AGH University implements principles of equal treatment

The principles define and describe behaviours which bear hallmarks of unequal treatment. They define behaviours forbidden against all persons from the AGH University community: working, studying at all levels and in all forms of education, doctoral students from the Doctoral School, as well as those participating in non-degree postgraduate programmes.

By establishing the principles of equal treatment, the AGH University makes every effort to maintain equal chances in the access to education, work, and scientific research. Consequently, the document is to constitute an unequivocal signal that the university is opposed to discriminatory behaviours in relation to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic background, religion or lack thereof. The document will also be reviewed. Its relevancy will be continuously verified, so that it could protect the interests of our community in the best possible way. The document defines, among others, behaviours which bear hallmarks of unequal treatment. Therefore, one can find there also descriptions of e.g. direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment. The definitions are accompanied by exemplary descriptions and situations which may have hallmarks of unequal treatment or discrimination.

The principles were developed owing to the collaboration between the Team for Gender Equality Plan and the Equality Ombudsperson at the AGH University, as well as others.

Appointed in 2021 by university authorities, the Team for Gender Equality Plan operates at the Faculty of Humanities. The Team’s Chairperson is Prof. Katarzyna Leszczyńska and its members are representatives from various university units (including the Doctoral School, Centre of e-Learning and Innovative Education, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatics, Computer Science, and Biomedical Engineering). The objective of the Team is research on equal treatment at the university and design of institutional and educational solutions supporting equality. Currently, the Team prepares and conducts a series of trainings on counteracting sexual harassment, supporting equal access to academic careers, and diversity management.

The institutional support from the AGH University in counteracting unequal treatment concerns both students and university employees. At the AGH University, there is also the Equality Ombudsperson, Artur Lesner, who acts on issues regarding the discrimination of students and employees. In terms of clarifying any doubts of students that arise under the university regulations and other applicable provisions, the Student Ombudsperson, Agnieszka Zatyka-Szlachcic, with a team of assistants from the student community, provides her support to students.

More details on applicable regulations, possible actions, and support for equal treatment at the AGH University are available at www.rownosc.agh.edu.pl (in Polish).

Implemented as part of the activities arising from the Gender Equality Plan at the AGH University at the Faculty of Humanities, there is also the project obtained in the European Commission's competition HORIZON-WIDERA. The AGH University is a member of an international consortium, and the goal of the project is to diagnose the most significant challenges related to implementing equal treatment in university spaces, as well as to distinguish good practices to support dealing with inequalities. The leader of the Polish team in the project is Prof. Katarzyna Leszczyńska. Besides analysing and diagnosing how gender interferes with age, university position, disability, ethnicity, sexual identities, and many other social categories, the project is also supposed to influence social change. Its aim is the exchange of experiences between European institutions and the design of a policy of good practices at university. The project initiated in September 2023 will be carried out until 2025. Within the planned activities, the universities participating in its execution (besides the AGH University, this concerns also the leader of the project – Technological University Dublin, as well as universities from Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, and Serbia) will develop and introduce good equality practices in cooperation with the business environment and NGOs from Europe.