Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access Roadmap

Acknowledgement of Country

Arc respectfully acknowledges the lands, water and cultures of the Bedegal, Gadigal and Ngunnawal peoples upon whose land we predominantly operate. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and pay tribute to their incredible histories of oral learning and deep spiritual connection to country. Always was, always will be.

Why A Roadmap?

At Arc, we believe you need a rough idea about where you're going. Whether that's navigating the exigencies of a double degree; or picking which delicious Roundhouse burger you're going to chow down on. You don't need to have all the answers, but a general direction matters. The same is true of our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) activities. Every year, we want you to know that we have some areas of focus where we feel we can make the biggest difference in the UNSW Community.

Structural Disadvantage

Historically, universities have been exclusionary institutes by design. This structural disadvantage limits access to resources and opportunities for students from marginalised groups, affecting their academic performance and overall well-being. In 2025, students in these groups reported numerous barriers to participation in uni life, both socially and academically; including financial strain, a lack of community, and finding a balance between work, life, and study under complex demands. Critically, fostering an inclusive campus culture that values diverse perspectives and experiences will help Arc mitigate these disparities and ensure students are supported to thrive in all areas. Arc addresses the gaps in student life which occur outside of the classroom, which are shown to contribute to a disadvantage in the overall student experience- alleviating the burden placed on students to take on additional labour to participate in both the academic, social, and developmental sides of tertiary education.

Cultural Inclusivity

Campus environments that lack cultural inclusivity or diversity initiatives may alienate underrepresented students, impacting their sense of belonging and academic performance. This especially affects Indigenous and International students, who are more likely to feel isolated and lacking in community- leading to a decreased sense of belonging, which creates a cyclical effect on academic performance and overall wellbeing.  Arc actively works with people from structurally disadvantaged backgrounds to change the culture on campus and ensure all students feel seen and heard.

Support Systems

Lack of targeted support can hinder the success of marginalised students, affecting retention and graduation rates. Arc will ensure that students are continuously supported in accessing relevant community groups and work to combat mental health stigma. It will also ensure that a diverse range of people are involved in organising student activities and societies to ensure that all voices are heard, and no one is left out of important conversations.

Accessibility & Participation

The absence of accommodations can impact students’ ability to participate in campus life- leading to significantly lower retention and completion rates. Arc aims to take an active role in advocating for accessible events and considering the needs of students living with disabilities when organising activities and activations. It also aims to educate able-bodied and neurotypical students on how they can be better allies to their peers.

Key Principles

Arc services students from a range of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. With this fact at the forefront, IDEA is at the heart of how Arc will deliver on its mission to create the best student experience. Arc’s organisational DNA involves an acute sensitivity to lived experiences and a desire to remedy structural inequalities. All IDEA initiatives centre 3 fundamental principles;

See It to Be It

Arc is committed to visibly championing diverse students. This spans from representation in volunteering and marketing collateral to leadership opportunities for students from marginalised groups. Proactive discussions of diverse representation will occur at every level of the organisation.

Nothing About Us Without Us

Arc will consult and co-design with our constituents, actively soliciting contributions and feedback to gauge needs, adjustments, accommodations, and amplifications required for diverse lived experiences. Decision-making will be distributive and stage-gated, maximising the participation of all groups.

Hold Space

Arc seeks to prioritise and foreground underrepresented experiences. We will allow individuals to autonomously define their experiences to ensure effective listening- which requires our staff to be empathetic and educated on holding space. This will require patience, open-mindedness, and intentionality as we enthusiastically create safe environments for enrichment.

Trust & Accountability

Arc uses a convergence-divergence model of education and awareness. Our regular communications with students across multiple channels act as our evergreen method of education, with additional events fulfilling the “emphasis” aspect of this model. This reflects how students best absorb and retain information, as research demonstrates that repeated exposure combined with consistent messaging most effectively creates behavioural change and retention.

Strategic Alignment

IDEA is core to delivering the Arc mission and the UNSW 2025+ Strategy. This IDEA Roadmap articulates how we will implement the ambitions of these strategies.

Arc Strategic Plan

We will champion equity, diversity, and inclusion in innovative ways to drive a sense of belonging throughout our institution. Arc will audit, listen, respond, and act on inequalities facing students at the university. Our role is always to make space for marginalised groups, amplify underrepresented voices, and inspire UNSW through diverse causes.

UNSW 2025+

Our success should be built on our communities' diversity and cultural richness, ensuring that students and staff achieve their full potential regardless of their background. The objective is to promote IDEA culture at UNSW.

UNSW Division of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Strategy

To instil equity, diversity, and inclusion across the University and equip our community to contribute to a fair and just society. We will collaborate and guide faculties and divisions to drive a culture of equity, diversion, and inclusion within UNSW and the wider community- including professions, workplaces, and everyday life.

UNSW Pro-Vice Chancellor, Education & Student Experience

Empower diverse student cohorts to achieve their goals by delivering strengths-based student support programs.

6. Thematic Focus

Arc's student workshops have distilled our core foci into four adaptable themes, allowing agile responses to societal shifts and evolving student needs at UNSW.

Financial Access & Class Disparity

The ongoing cost of living crisis disproportionately affects university students- especially students from low-SES backgrounds, exacerbating the inequity these students already face. While all students are impacted by the rising cost of living, class and wealth disparity further bars students from engaging fully with the university experience due to constraints such as food insecurity and the price of tuition forcing a choice between affording study and addressing their material needs. Furthermore, other marginalised identities may induce greater financial strain, as well as impact an individual’s ability to achieve appropriate assistance- . Arc will collaborate with UNSW to mitigate financial strain on students and ensure that programs are in place to give individuals the support they need. By both alleviating barriers to material support for students’ basic needs and providing pathways to training and development outside of the classroom, Arc will aid all students in not only surviving, but thriving in the cost of living crisis by receiving equitable access to the best university experience.

Cross-Cultural Community & Cohesion

Arc will work alongside UNSW to build acceptance and unity while celebrating the cultural diversity amongst our student body. The need to target this area comes from evidence that students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face exclusion and difficulties in academic, social, and financial domains at Australian universities. To mitigate the isolation and barriers to community faced by CALD students, particularly International students and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students, Arc will uplift their lived experiences; directly addressing cultural stereotyping and bringing awareness to the broader context which shapes individual experiences of campus life. Critically, Arc seeks to remove the onus from marginalised students to take on the bulk of the labour when it comes to social cohesion; by educating and promoting allyship amongst students from non-CALD backgrounds, as well as bridging gaps in cultural awareness between all students to generate greater understanding.

Gender Equity

Arc’s vision for improving student experience aligns with UNSW’s Gender Equity Strategy, embedding gender equity into student life. Presently, 1 in 5 female students in tertiary education report having experienced sexual violence- this figure demonstrates evident need to address the underlying societal norms that enable violence based in gender to continue. Support for the university’s response to the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gendered Violence will come from Arc in the form of a focus on respectful relationships and creating a culture of empathy on campus, taking on this part of the primary prevention model by addressing the attitudes and beliefs that drive gendered violence- such as promoting positive masculinity and addressing gendered stereotypes around dating. Inclusivity of trans and nonbinary students is embedded into this approach by foregrounding their experiences in the Be a Better Human campaign; as well as by offering inclusivity training and hosting events that highlight the experiences of gender-diverse students.

7. Deliverables

Term 1

Valentine's Day
International Women's Day
Mardi Gras
Eid
Trans Visibility Day
IDAHOBIT

Term 2

Respect Week
NAIDOC Week
Indigenous Nationals
RUOK Day

Term 3

Diversity Fest
Intercultural Cup
Diwali
International People with Disabilities Day

Evergreen

Digital Campaigns & Resources for student
Inclusive Events Checklist
Staff & Student Training
Accessible Policy, Procedures, and Practice

Measures of Success

We know that measuring success in the IDEA space is hard (and rarely perfect), but heck that doesn't mean we shouldn't try! Each quarter we will report on both quantitative and qualitative performance in each thematic area to provide ongoing healthchecks of our activities.

Category	Measurement
Awareness	How have we worked with whole-of-population?
Engagement	How have we shifted perceptions and increased knowledge?
Sentiment	How have we made our vulnerable populations feel?
Narrative	What stories of success and impact have we heard and told?