Equality & Diversity

Here you can find links to our EDI networks, our most recent Balloon Accreditation Award, and our report on Equality and Diversity for the 2021/22 year. The Balloon Accreditation scheme is run by the union to record and reward the actions of student societies, with respect to the Union’s key values.

Chaos has set up BME, LGBTQ+, and Women’s networks in hopes to promote diversity within the society. These networks have Facebook and WhatsApp groups students can request to join by clicking on the buttons below. The networks hope to put on events throughout the year; some of these events will include talks from appropriate speakers.

Please contact the respective network chairs to gain access to the Network Whatsapp chats.

Chaos are very proud to have received the Gold Balloon Accreditation status from Bristol SU for the fourth year in a row!

The Balloon Accreditation Scheme is Bristol SU's way of recognising and celebrating the brilliant things that their student groups get up to, and you can find out more about what’s involved here. One of the criteria for this is:

Show how you have taken steps this year to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within your group.

We have done this in 2022/23 by hosting a diverse range of external speakers.

Chaos is a society which not only welcomes diversity and equality but encourages it. We encourage people from all backgrounds to get involved with the society and physics community.

What is Chaos currently doing to produce an atmosphere of equality and inclusiveness?

Chaos BME, LGBTQ+, and Women’s network

• Chaos has sent up a BME, LGBTQ+ and Women’s network which promotes diversity within the society. These networks have Whatsapp groups students can join. These pages can be found at the top of this page, in the section titled “Our Networks”. The networks host events throughout the year, some of these events will include talks from appropriate speakers.

Parenting scheme

• At the beginning of each year Chaos runs a parenting scheme that matches incoming first year students with ‘parents’ from the years above. This scheme has increased in scale over recent years and now almost all first years are part of the scheme. Some of the past Chaos Parenting events include laser tag and pub quizzes. In 2023/2024 Chaos will continue hosting events for families to take part in, these may include:

  • Scavenger hunts

  • Outdoor games/activities (such as dodgeball and rounders)

 Harassment and Discrimination

Chaos has received no complaints of harassment or discrimination at society events, and no survey respondents reported having experienced any issues. However, if you have experienced any harassment and/or discrimination please contact our Equality and Welfare representative, Nanda

Our commitment to inclusiveness

If students have other inclusiveness needs they need to share with Chaos, please email Nanda, who will treat the emails with confidentiality, and under any applicable data protection law. If you need any requirements for events the society will help make discreet adjustments.

Further Actions

Chaos does not currently have many postgraduate members, despite there being an appreciable cohort of both postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students studying within physics. To combat this Chaos could hold specifically postgraduate-oriented events, bearing in mind that many postgraduate students may have caring responsibilities or part-time jobs which may make it difficult for them to attend events in the evenings. Postgraduate students do not subscribe to the same term dates as undergraduate students do, and so holding postgraduate events over holidays when there is not much else on could be very beneficial. This would also benefit international students who may not travel home over shorter breaks such as Easter. To facilitate this, a postgraduate network shall will be elected in October similarly to the first-year rep position.