GMIT Letterfrack
GMIT Letterfrack Campus EDI Sub Committee, School of Design & Creative Arts
The Department of Furniture Design and Technology and the Department of Creative Education, established a Letterfrack Campus EDI Sub-Committee in 2021 to help raise awareness and engage both staff and students in a conversation on issues relating to gender equality, sexual misconduct and unconscious bias and to generate a culture of inclusivity within their education community.
Both departments deliver several STEMM-based programmes which have an under-representation from women applicants, some focused on the furniture industry and others within initial teacher education. Each Head of Department understood the need to ensure that students and staff were provided with both the knowledge, skills and space to discuss these issues in a safe and supportive environment.
The EDI sub-committee arranged for workshops for staff on sexual misconduct and teaching for inclusivity. Student workshops were focused on unconscious bias and sexual consent. Going forward, the committee is seeking more student representative members, supporting the inclusion of EDI principles within programme curriculum and developing further initiatives that celebrate diversity. The committee is made up of members from right across the departments and includes:
- Dr Dermot O’Donovan, Head of Department of Creative Education
- Mr Paul Leamy, Head of Department of Furniture Design and Technology, GMIT Letterfrack
- Ms Mary Nestor, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager
- Ms Suzanne Rushe, Librarian
- Ms Shemeem O’Toole, Administrator
- Ms Eve McDonogh, Student Mentor
- Ms Ricarda Bolle, GMIT SU, Deputy President for Education
- Mr Sean Breen, Lecturer
