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| Queensland University of Technology defends removing 'merit' from hiring policy |
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| EEVblog:
As the title says: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-17/qut-defends-removing-merit-from-hiring-policy/103114562 --- Quote ---Queensland University of Technology's vice-chancellor has defended the decision to remove all references to "merit" from its hiring policy. Staff were told about the move via an internal email, which informed them that they would be moving away from "the merit principle" towards a "more inclusive suitability assessment". Vice-chancellor Margaret Sheil told ABC Radio Brisbane the suitability assessment would consider factors such as gender and ethnic backgrounds. Professor Sheil said it would also consider the current demographic breakdown of their various schools and disciplines. She said women, for example, were under-represented in science and engineering at QUT whereas men were under-represented in teaching and nursing. She dismissed suggestions that the hiring process should be colourblind, saying that was impossible in practice. "When people say things like 'We do this on merit', they're actually reflecting the bias of their own experience," Professor Sheil said. "There's so much data on this around selection, whether it's recruitment into orchestras or into universities. "There isn't a way of being colourblind that's not got some form of bias into it." She said staff undertook unconscious bias training, and that the selection committees were chosen with diversity in mind. She said they would aim to hire a diversity of personalities, such as recruiting more outgoing scientists who were good at industry engagement. 'We don't want everybody to look the same' Professor Sheil denied the policy was a "political" decision, insisting it was a practical move to improve the university's talent pool. "We need to access the entire talent pool, and we don't want everybody to look the same," she said. "We need the workforce to reflect the students coming through, and we also know people look at things differently when they come from different backgrounds. "I've been working in improving diversity in academic environments my entire career; it's got nothing to do with contemporary politics." Professor Sheil said she was the first female professor of chemistry in Australia and has subsequently spent her life trying to get more women into science. QUT claims the suitability assessment is based on the Queensland Public Service Commission's hiring strategy. --- End quote --- |
| SiliconWizard:
Yes, let's remove any "friction", as they say. I read the thing and am unable to say what exactly that means though. I see a lot of buzzwords, but what exactly will they do? Just a note about this one: 'We don't want everybody to look the same'. While I still don't quite know what they mean by removing "merit" here, denying the concept of merit usually leads to exactly that though, making everyone precisely look more the same. Buggers. |
| .RC.:
So I take it the Vice Chancellor will be standing down so she can be replaced by someone who is far more qualified. By qualified I mean someone who is disabled, identifies as a gender other then male and female, who also identifies as coming from a disadvantaged area, extra points awarded if it is determined by a committee of specially selected lefties people who identify as human as having "suffered" at the hands of some more powerful country when they were a child. So at this point in time, going by what I read on the news, she would be replaced this week by a genderless, disabled person from Gaza who specialises in rocket science or underground mining geology. :-DD After all they have to lead by example right? |
| wraper:
--- Quote from: SiliconWizard on November 28, 2023, 02:13:45 am ---I read the thing and am unable to say what exactly that means though. I see a lot of buzzwords, but what exactly will they do? --- End quote --- Hire worst among applicants instead of best qualified ones because reasons and whatever fits today's agenda. |
| .RC.:
As with most things Trey Parker has already made something about this. |
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