In the 2023-24 academic year, the Sounding Board for the Faculty Diversity Office (FDO) was established. The board has since successfully brought together students and staff from across the faculty to discuss and inform FGw Diversity Office plans and policies. The Sounding Board supports the FDO in various ways, for example by creating working groups for areas that need diversity and inclusion (D&I) attention, such as student experience, and by providing feedback on the HR selection committee guidelines to make hiring practices more inclusive.

Starting in the 2024-2025 academic year, the Sounding Board will consist of 2 groups that come together at general meetings twice a semester:

1. A compensated core group

The compensated core group will consist of a small group of members that meet regularly and have specific responsibilities within the sounding board. This working group will:

• meet roughly every 6 to 8 weeks in addition to the general Sounding Board meetings;
• advise on proposed policies;
• advise on current policy documents and reports; and
• help identify bottlenecks ('knelpunten') regarding DO priority areas (such as accessibility).

The group may also:

• help evaluate the rolling applications for the new FDO Initiatives Fund;
• coordinate individual working groups (for example Outreach) that are currently subcommittees in the Sounding Board; and
• help complete projects developed by the FDO and the Sounding Board.

Members of the core group will be compensated. Postdocs, PhD students, and BA and MA students will receive a lump sum of €450 at the end of the academic year. FGw Teaching staff (WP) will receive 35 hours. Core group members will receive a formal letter of appointment from the FDO.

2.  A voluntary group

This larger group will consist of volunteers and will participate in the general Sounding Board meetings. These meetings take place roughly twice per semester (3 to 4 times per academic year) and take place with the core group and the Diversity Office team to advise on policy developments put forward by the Faculty Diversity Officer. Voluntary members are expected to attend at least 2 of these meetings.

The Sounding Board is looking for new members for both groups. Here is how you can apply:

Those interested in becoming a compensated core member can learn more about the position and apply following the instructions outlined in the application guidelines (pdf). The FDO seeks to create a small, diverse group of people who together represent a variety of perspectives and experiences within the faculty.

Those interested in becoming a voluntary member can apply by sending an email to inclusion-fgw@uva.nlExternal link. Please submit your name, role within the faculty (e.g. student) and a short motivation of 4 to 5 sentences outlining why you wish to join the voluntary group of the Sounding Board.

All applications must be submitted no later than 17:00 on Monday 16 December 2024. If you have any questions about the Sounding Board or the application process, please contact Faculty Diversity Officer Kristine Johanson at inclusion-fgw@uva.nlExternal link.