Recognising the need to have a dedicated group focusing on how best to celebrate our diversity, promote fair treatment and equal opportunities for all, and continue to make Corpus a hospitable and inclusive community, we launched our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team on 1 February 2023. The EDI team works together with Students, Staff and Fellows to continue to broaden the range of cultures, backgrounds and traditions at Corpus and to further support Students of all backgrounds with their various needs as they live and study in Corpus.
 

"The College is particularly mindful of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. The EDI team is there for the whole College community — Staff, Students and Fellows… We fully embrace the broad diversity of its community and the collegiate University." The Master, Professor Christopher Kelly

Meet the team:

Lead coordinator	LGBTQ+ Champion	Race & Diversity  Champion	Disability & Neurodiversity	Women’s Champion
The Revd Dr Matt Bullimore	Professor Ewan St. John Smith	Dr Nirupa Desai	Professor Philippa Hoskin	Dr Jenny Zhang

The wider College EDI Forum includes all the JCR ‘liberation officers’ and the relevant MCR reps alongside the Champions. There are also two staff volunteers.
 

Together the Forum promotes EDI across the whole of College life. It meets together regularly to share information, organise events and appropriate training, and encourages open and honest conversation around the opportunities and challenges of being a safe, welcoming, diverse and inclusive community. 
 

Recent events and projects have included:

• Pride Events with series of talks from academics and alumni, culminating in a Pride-themed Formal Hall, raising money for charity
  
  
• Flags are flown to commemorate Black History Month, LGBT+ History Month, Pride, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, and Transgender Day of Remembrance
  
  
• The establishment of a Prayer Room for the use of different faith groups 
  
  
• Setting up the Lovelace Society for women in STEM 
  
  
• Beginning to explore becoming a College of Sanctuary that would be mindful of the particular needs of students from refugee backgrounds
  
  
• Making accessibility a central plank of the architects’ thinking in developing the Masterplan for the estate
  
  
• Establishing an anonymous online reporting form for racial harassment to enable the community to better assess student needs and support, and to raise consciousness of racism
  
  
• Arising out of focus groups with staff, the production of a JCR Liberation Booklet to facilitate greater mutual understanding, copies being available for all members of College to read. It provides an overview of terminology and points to consider regarding gender equality, class issues, LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minorities, and disabilities. 

The work of community building is always ongoing. We continue to discover what we did not know about the needs of our current Students, Staff and Fellowship. We are always finding more to celebrate too. The EDI team is an intentional way to make College a more inclusive community and to support its members. 
 

Corpus remains a community of people committed to mutual flourishing and also serious debate. There are differences between us and having an EDI Forum has enabled us to mediate differences within the College when they arise with both care and honesty. This a recognition that living together is not always simple. It’s a project. But one which is well worth the effort, and one which is inevitably convivial too.

Whether a current or former member of College, if you have any ideas for how to contribute to the EDI work going on at Corpus, please do get in touch.