Andrews is fully committed to respect and fair treatment for everyone, eliminating discrimination and actively promoting equality of opportunity and delivering fairness to all.” The policy is informed by the Equality Act (2010) listing protected characteristics and ensuring that everyone is protected against harassment, bullying and discrimination.

Student conduct

Students are expected to behave in a manner that is considerate and respectful to all members of school, including fellow students and staff.

All students in the School adhere to the Sponsio Academica recognising the core principle of respect for others and for the values of the University.

The Student Conduct Policy sets out the University’s expectations for student conduct.

Conduct in group work and meetings

Group work and meetings are a common part of University and Professional life. They bring together people with different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and ways of working. Effective collaboration relies on treating everyone with respect, making space for different contributions, and approaching perspectives that differ from our own with openness. To support an inclusive participation:

• Recognise and value each person’s contribution.
• Make space for different perspectives, experiences and communication styles.
• Listen to others and allow everyone the opportunity to contribute.
• Discuss and challenge ideas constructively and respectfully.

These principles help create an environment where people can contribute openly, learn from one another and work together constructively.

EDI committee

The School has an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee which aims to promote equality of opportunity for all members of the School, students and staff. The committee is formed by representatives from all parts of the school.

The EDI committee meets at least twice a semester to address EDI concerns and to undertake actions and activities to actively promote a more inclusive environment. We review policies and procedures, curriculum material and delivery, buildings and infrastructure and we consult with everyone in the school to promote equality, fairness and transparency within the School.

If you prefer to raise any concerns, feedback or suggestions through your student reps please feel free to contact the School President, the Disability & Academic Support rep, the EDI rep, or the PhD rep, who are active members of the EDI committee.

Gender equality and inclusion

The School’s commitment to advancing gender equality has been recognised by an Athena SWAN Silver Award.

University inclusive curriculum feedback

The School is committed to making its teaching and learning fully inclusive, so that all students are given the opportunity to reach their potential, all students feel like they belong and are not made to feel excluded, and students have the opportunity to contribute to curriculum development.

If you have any comments or feedback on any module run by computer science, in terms of the inclusivity of the content, delivery or assessments/feedback, please contact the module lecturer, tutor, level coordinator, Director of Equality Diversity and Inclusion, or Director of Teaching. Alternatively, you can contact your School President or class representative, who can raise ideas or issues via the relevant staff-student meetings and consultative committees.

University support and advice

The University has compiled information for various EDI support and advice, including:

• Disability
• Faith and religion
• Race, ethnicity, culture and discrimination
• LGBTQ+

Wellbeing room and wellbeing resources

• Nearest wellbeing room: There is a private lockable room available for anyone in need in the Willie Russell Labs (ground floor, 3rd door on the left-hand side along the main corridor). This room can be used for example for taking a medication, taking time to breathe, pray, breastfeed, or any issues for which you require a private space. Tutorial rooms can also be booked (see Room Availability), but please note that these are not lockable.

The school promotes a healthy work-life-balance. The Wellbeing Map contains suggestions of things to do in town. Especially commuting students may benefit from lounges and other facilities offered by the university. There is also an unofficial guide for freshers, which includes suggestions of extracurricular activities.

You can also find a general guide to how student services can support your wellbeing and more specific types of support from student services.

Faith and prayer room

• Multifaith prayer room: There is a multi-faith prayer room in the North Haugh Campus.  It is located on the third floor of the Agnes Blackadder Halls of residence and can be accessed by any faith.  Washing facilities are located on the ground floor to use before attending the room on the third floor.  Please be aware that you may have to ask a staff member in the halls for a key to access the room.
• Chaplaincy: The Chaplaincy, based in the Mansefield building in St Mary’s Place, can be used by students for meetings, events, meals, prayer and meditation. It includes Muslim prayer rooms as well as other quiet prayer and meditation spaces.

Updating personal details on University services

Change contact or next of kin details via the term address portlet in MySaint.

To change your desired name(s), gender and title, contact Academic Registry via the appropriate address below. The student record holds an “official” and a “known as” name for each student, and requests can be made to update either. These will then appear on the University systems including MS Teams and MMS.

• Undergraduate students: registry-ug@st-andrews.ac.uk
• Students on postgraduate taught degrees: taughtpg-reg@st-andrews.ac.uk
• Students on postgraduate research degrees: registry-pgr@st-andrews.ac.uk

Usernames used to access the University IT systems can only be changed under the following circumstances:

• Gender changes with an associated name change
• Where there is a risk of harm to the student.

In these cases, in addition to informing Registry please contact the ASC. Once the change has been approved, contact the School’s Systems Group (cs-support@st-andrews.ac.uk) to ensure that your CS account is updated.