Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The School of Divinity's EDI policies, initiatives, and relevant information.

All members of the School of Divinity are expected to treat each other with respect, regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender (including transgender), age, sexual orientation, or beliefs (including lack of religion or beliefs).

Everyone associated with the School of Divinity must be familiar with and abide by the following policies to ensure a safe and welcoming environment:

Dignity and Respect for all

The School supports and promotes all the University's Equality and Diversity initiatives:

New College's EDI guide: Useful Contacts and Resources

Class

The 93% Club is a student-led network and charity in the UK that provides support for working-class and state-school educated students in the Higher Education sector.
The Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement has compiled a useful set of resources on social class, with a focus on American social class.

Disability

The Student Disability Service at the University can be accessed here.
Disability Information Scotland has a range of guides on topics related to disability, with ways in which to access support. They can also be reached on their hotline, 0300 323 9961, Monday-Friday, 10-4pm.

Gender Based Violence

Equally Safe is a specialist support team within University dedicated to supporting students and staff who have been affected or are they themselves supporting some affected by Gender Based Violence (GBV) or who has experienced sexual harassment.
The Equally Safe Team can support those who have experienced GBV historically or those who are experiencing it currently. For more information regarding the Equally Safe team more broadly, visit GBV Support or email equallysafeteam@ed.ac.uk
Among one of their most useful resources for survivals can be the report and support service which provides an opportunityforreportingexperiencesofsexualassault, GBV, and/or harassment anonymously. Further details on report + support can be found in Report and Support.

LGBTQ+

If you experience a hate crime, Stonewall Scotland provides a hate crime reporting guide here.
New College Pride can be contacted at ncpride@ed.ac.uk with any queries or concerns, and to be added to their mailing list.
The Scottish Trans Network maintains a great list of contact points for LGBTQ+ issues which can be found here.
Staff Pride Network: PhD students are welcome to join, and they offer monthly Rainbow Office Hours which they say “provides a chance for staff and PhD students to make a connection with an LGBT+ staff member, PhD student or LGBT+ Ally at the University”.

Mental Health

The University Student Wellbeing Service operates Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. And can also be reached at student.wellbeing@ed.ac.uk . A list of internal contacts can be accessed here if you need support.
The student counselling service can be accessed here.
Breathing Space is a free and confidential phone line for anybody experiencing low mood or depression in Scotland. The helpline number is 0800 83 85 87, Weekdays: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am; Weekend: Friday 6pm-Monday 6am.
Samaritans is a confidential listening service which can be accessed 24/7 on 116 123 or on email: jo@samaritans.org
If you need urgent support, please call NHS 111 or 999.

Race

Stop Hate UK and Show Racism the Red Card provide resources on racism in the UK and information on how to report hate crime.
The https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/edi-groups/Staff BAME Network welcomes all Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic academic and professional services staff, including PhD students.

Religion

Stop Hate UK provides useful resources on religious hate crime and reporting hate crime.
The University Multi-Faith and Belief Chaplaincy, For All Faiths and None provides personal, emotional, communal, spiritual, faith, and belief support, for all members of the University. People of no religion use it as much as people of particular faiths. The chaplaincy is also a good resource for reaching out to specific student faith groups and networks.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director

The School's Equiality, Diversity and Inclusion Director is:

Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla (pronouns he/him)

Email: s.rahemtulla@ed.ac.uk

Myth-busting

Myth 1: The School of Divinity is Christian-centric.

FALSE! The School of Divinity is an excellent place to study a number of faith traditions and ritual practices! We have experts who focus on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, (Neo)Paganism, Indigenous Spiritual Traditions, Afrodiasporic Religiosity and Witchcraft!

Myth 2: There’s no space for atheism at the School of Divinity.

FALSE! At the School of Divinity, we are interested in the academic study of religion (taking the term in its broadest sense that includes explorations of reiki, ghosts and yoga!) Moreover, we have people at the school, both staff and students, from all faiths and none. As a secular institution we have Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians, non-religious folks, agnostics, practising pagans, and atheists!

Myth 3: The School of Divinity isn’t a safe space for Queer folks.

FALSE! The School of Divinity is a queer friendly space that fosters inclusivity across a range of gender identities and sexual orientations. This openness explicitly includes trans and nonbinary colleagues and students, who enrich our working and learning communities.

Myth 4: The only reason to study at the School of Divinity is if you want to be clergy.

FALSE! Part of our commitment to our students is to ensure they are able to thrive outside of the university and are highly employable in a changing world. There are countless jobs our students are qualified for when they enter the workforce. This may include the private sector such as banking or becoming a lawyer, to the Police, public policy work, teaching, non-profit and/or NGO work, research positions, translation and editing, and a variety of other opportunities. We also see many students go on to be involved in different faith traditions.

Athena SWAN Silver Award

The School of Divinity achieved an Athena SWAN Silver Award in 2018 for its commitment to gender equality, following a Bronze (GEM) Award in 2014.

Our Equality and Diversity (E&D) Committee is composed of staff and student representatives who meet three times per year. The Committee oversees the implementation of the University’s Dignity and Respect Policy and other relevant initiatives, and supports and promotes a range of E&D campaigns within the School. To learn more about the exciting array of events and activities held at our School, check out our bi-annual EDI newsletter, available at the bottom of this page.