How to champion the cause of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in our community

Robert Gorny, affectionately nicknamed Bob, is an Architecture theorist, lecturer, and researcher. In his work he has always engaged with feminist and queer theory. As such, his appointment to the position of Diversity officer (now called EDI officer) this past February was a logical next step. Cecile Calis originally applied for the same position, but her pitch for an event-based approach convinced the dean to create the new position of Community officer. Together they champion the cause of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) and Community at the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. 

What happened during your first eight months?

Bob: “First order of business was familiarizing with the work of my predecessor Roberto Rocco. The biggest task was the transition of the EDI advisory team. They are very helpful. But over the summer I had to spend a lot of time looking for and instructing new members.” Cecile also built up a group of students, in her case to aid the organisation of events. Her first event was a thematic dinner, ‘Belong’, which elicited a wide range of feedback on issues in education, student, and practical matters. Another recent event was the film festival, which over the course of the evening attracted 150 students and staff.

Findings from these events were analysed by Bob. In parallel, he collaborated with the central diversity office to advance gender parity and equity by updating TU Delft’s EDI norms. He wrote an analysis of what our faculty is doing on Diversity, which will form the basis for a strategic plan, and revamped the EDI Instagram to be more educational. Finally, both him and Cecile presented at the MSc opening presentation.

Where Bob focusses on highlighting unseen topics, Cecile focusses on the practical aspects of Diversity. “Think of the brain” Cecile says. “Its power lies not just in the number of neurons, but mostly in the number of connections between them. I believe the same is true for people. There are so many possibilities if we become more connected to each other.” Her approach is two-pronged: organising events and providing more small-scale ‘safe’ places for faculty staff and students to meet. Both tactics bring the faculty together, with the events additionally providing valuable feedback for both her and Bob.

What are your plans for promoting the cause of EDI ?

Cecile: “I plan to host six dinners this academic year, with their themes alternating between fairly abstract concepts and more practical issues. In my ideal scenario, some dinners will include guests who are either sceptical or openly critical of Diversity.” She is also planning a variety of initiatives to trigger interaction between faculty members; for example, prodding us to draw portraits of each other during lunch breaks.

Bob agrees with the importance of events: “During this diversity week there will be three speakers to inspire best practices in research, education and workplace culture. ” In January 2024, he wants to organise something similar themed around decolonization and the end of slavery. But he keeps the big picture in mind. “In the long term, I want the EDI student and staff advisory team to grow into a lab, enabling faculty-wide or even university-wide research into EDI”. 

Bob and Cecile are united in their ultimate aim: a structural change in culture and mindset, making EDI an integral part of how we think. Bob: “This goal takes lots of time and lots of effort, but in the long term more and more people come on board.” And just like Bob, Cecile wants to spark a paradigm shift when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion: “for any practical or strategic decision, these topics should be taken into account from the start!”.