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A view of the Jackson Building and Kettell Hall in Trinity College.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Trinity

Our

Values

Trinity College is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity, and maintains a working, learning, and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected. The college’s Equality Policy can be found here

The College celebrates the backgrounds, faiths and beliefs of all its members through a number of equalities dates throughout the year; a full yearly equalities calendar can be found on the Oxford University Equality and Diversity Unit website

Diversity and Equality

Past and Present at Trinity

For years, Trinity College has been making strides to improve the diversity of its community. We are fully conscious that there is still much work to be done, not only in continuing to ensure Trinity continues to welcome and foster a diverse body of students and staff, but also in addressing the whole of its near 500-year history. 

To this end, Trinity has begun a research project to look into the lives of individuals who had connections with the Atlantic slave trade and its legacies. It is a matter of public record that nine individuals who were matriculated students at Trinity between 1759 and 1834 were also owners of enslaved persons. Beginning with records relating to these individuals, the College has appointed a researcher who, alongside the Fellow Archivist and College Archivist, will investigate whether any slave owners were also benefactors of the College. 

This project is part of a larger undertaking to address the College’s position in relation to questions of race and colonialism, and our ongoing attention to black, Asian and minority ethnic experience in the student body. In the summer of 2020, Trinity’s Governing Body approved a working group - the Race and Inclusivity Action Group - to ensure that Trinity is a place where our behaviour, policies and culture are consistent with our values and where racism of any kind is not tolerated. This group is drawn from a wide cross-section of our community, including the JCR, MCR, SCR and staff, as well as those in key roles with responsibilities for supporting our equalities and access policies and procedures. Its aim is to take forward a set of projects and actions that will measurably improve our ability to embed race equality, combat discrimination, hold ourselves to account, and address some of the areas where we do not yet represent in practice what we aspire to in our values. 

By opening up aspects of our past whilst we look at the present and future of the College, we aim to enable reflection and positive action towards a more fully inclusive and equal culture.

College

Equalities Contacts

Equalities Fellow: Anil Gomes is the College’s Equalities Fellow. He is the main port of call regarding issues of equalities and diversity (race, gender, culture, belief) within college. 

Staff equalities representatives: Ashley Maguire (Graduate & Academic Administrator) and Kate Burtonwood (Head Gardener).

The JCR has a number of equalities officers, including:

BAME Officer: Yunke Zhao

Disabilities Officer: Ashley MacLauchlan

LGBTQ+ Rep: Laura Massey

Gender Officer: Noor Shabeeh

The MCR also has a set of equalities officers, including:

Equalities Officer: Georgie Fooks

Disability

Resources and support

Trinity has a range of disability support for students on our Accessibility page

The Oxford SU has a Disabilities Campaign that offers support and advocacy for disabled students at Oxford University.  

The University's Disability Advisory Service provides information and advice to students with disabilities.

Oxford's Equality and Diversity Unit provides information and support to disabled staff members and managers.

Neurodiversity Oxford is a new project connecting, celebrating and empowering the University's students and staff.Find out more about the events and support available on the Neurodiversity at Oxford website.

Race

Equality

Oxford University's Race Equality Task Force was launched in November 2020 to advance racial equality across the collegiate University of Oxford.

The University's Equality and Diversity Unit has information about race equality resources, networks and initiatives for staff and students.

The Student Union's Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality is dedicated to creating a more just and inclusive student experience at the University through action and engagement with racial diversity and difference.

LGBTQ+

Support

Oxford University has a number of support networks for LGBTQ+ staff and students, and is a participant in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. 

The University's LGBTQ+ Society is a student-run society that holds events and provides welfare support and advice.

Information about the University’s support for transgender staff and students and initiatives to promote a more inclusive workplace can be found online.

Other helpful resources within the University include:

Leaflet for new LGBT staff

LGBT+ Staff Network

LGBT+ Allies Network

Oxford SU's LGBTQ+ campaign

TORCH Queer Studies Network



The Bodleian Libraries have put together an LGBT+ reading list for LGBT+ History Month.

Other Equalities

Resources

Faith, Religion & Belief

The University has a list of resources for different faith communities across the university; you can also consult a full list of faith societies at the University

MPLS Training Workshops

The University's MPLS Division has launched a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programme, with sessions open to staff and students across the University where there is capacity. Sessions include learning how to be an effective bystander, intersectional and anti-racist allyship, supporting disabled and neurodivergent staff, and much more. Find out more and sign up.