Fostering diversity and ensuring equal opportunities: Interview with Diversity Officer Miriam Benteler

Since then, the Diversity Department’s website has gone online – which is just one reason the Online-Journal's editorial team wanted to talk to Miriam Benteler about the importance of diversity and some upcoming projects.

What does diversity mean at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar?



Generally speaking, we understand diversity as an opportunity, potential, and a challenge.  Being aware of diversity and enabling, fostering, and protecting it is a priority at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Diversity in health, culture, and gender is a fact and a source for innovation.



What is the underlying vision?



It’s primarily a resource-based perspective: Diversity as an opportunity. The intention behind it all is to inspire unique and innovative methods of teaching and researching from the diverse perspectives of people who have different experiences and backgrounds. In other words, we are striving for a positive attitude towards diversity. This also implies taking an anti-discriminatory approach; We are firmly against discrimination based on social class or any other factors. I want to strengthen this vision of equal opportunities even more; equal opportunities should exist for everyone and according to each person's needs.  In my opinion, the university as an educational institution is socially responsible for creating conditions where everyone has the opportunity to participate in an uncomplicated and comprehensive way. 


Which aspects of diversity are particularly relevant at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar?



Because of the large number of international students and in light of the recent political events in Thuringia and the current crisis situation, the topics of racism and discrimination are particularly important. The university must successfully create an environment that allows international students and doctoral candidates to study and conduct research without being discriminated against or experiencing disadvantages due to their background, language, religion, worldview, and so on. This applies to courses at the university itself and extends beyond the university to student housing, public transport, and throughout the city of Weimar. 


The »ad-hoc Group Against Racism in the University and the Community«, which is made up of members of the university – students, professors and employees – is actively involved in this topic and is an important contact partner. But implementing the plan of action for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is also a major issue and involves a lot of steps. These steps range from accessible websites to implementing sensitization measures for university members.



Mental illness is being increasingly recognized in students and this is another important issue to look at.  In my opinion, sensitization is the most important factor: Sensitization for diversity, for existing power structures and social norms, for discrimination and discrimination experiences.  Raising awareness helps people to reflect upon any discriminatory behaviours, implicit stereotypes or prejudices that they themselves may be engaging in. Establishing an open attitude towards diversity--not only in theory, but also in practice--is one of the most relevant aspects of my work.

Who should be contacting the Diversity Officer?



Anyone who has experienced or observed discrimination within the university context should contact me.  This can of course be done anonymously and everything is subject to confidentiality.  We are fortunate that here at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, we have employees – in addition to the Diversity Officer – who have been dealing with specific issues for a long time and have unique expertise in this area--for instance the Representative for the Special Needs of Students with Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities, the Equal Opportunities Officer, the Representative for Individuals with Disabilities, and the Inclusivity Representative, meaning that content-related questions on these topics can be handled by the respective employees.   Together with representatives from the faculties, students and doctoral candidates, department heads from the Office of Student and Academic Affairs and the International Office, the representatives make up the Advisory Committee for Diversity which supports and advises me in my position as Diversity Officer. One other aspect is providing consultation for research project applications and the like. In addition to ensuring gender equality, other aspects of diversity are also important and I’m happy to help when it comes to this.

What other responsibilities do you have as Diversity Officer?



I try to bring the topic of diversity into the different events that take place at the university. For me, this is a part of the sensitization that I mentioned earlier. We are also implementing the topic into teaching; junior professor Alexandra Toland has developed a Bauhaus.Module based on anti-discrimination together with students and a representative from the Europäischen Jugendbildungs- und Jugendbegegnungsstätte Weimar. The module will be offered in the 2020/21 winter semester. I’m also involved in the university’s scholarship system where I make sure that social criteria are taken into account in addition to the candidates’ performance.  It’s also possible for me to be involved in hiring procedures in order to promote diversity at the professorial level.  And unlike the topic of equality, the topic of diversity is new, meaning that certain structures need to be established in order for it to function.



The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has had an Equal Opportunities Officer for quite some time now – how is the relationship between the areas of equality and diversity?



We have a very good relationship! In my opinion, equality and diversity stand for very similar things: equal opportunities and anti-discrimination. The departments and the issues they represent should not be seen in competition with one another, but instead as complementary and supportive of one another.  This is especially important in light of the fact that intersectional forms of discrimination often occur and people can be affected by different forms of discrimination at the same time.  By working together, we can find solutions that work for everyone and that eliminate the disadvantages that affect various groups.

There are issues that both departments can and should be working on together in a concrete way in order to have more clout and to be more effective. Because equality and diversity are especially important right now, we recently joined forces to summarize support and counselling services as well as information and statements on the issue of equality and diversity during the corona crisis (www.uni-weimar.de/gleichstellung). We also work closely together on aspects such as gender-sensitive language.

New linguistic formats, such as the gender asterisk in German, were discussed in the University Senate.  What is the intention behind this and how do these new terms help those affected?



Intergender, transgender, and non-binary individuals at universities are often exposed to situations that are psychologically stressful and make studying difficult or even impossible. Most forms, correspondence, general e-mails, direct contact, or registration lists reproduce gender as a binary concept. When people do not recognize themselves in these contexts, it means that they are not being perceived and are excluded.

People have repeatedly stressed to me the importance of inclusive language. Language is a simple but essential tool that allows everyone to be included. It’s low-cost or free to use gender-sensitive language, but it has a huge impact. By using the gender asterisk in German terms and gender-neutral formulations, everyone can be included in language.



What are some of the particular topics you would like to focus on during your term in office? Do you have any concrete goals?



One of my main goals is to establish diversity so that it is understood by all members of the university as an essential part of the university. I want equal opportunities to provide a foundation for guidelines for university strategies and for diversity-related issues to be taken into account. And of course I want to push the university towards being a diversity-oriented, non-discriminatory institution. 


Further information can be found on the Diversity Department's website: https://www.uni-weimar.de/en/university/structure/central-university-facilities/diversity-department/