Guidance for Departmental Event Organisers
The guidance here is for members of the department who are organising an event within the Mathematical Institute.
Other event organisers will have arranged their facilities via the Events Team and should liaise with them specifically about their event organisation. (Some of the information below may nevertheless be of interest.)
Before your event
You are encouraged to have a diverse range of speakers at your event.
Financial assistance for attendance at Mathematical conferences for those with caring responsibilities
We wish to encourage attendance at our Mathematics conferences and events by all, and recognise that such attendance can impose additional burdens on those with parental or other caring responsibilities. The department provides awards of up to £200 to contribute towards the additional costs of care incurred due to attending a departmental activity/event - e.g. for visiting us to speak at a maths seminar or conference.
Information for attendees
If you have a webpage about your event, you could consider including some information about accessibility and inclusion directly, to welcome a diverse group of participants. Some suggested text is given in our 'Information for attendees'.
Code of conduct
You might wish to consider having a code of conduct for your event. See some examples at http://2017.pyconuk.org/code-of-conduct/ and http://talkingmathsinpublic.uk/downloads/CodeofConduct.pdf
Supporting the participation of all at conferences
Some research shows that women at professional STEM events ask fewer questions than men (see https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171016142446.htm). In order to support the participation of all, conference organisers are invited to use a system for anonymous submission of questions. An example can be found at https://www.sli.do/features-questions.
Other practicalities
Those lecturing in L1/L2/L3 should stand close to the lectern or use the lapel microphone in order to ensure that their voice is picked up by the hearing loop system (lapel microphones are kept inside the lecterns). Remember to replace the lapel microphone back in the charging stand in the lectern after use ready for the next person. (This is not an issue in the smaller teaching rooms, where speakers’ voices can be adequately captured by the static microphones.)
During your event
At the start of your event, you may need to make an announcement about various practical matters. Here are some suggestions of things you may wish to include.
- If the fire/evacuation alarm sounds, you should follow the green ‘exit’ signs to the nearest exit. These signs will guide you out of the building via the fire safe stair cores. Once outside the building you should make your way to the gathering point by the fountain in the Humanities courtyard. Once at the gathering point you should await further instructions and an all clear before approaching or re-entering the building.
- If you need any help moving around the building, please ask at Reception or ask an organiser and we’ll be happy to help.
- There are male and female toilets at each end of the Mezzanine, and there are gender-neutral accessibility toilets near these male/female toilets as well as gender-neutral toilets accessible to all just inside core 2 and 3 (i.e. in the big grey ‘columns’ on either side of the reception area which straddle all floors and also house the lifts).
- There is a small private room available for breastfeeding. If you would like to access this room, please ask at Reception. Of course, people are also welcome to breastfeed their babies wherever and whenever they wish.
- There is an induction hearing loop system installed in all basement floor teaching rooms and lecture theatres and one on the reception desk. The hearing loop provides a signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to ‘T’ (Teslacoil) setting.
- Explain about any system for anonymous submission of questions which you are using (see ‘Supporting the participation of all at conferences’ above).
- See information for attendees which gives some further detail in some of these and other areas.
After your event
Further suggestions which would improve the experience of those attending events are welcomed. Please make suggestions to @email, or leave a note in the ‘suggestions’ box at reception.