Inclusive campus

The College of Science aims to be a welcoming place where all staff and students can contribute fully to our shared purpose. To do so, we expect everybody to pro-actively contribute to increasing inclusion. We work collectively to remove barriers to access and inefficiencies in our systems and facilities.

Key links

Additional parenting, prayer and wellbeing rooms

Besides the rooms listed above, CoS has the following rooms available.

  • The RSAA has a quiet/wellness room, the access is card-restricted, but everyone is welcomed to ask Reception (CSO Building) for a Visitor Card to go and use the wellness room. The room is in the Woolley Building (room number W.003, coordinates -35.3214, 149.0079). It has a couch, a chair, books and handcraft materials, and very nice view of the mountains around Stromlo.
  • The RSB has two ‘designated resting areas’ (DRA). One (E1.18) is in the Robertson building, 46, and the other (1.009) in the Linnaeus Building, 134. The former is open to public access. It contains a first-aid kit, bed, single couch, sink, bar refrigerator, table, wheelchair, privacy blind on the window, privacy screening on the door, bench seat, and some kids’ toys. Accessible bathroom and shower, and kitchenette with microwave, drinking and ZIP hot-water dispenser are available nearby. This room can be used for parenting, resting, first aid, quiet room, or prayers. The second room is closed to the public. The Linnaeus DRA can be used for first aid, parenting, quiet resting, and prayers by staff with access.

Hiring and supporting people with disability

College of Science Pilot

A pilot project was conducted between July and October 2022, including: 

  • Providing disability awareness training, information and coaching to local HR and 11 selection committees,
  • A review of our recruitment and induction practices to improve accessibility, candidate access to reasonable adjustments and the overall candidate experience,
  • The use of Disability Employment Service (DES) providers and Toozly (the largest job board in Australia for people with disability) to communicate vacancies.  

Download a summary of the pilot, results and recommendations (PDF, 143.23 KB)

The pilot was highly successful, and the system and process improvements it generated will be used systemically moving forward.

Measures to support access and inclusion for employees with disability

ANU is implementing measures to support the recruitment, inclusion and retention of employees with disability. This includes:

  • Implementing our Disability Action Plan (PDF 203KB),
  • Providing a Disability Employee Network,
  • Providing training, upskilling and mentoring opportunities,
  • Working with Disability Employment Service providers,
  • Providing disability awareness training to supervisors and staff,
  • Sharing staff stories and listening to experiences to further improve access and inclusion.

Example adjustments during a selection process

We recognise that an individual is often best placed to know what accommodations may help that person to participate in a selection process. To help candidates feel comfortable to discuss adjustment needs, we have prepared a list of common requests. Adjustments to a selection process could include, but are not limited to:

  • Providing more time for any assessment including a written application, work test, interview and presentation,
  • Having a support person accompany you at interview,
  • Arranging an Auslan interpreter at any assessment stage,
  • Joining an interview over zoom,
  • Providing interview questions in advance.

During a recruitment process, the HR team checks that all assessment rooms and surrounding facilities are accessible. We encourage hiring managers to communicate assessment methods early, in the job advertisement, so that candidates have an opportunity to communicate adjustment needs. We also encourage hiring managers to provide interview questions in advance to assist candidate confidence and inclusion.

If you are applying for a role and would like to discuss adjustment options, please contact the HR team at hr.cos@anu.edu.au. Adjustment requests or the disclosure of disability will not be communicated to the selection committee without the candidates consent and it will not have any bearing on hiring decisions.

Resources and Initiatives

Access Agreement Form

The linked Access Agreement Form has been designed to help facilitate discussions between staff members or research students and their supervisors. 

It does not aim to replace formal procedures, but to support informal agreements, and improve understanding of individual needs. 

This includes, but is not limited to, needs of people with disability, people with family and young children, carers, and those with fluctuating medical conditions. 

Breastfeeding procedure

Diverse and Equitable Workforce development action plans

The College of Science Diverse and Equitable Hiring and Workforce Development Procedure (pdf, 292KB) requires each School to develop a five year strategy that identifies underrepresentation in the workforce and lists recruitment and retention practices that will remove employment barriers, improve hiring decisions and create a diverse and inclusive workforce that is representative of the Australian population.

To see how the College is actively improving representation through our recruitment, retention and promotion practices, please click on the strategies below that have been endorsed by the College of Science Executive:

Hiring and supporting people with disability

College of Science Pilot

A pilot project was conducted between July and October 2022, including: 

  • Providing disability awareness training, information and coaching to local HR and 11 selection committees,
  • A review of our recruitment and induction practices to improve accessibility, candidate access to reasonable adjustments and the overall candidate experience,
  • The use of Disability Employment Service (DES) providers and Toozly (the largest job board in Australia for people with disability) to communicate vacancies.  

Download a summary of the pilot, results and recommendations (PDF, 143.23 KB)

The pilot was highly successful, and the system and process improvements it generated will be used systemically moving forward.

Measures to support access and inclusion for employees with disability

ANU is implementing measures to support the recruitment, inclusion and retention of employees with disability. This includes:

  • Implementing our Disability Action Plan (PDF 203KB),
  • Providing a Disability Employee Network,
  • Providing training, upskilling and mentoring opportunities,
  • Working with Disability Employment Service providers,
  • Providing disability awareness training to supervisors and staff,
  • Sharing staff stories and listening to experiences to further improve access and inclusion.

Example adjustments during a selection process

We recognise that an individual is often best placed to know what accommodations may help that person to participate in a selection process. To help candidates feel comfortable to discuss adjustment needs, we have prepared a list of common requests. Adjustments to a selection process could include, but are not limited to:

  • Providing more time for any assessment including a written application, work test, interview and presentation,
  • Having a support person accompany you at interview,
  • Arranging an Auslan interpreter at any assessment stage,
  • Joining an interview over zoom,
  • Providing interview questions in advance.

During a recruitment process, the HR team checks that all assessment rooms and surrounding facilities are accessible. We encourage hiring managers to communicate assessment methods early, in the job advertisement, so that candidates have an opportunity to communicate adjustment needs. We also encourage hiring managers to provide interview questions in advance to assist candidate confidence and inclusion.

If you are applying for a role and would like to discuss adjustment options, please contact the HR team at hr.cos@anu.edu.au. Adjustment requests or the disclosure of disability will not be communicated to the selection committee without the candidates consent and it will not have any bearing on hiring decisions.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

The mental health and wellbeing of all staff and students is a priority for the College of Science. Without it, we cannot achieve our goals. We take a community approach to mental health and wellbeing, aiming to support one another. 

In our mental health video series, you can hear how CoS staff, from diverse backgrounds, and working at different level of leadership, take care of their own mental health. We hope that it will inspire and empower you to do the same, in a way that works for you.

If you are wondering about the state of someone's mental health (including your own), our mental health checks links can help you make sense of what you are perceiving. 

Support is available at the ANU through the Staff Respect Consultant, and the Student Health, Safety and Wellbeing team. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them!

More often than not, taking care of one's mental health involves taking leave. Here are information regarding personal and wellbeing leave for staff, research program leave for HDR students, and program leave for international students.

Mental health needs and support vary greatly, depending on stressors (from finances to relationships, grief, and loss), identity, and intensity (from simple tips to suicide prevention). Our mental health links page can help you find ressources or organisation that can, hopefully, help in your specific circumstances. 

For students facing the stress of exams, helpful links can be found on our mental health during exams page.

 

Mental Health Checks

Mental Health links

If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please call 000. 

Suicide Support: 

General Mental Health:

Support for specific groups:

Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 

Queer Mental Health Support:

  • QLife: 1800 184 527 QLife

Free Mental Health apps: 

  • For People of Colour: Shine

Parenting, prayer and wellbeing rooms

You can find a list of parenting rooms here: https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_000378

Besides the rooms listed in the link above, CoS has the following rooms available.

  • The RSAA has a quiet/wellness room, the access is card-restricted, but everyone is welcomed to ask Reception (CSO Building) for a Visitor Card to go and use the wellness room. The room is in the Woolley Building (room number W.003, coordinates -35.3214, 149.0079). It has a couch, a chair, books and handcraft materials, and very nice view of the mountains around Stromlo.
  • The RSB has two ‘designated resting areas’ (DRA). One (E1.18) is in the Robertson building, 46, and the other (1.009) in the Linnaeus Building, 134. The former is open to public access. It contains a first-aid kit, bed, single couch, sink, bar refrigerator, table, wheelchair, privacy blind on the window, privacy screening on the door, bench seat, and some kids’ toys. Accessible bathroom and shower, and kitchenette with microwave, drinking and ZIP hot-water dispenser are available nearby. This room can be used for parenting, resting, first aid, quiet room, or prayers. The second room is closed to the public. The Linnaeus DRA can be used for first aid, parenting, quiet resting, and prayers by staff with access.

Readings