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The Second Annual Diversity Calendar is now available online and details cultural and religious dates throughout the year alongside important university days.
The project, which is the result of a collaboration between Interfaith Chaplaincy, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), the Equality and Diversity Unit, Counselling and Psychological Services, and GUSA, includes key University dates while offering an account of various cultural and religious festivals and holidays.
The option to find out about the “main topic” of each month is included alongside a list of “Special Days” to teach readers about cultural and religious holidays daily. February is LGBT History month and as such, the calendar recalls that “GULGBTQ+ launched their Pronoun Pledge campaign in 2016, raising awareness of the importance of respecting a person’s preferred pronoun and gender identity, and to make the University a more welcoming place for our trans students and staff”. Whereas May begins with Mental Health Awareness week so the calendar reminds students that “Counselling and Psychological Services offer a confidential space to explore and reflect on their issues without being judged and to help them develop ways of overcoming their difficulties”.
The Special Days included in the Diversity Calendar ranges from the Buddhist holiday of Nirvana day on 15 February, to the Zoroastrian celebration of Zarathushtra’s birth, Khordad Sai, on 28 March. It also mentions important dates for Glasgow University students, including the beginning and ending of teaching periods.
The Diversity Calendar also indicates moon phases and is interspersed with pictures of students involved in activities typical of university life.
Although accessible online, a small number of hard copies will be available as well and these will be distributed across the campus for free.
As stated by Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow University: “Our aim is to inspire others and between us change the world for the better. By promoting respect and understanding between people of all backgrounds, we hope we can inspire people to create a world based on the principles of dignity, fairness, equality and respect.”
