Events & Activities Report - 2005
Concert
The James Morrison Concert was a great kick start to Diversity Week and served as a good promotion for the Aussie International Friendship Program (AIFP). Ken Maxwell, the concert MC highlighted the role of AIFP and the Chaplaincy Services to the University of Queensland. The Diversity Week theme: ' Difference-In-Common' helped promote the essence of AIFP's Services, in particular to new international and domestic students. A continuous AIFP power point presentation was on display in the UQ Centre foyer.
The audience at the concert was treated to an evening of excellence. The First Session started with the support act from the Cannon Hill Anglican College Big Band with guests from the University of Queensland Brass Ensemble. The Second Session was a world class performance by James and his sextet captivating the audience with their intimate and interpersonal style of music.
Contact: Rev. Peter Rama Rau
Public Lecture & Seminar – Race
Dr David Hollinsworth, Adjunct Professor in Contemporary Studies at UQ Ipswich delivered a public lecture "Whitewashing Australia: Combating racism in the twenty first century". Dr Hollinsworth's book Race and Racism in Australia is the standard work on this topic and he is a recent winner of the NSW Premier's Prize for Young People's Books, for his 2003 book They took the Children. Dr Hollinsworth also presented a Contemporary Studies seminar, on the topic "Speaking positions and the politics of address in Aboriginal studies". While at UQ, he took the opportunity to liaise with local indigenous communities.
Contact: Prof. Fred D'Agostino
Australian Studies Day
The Australian Studies Centre (ASC) held a very successful ‘Australian Studies Day’ an annual event in the Centre’s calendar, but in 2005 it was scheduled as part of Diversity Week. The Australian Studies Day is designed to provide a forum where Australian studies researchers, both academic staff and graduate students, can present their current research. This year’s keynote speaker was Dr Anna Haebich from Griffith University, who spoke on Australia’s assimilation policies. In particular Anna’s paper focused on the ways in which the famous (non-Indigenous) ballet Corroboree used and projected notions of Aboriginal culture.
Other papers included Susan Cochrane (postdoctoral fellow, EMSAH) on Pacific art collections, in particular on reinterpretations by Pacific artists of images collected during the colonial period; Kerry Heckenberg (EMSAH) on Ludwig Becker’s illustrations for the Burke & Wills’ expedition; Roger Osborner (ASC) on researching 1920s magazine readers; Roly Sussex (LCCS) on the use of diminutives in Australian English; Jim Mackay (Sociology) on forms of remembering and commemoration associated with Anzac; and William Hatherell (ASC & QUT) on Australian novels of the World War II homefront.
Contact: A/Prof David Carter
Seminar & Walking tour – Women and the vote
A two hour seminar with speakers on the centenary of Queensland white women's gaining of the vote and the forty year anniversary of indigenous people's voting rights. The talks were recorded and edited into a radio programme for broadcasting on 4ZZZ. A conducted walking tour followed, starting from the statues of Emma Miller and Charles Lilley in King George Square taking in various inner city sites of suffrage significance.
Contact: A/Prof Carole Ferrier
Seminar – Disability
The aim of the Seminar was to assist staff and students at UQ to gain an awareness of how people with a disability are able to overcome barriers which may impede their engagement with university life, and to apprise the disabled community of some of the initiatives at UQ to improve access for people with physical hindrances.
Prof. Paul Greenfield, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, opened the proceedings and presentations were provided by Mr Bradley Low, UQ CanSwim, Mr Alasdair McClintock, Director P & F, and a special presentation by Mr Bashir Ebrahim, from the Guidedogs Queensland supported by his colleagues, most notable of which was a beautiful golden Labrador.
Contact: Prof Jenny Strong
Discussion group – Breastfeeding mothers
The discussion forum was well attended by both staff and students, many accompanied by their babies and toddlers. The participants discussed issues affecting them on return to work at the University. A trained breastfeeding counsellor from the Australian Breastfeeding Association attended and answered a range of questions. A number of issues were identified as needing some improvement and were brought to the attention of the University through The Equity Office.
Gatton Campus Diversity Week Activities
International music and dance
Gatton Campus had a number of different events throughout the week with a special focus on the Wednesday. The programme started with a fabulous student African Dance troupe representing five (5) countries: South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya and then a presentation about the didgeridoo and a performance. People were fascinated to find out that the didgeridoo was a medical instrument as well as a musical one. While being played, the end of the didgeridoo is passed over the body, front and back, with the sound waves acting on pressure points, like Chinese acupuncture.
Forum on increasing access for Indigenous Australians to university
This was followed by an Indigenous Issues forum that discussed how NRAVS might increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. One aspect of the discussion included the potential for inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in courses. Other topics covered included the need for cross-cultural understanding.
Multicultural lunch
The day’s activities concluded with a multicultural lunch on the Centre Walkway.
Everyone enjoyed the freshly cooked satays, tortillas and fried rice provided by the UQG International Student Association, and the sausage-in-bread supplied by the UQG Student Association.
Open Day
During the Week the Distance Learning Centre held an Open Day and staff and students were able to get a sense of the challenges of providing a quality educational experience to our off-campus students and the diversity of that student cohort.
The Tertiary Taste Program
Young people with a disability were invited to attend University for two days as an introduction to University life. Students attended lectures, took campus tours and were given presentations about available courses and relevant support networks on campus. The remainder of the week was taken up visiting the campus facilities such as the Poultry Unit and Dairy, Wind Tunnel, Pohlman’s Nursery and Bauer’s Organic Farm and interacting with the current Residents and Staff of the Halls to gain an understanding of what university life is all about.
Diversity Dinner
On Wednesday evening the Halls of Residence at Gatton hosted the Campus Diversity Dinner where the focus was on students with disabilities and the options available to them in tertiary education. This coincided with the Coolangatta Special School “in residence” program which also took place in Diversity week.
The special guest speaker for the night was Shane Scott. He is truly a remarkable young man who was an inspiration to all of those who attended the dinner. He was, in every sense of the word, living with cerebral palsy and after battling the Board of Secondary School Studies to obtain an OP Score he went on to graduate from UQ with a social work degree. Shane has now opened his own counselling service which operates out of Logan and is yet to celebrate his 25th birthday. Phil, Brad and Gary gave a terrific Australian introduction to the evening.
Gary Sippell, Brad Rickard & Phil Breslin
Gatton contacts:
Ms Jennifer Charles, Mr Simon Scott: Ms Laura Chandler, Ms Karen Mundt, Dr Gordon Dryden
International Evening
The School of Integrative Biology International Evening was a terrific success again and included a selection of international food and talks from international students; from Oman, Fiji, PNG, New Zealand, Lesotho and Egypt. Those who attended were fascinated to have their views about these countries expanded from the stereotypes many of us hold.
Contact: Dr Elizabeth Aitken
Diversity Cookbook and perspectives on food
The School of Social Science celebrated its cultural diversity with launch of its own cookbook and a lunch. Dining with Diversity: Recipes and Repartee from the School of Social Science in recognition of the rich cultural diversity within the School. A booklet was published and distributed for a gold coin donation, the proceeds of which were donated to the Naklang Village project in Northern Thailand to help refurbish a school for Karen children who have been displaced from their traditional homelands.
Public Lecture
The Centre for the History of European Discourses hosted a free public lecture by Professor Margrit Shildrick, currently Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin and internationally recognised for her work in feminist theory and critical disability studies. Professor Shildrick’s lecture was on the topic “The Disabled Body: Genealogy and Undecidability,” and drew from her forthcoming book Dangerous Discourses: Disability Studies, Subjectivity and Sexuality.
The lecture was attended by an audience of around 60, including academic staff from UQ, QUT, and Griffith, along with representatives of disability rights groups and members of the general public. The lecture was followed by a reception, in which the audience had a chance to talk with Professor Shildrick about her work in a more informal context.
Contact Dr Elizabeth Stephens
Student Centres
Student Survey
The Student Centres conducted a survey to gauge knowledge and raise awareness of the various support programs and facilities available to students. Three prizes were awarded for entries including a $200 Harvey Norman voucher, a $100 UQ Bookshop voucher. A $50 UQ Bookshop voucher and five $10 Red Room vouchers were also awarded.
Seminar
Shane Scott (motivational speaker and counsellor) and Ngaire Wills (Equity Office) presented a seminar to staff from within the Student and Academic Services Division. The purpose of the seminar was to raise awareness of disabilities within the University and to better equip staff in offering customer service to people with disabilities.
Display
A display was mounted on the Student Centre noticeboard encompassing the different cultures, beliefs, religions, and non-gender stereotypes prevalent within the University community.
Contact: Ms Kate Heffernan
Symposium
Intersexuality is so highly stigmatized that, until recently, the phenomenon was little known outside related medical specialties. People are starting to question the traditional treatment paradigm and the social responses to this situation. A panel presentation and discussion on Human Development, Sexual Identity and Intersex discussed this issue from a number of different perspectives. Panel members included Prof Peter Koopman, who gave a research perspective on sexual development, Dr Kate Gibson, paediatrician and geneticist who provided a clinical perspective and Ms Ann Stewart, from UQ’s Equity Office who discussed some of the controversial equity issues associated with this topic.
Other Activities
Additional activities included:
The James Morrison Concert was a great kick start to Diversity Week and served as a good promotion for the Aussie International Friendship Program (AIFP). Ken Maxwell, the concert MC highlighted the role of AIFP and the Chaplaincy Services to the University of Queensland. The Diversity Week theme: ' Difference-In-Common' helped promote the essence of AIFP's Services, in particular to new international and domestic students. A continuous AIFP power point presentation was on display in the UQ Centre foyer.
The audience at the concert was treated to an evening of excellence. The First Session started with the support act from the Cannon Hill Anglican College Big Band with guests from the University of Queensland Brass Ensemble. The Second Session was a world class performance by James and his sextet captivating the audience with their intimate and interpersonal style of music.
Contact: Rev. Peter Rama Rau
Public Lecture & Seminar – Race
Dr David Hollinsworth, Adjunct Professor in Contemporary Studies at UQ Ipswich delivered a public lecture "Whitewashing Australia: Combating racism in the twenty first century". Dr Hollinsworth's book Race and Racism in Australia is the standard work on this topic and he is a recent winner of the NSW Premier's Prize for Young People's Books, for his 2003 book They took the Children. Dr Hollinsworth also presented a Contemporary Studies seminar, on the topic "Speaking positions and the politics of address in Aboriginal studies". While at UQ, he took the opportunity to liaise with local indigenous communities.
Contact: Prof. Fred D'Agostino
Australian Studies Day
The Australian Studies Centre (ASC) held a very successful ‘Australian Studies Day’ an annual event in the Centre’s calendar, but in 2005 it was scheduled as part of Diversity Week. The Australian Studies Day is designed to provide a forum where Australian studies researchers, both academic staff and graduate students, can present their current research. This year’s keynote speaker was Dr Anna Haebich from Griffith University, who spoke on Australia’s assimilation policies. In particular Anna’s paper focused on the ways in which the famous (non-Indigenous) ballet Corroboree used and projected notions of Aboriginal culture.
Other papers included Susan Cochrane (postdoctoral fellow, EMSAH) on Pacific art collections, in particular on reinterpretations by Pacific artists of images collected during the colonial period; Kerry Heckenberg (EMSAH) on Ludwig Becker’s illustrations for the Burke & Wills’ expedition; Roger Osborner (ASC) on researching 1920s magazine readers; Roly Sussex (LCCS) on the use of diminutives in Australian English; Jim Mackay (Sociology) on forms of remembering and commemoration associated with Anzac; and William Hatherell (ASC & QUT) on Australian novels of the World War II homefront.
Contact: A/Prof David Carter
Seminar & Walking tour – Women and the vote
A two hour seminar with speakers on the centenary of Queensland white women's gaining of the vote and the forty year anniversary of indigenous people's voting rights. The talks were recorded and edited into a radio programme for broadcasting on 4ZZZ. A conducted walking tour followed, starting from the statues of Emma Miller and Charles Lilley in King George Square taking in various inner city sites of suffrage significance.
Contact: A/Prof Carole Ferrier
Seminar – Disability
The aim of the Seminar was to assist staff and students at UQ to gain an awareness of how people with a disability are able to overcome barriers which may impede their engagement with university life, and to apprise the disabled community of some of the initiatives at UQ to improve access for people with physical hindrances.
Prof. Paul Greenfield, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, opened the proceedings and presentations were provided by Mr Bradley Low, UQ CanSwim, Mr Alasdair McClintock, Director P & F, and a special presentation by Mr Bashir Ebrahim, from the Guidedogs Queensland supported by his colleagues, most notable of which was a beautiful golden Labrador.
Contact: Prof Jenny Strong
Discussion group – Breastfeeding mothers
The discussion forum was well attended by both staff and students, many accompanied by their babies and toddlers. The participants discussed issues affecting them on return to work at the University. A trained breastfeeding counsellor from the Australian Breastfeeding Association attended and answered a range of questions. A number of issues were identified as needing some improvement and were brought to the attention of the University through The Equity Office.
Gatton Campus Diversity Week Activities
International music and dance
Gatton Campus had a number of different events throughout the week with a special focus on the Wednesday. The programme started with a fabulous student African Dance troupe representing five (5) countries: South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya and then a presentation about the didgeridoo and a performance. People were fascinated to find out that the didgeridoo was a medical instrument as well as a musical one. While being played, the end of the didgeridoo is passed over the body, front and back, with the sound waves acting on pressure points, like Chinese acupuncture.
Forum on increasing access for Indigenous Australians to university
This was followed by an Indigenous Issues forum that discussed how NRAVS might increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. One aspect of the discussion included the potential for inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in courses. Other topics covered included the need for cross-cultural understanding.
Multicultural lunch
The day’s activities concluded with a multicultural lunch on the Centre Walkway.
Everyone enjoyed the freshly cooked satays, tortillas and fried rice provided by the UQG International Student Association, and the sausage-in-bread supplied by the UQG Student Association.
Open Day
During the Week the Distance Learning Centre held an Open Day and staff and students were able to get a sense of the challenges of providing a quality educational experience to our off-campus students and the diversity of that student cohort.
The Tertiary Taste Program
Young people with a disability were invited to attend University for two days as an introduction to University life. Students attended lectures, took campus tours and were given presentations about available courses and relevant support networks on campus. The remainder of the week was taken up visiting the campus facilities such as the Poultry Unit and Dairy, Wind Tunnel, Pohlman’s Nursery and Bauer’s Organic Farm and interacting with the current Residents and Staff of the Halls to gain an understanding of what university life is all about.
Diversity Dinner
On Wednesday evening the Halls of Residence at Gatton hosted the Campus Diversity Dinner where the focus was on students with disabilities and the options available to them in tertiary education. This coincided with the Coolangatta Special School “in residence” program which also took place in Diversity week.
The special guest speaker for the night was Shane Scott. He is truly a remarkable young man who was an inspiration to all of those who attended the dinner. He was, in every sense of the word, living with cerebral palsy and after battling the Board of Secondary School Studies to obtain an OP Score he went on to graduate from UQ with a social work degree. Shane has now opened his own counselling service which operates out of Logan and is yet to celebrate his 25th birthday. Phil, Brad and Gary gave a terrific Australian introduction to the evening.
Gary Sippell, Brad Rickard & Phil Breslin
Gatton contacts:
Ms Jennifer Charles, Mr Simon Scott: Ms Laura Chandler, Ms Karen Mundt, Dr Gordon Dryden
International Evening
The School of Integrative Biology International Evening was a terrific success again and included a selection of international food and talks from international students; from Oman, Fiji, PNG, New Zealand, Lesotho and Egypt. Those who attended were fascinated to have their views about these countries expanded from the stereotypes many of us hold.
Contact: Dr Elizabeth Aitken
Diversity Cookbook and perspectives on food
The School of Social Science celebrated its cultural diversity with launch of its own cookbook and a lunch. Dining with Diversity: Recipes and Repartee from the School of Social Science in recognition of the rich cultural diversity within the School. A booklet was published and distributed for a gold coin donation, the proceeds of which were donated to the Naklang Village project in Northern Thailand to help refurbish a school for Karen children who have been displaced from their traditional homelands.
Public Lecture
The Centre for the History of European Discourses hosted a free public lecture by Professor Margrit Shildrick, currently Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin and internationally recognised for her work in feminist theory and critical disability studies. Professor Shildrick’s lecture was on the topic “The Disabled Body: Genealogy and Undecidability,” and drew from her forthcoming book Dangerous Discourses: Disability Studies, Subjectivity and Sexuality.
The lecture was attended by an audience of around 60, including academic staff from UQ, QUT, and Griffith, along with representatives of disability rights groups and members of the general public. The lecture was followed by a reception, in which the audience had a chance to talk with Professor Shildrick about her work in a more informal context.
Contact Dr Elizabeth Stephens
Student Centres
Student Survey
The Student Centres conducted a survey to gauge knowledge and raise awareness of the various support programs and facilities available to students. Three prizes were awarded for entries including a $200 Harvey Norman voucher, a $100 UQ Bookshop voucher. A $50 UQ Bookshop voucher and five $10 Red Room vouchers were also awarded.
Seminar
Shane Scott (motivational speaker and counsellor) and Ngaire Wills (Equity Office) presented a seminar to staff from within the Student and Academic Services Division. The purpose of the seminar was to raise awareness of disabilities within the University and to better equip staff in offering customer service to people with disabilities.
Display
A display was mounted on the Student Centre noticeboard encompassing the different cultures, beliefs, religions, and non-gender stereotypes prevalent within the University community.
Contact: Ms Kate Heffernan
Symposium
Intersexuality is so highly stigmatized that, until recently, the phenomenon was little known outside related medical specialties. People are starting to question the traditional treatment paradigm and the social responses to this situation. A panel presentation and discussion on Human Development, Sexual Identity and Intersex discussed this issue from a number of different perspectives. Panel members included Prof Peter Koopman, who gave a research perspective on sexual development, Dr Kate Gibson, paediatrician and geneticist who provided a clinical perspective and Ms Ann Stewart, from UQ’s Equity Office who discussed some of the controversial equity issues associated with this topic.
Other Activities
Additional activities included:
- an Interfaith Seminar which explored the ways in which the many faith communities reflect on their faith traditions in the Australian context and critically and creatively engage with it,
- The Anthropology Museum had a special display ‘Negotiating Meanings’ that explored how perceptions of artefacts or events shift across different people and places.
- Launch of the UQ ALLY Network
- The Equity Office provided on-line diversity training and collection of staff diversity data.
- Ipswich campus held a photographic competition, banner painting, a parenting network meeting, mounted a display at the library and a diversity film festival. The highlight was a student organised international food festival.
- Rabbi Uri Themal gave a talk on multiculturalism and its current relevance to Australian society and the University, in particular.
- Students at St Lucia gave a demonstration of traditional Indian dance
And finally, the week concluded with the Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity Awards.
