The Jamaica Observer understands that a meeting which was called to discuss the way to implement the proposed policy was postponed on Wednesday as the leadership of the university faced increased resistance.
According to Observer sources, people who do business with the university and students have joined lecturers opposed to the proposed policy.
The sources noted that the proposed policy, dubbed the 2022 revision of ‘The UWI Gender Policy: Promoting Gender Justice for All’, requires principals, deans/directors, heads of departments, institutes, sites, and units, among others, to assume responsibility for operationalising of the gender policy in tandem with a Gender Mainstreaming Committee and the respective campus gender task forces which are to be established.
“This will involve developing mechanisms to sensitise members of staff as well as students to the content of The UWI Gender Policy through training, ensuring that all members of staff and students are aware of their rights and responsibilities under the policy, and taking necessary and suitable action where staff or students discriminate on the grounds of gender,” the document said.
“On each campus, the campus registrar will appoint the gender task force, develop its terms of reference in collaboration with the Gender Mainstreaming Committee, and facilitate its work towards the implementation and operationalisation of The UWI Gender Policy,” the proposed policy document said.
But it is the proposal to widen the reach of the document to people who have only a passing contact with the university which has led to a strengthening of the coalition opposed to the proposal.
