Reduce inequality within and among countries

1. ASE has a non-discriminatory admission policy, according to the Admission methodology, article 3: Graduates with a baccalaureate degree or equivalent have the right to participate in the admission competition, regardless of the year of high school graduation, provided that it is accredited according to law, and graduates are fit for the profile they are applying for, without any discrimination, ensuring full equal opportunities for people with disabilities.

2. Access to university track underrepresented groups applications.

Tracking of low-income students is ensured through the Social office, through which ASE grants scholarships to underrepresented categories without discrimination.

• ASE submits to the action initiated by the Ministry of Education for promoting positive discrimination in allocating study grants to underprivileged / underrepresented categories from the rural area or Roma ethnicity. ASE had 98 places – study grants for the first year undergraduate studies financed from the state budget for, for the academic year 2020-2021.
• Scholarships are granted for foreign citizens in low or lower-middle income countries: 142 places were provided for students from the Republic of Moldova, neighbouring countries and lower-middle income countries financed from the state budget out of which 100 benefited of scholarships for the academic year 2020-2021. 

3. Delivering programmes to recruit students/staff/faculty from under-represented groups. The principle of non-discrimination is applied in recruiting students, staff, faculty, and inscribed in the Admission methodology or in the Collective labour contract.  

• ASE provides a number of places for underprivileged / underrepresented categories from the rural area or Roma ethnicity. 

• ASE developed the project “ASE Team! Inclusion and equity for ASE students“, with the aim of increasing social equity, with a view to social inclusion and increasing access to higher education, correlating educational offer with labour market demand. (Details here, p.215)

• ASE promoted the educational offer through a direct and online marketing campaign, in disadvantaged environments, in rural high schools and cities with less than 10,000 inhabitants, with the involvement of student volunteers, especially those from these environments. The aim is to recruit students from these areas and to ensure access to education and labour market insertion. (Details here, p.215)

4. Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies

The Internal regulation invokes the principle of recognizing and guaranteeing the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, the right to preserve, develop and express their ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identities. Any type of discrimination is forbidden (Internal regulation, article 22(2)). 

The measures to promote equal opportunities between women and men to eliminate direct and indirect discrimination based on gender are applied in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 202/2002 on equal opportunities between women and men (Internal regulation, article 23).

Impartiality and non-discrimination is one of the principles governing the professional activity of the employees (Internal regulation, article 48(d)). One of the employee’s obligations is not to commit acts that violate the personal dignity of other employees by creating degrading environments, intimidation, hostility, humiliation, or offensive actions through discrimination (Internal regulation, article 50(8)). Direct and indirect discrimination and sexual harassment are considered disciplinary misconduct and penalized (Internal regulation, article 103(12)).

In addition, according to the Collective labour contract, article 3(5): Every employee benefits from working conditions appropriate to his / her work, social protection, safety and health at work, as well as respect for his / her dignity and conscience, without any discrimination; article 67(1): It is forbidden to dismiss the employees due to gender, sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, age, nationality, race, colour, ethnicity, religion, political option, social origin, disability, family situation or responsibility, membership or trade union activity. 

5. There are several departments / offices with attributions converging to that of a university diversity officer, in charge with advising on and implementing policies, programmes, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights on campus:

• The University Ethics and Deontology Commission
• The Centre for Counselling and Career Orientation  
• The student counsellor
• Student associations, involved in programmes related to global citizenships, such as AIESEC.

6. Mentoring/counselling/peer support programmes to support students, staff, faculty from underrepresented groups is provided through the Centre for Counselling and Career Orientation, whose mission is to provide specialized support to people who have been, will be or are included in the educational programs of ASE in order to optimize their educational and professional path. The psychologists certified in Educational psychology, vocational counselling / career counsellors provide specialized support to students, graduates and employees of the University.

7. Accessible facilities for people with disabilities

• ASE provides, for students with physical disabilities, access routes adapted to them in all areas of the university, as well as conditions for the normal conduct of academic, social and cultural activities (ASE Charter, art. 75 (2)).
• All spaces in the ASE, including those for serving meals and for other extracurricular student activities – career counselling and guidance, medical offices, are also available to people with disabilities and meet the technical safety and sanitary standards in force (Report on quality assurance, p.12).
• Students could benefit from alternative methods of examination when suffering from a temporary or permanent disability, medically certified (ASE Charter, art. 71(9)).
• Special rooms for people with disabilities in campuses and other ASE training centres.

8. Disability support services

• Students with disabilities and several other chronical diseases could benefit of grants (according to the Methodology for awarding scholarships, art. 2(b)).
• Students could benefit from alternative methods of examination when suffering from a temporary or permanent disability, medically certified (ASE Charter, art. 71(9)).
• Teaching staff adapt their teaching, assessment and examination methods according to students’ needs, taking into account those with disabilities or special needs (Report on quality assurance, p.21).

9. Access schemes for people with disabilities

• Mentoring: provided under the activities developed by the Centre for Counselling and Career Orientation
• Other targeted support: the “ProASE! Inclusion, equal opportunities and equity for ASE students” project was specially dedicated to increase social equity, with a view to social inclusion and increasing access to higher education (Details here, p.109). The project intended to develop support services for students/pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, at risk of early dropout. Among the activities, there were:
  • Courses meant to develop transversal skills and prevent university dropout: a project management course intended for students from disadvantaged categories, attended by student representatives from student associations, and a series of physical and online courses for personal development, with free access for ASE students;
  • Good practice exchange internship with the participation of 5 students from disadvantaged backgrounds at the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, Austria.

10. Accommodation policy/strategy implemented, including adequately funded mechanism for persons with disability

• Social aid scholarships for students with disability (according to the Methodology for awarding scholarships, art. 2(b).
• Students with disability have priority for accommodation in students’ dorms (Methodology for accommodation in ASE hostels, art. 1(1d)) and benefit of special equipped rooms. 

Other forms of support for underrepresented groups

During 2021, 10 projects financed under the ROSE Secondary Education Project, the Competitive Grants Scheme for Student Support, were carried out, which had as their main objective:

• Support given to students, through the development and application of programs to improve students’ academic performance, tutoring, professional counseling and career guidance, guidance and support services, coaching services, development of socio-emotional skills, workshops in specific fields, as well as awareness campaigns addressed to students with high dropout risk or other similar activities.
• Supporting students enrolled in public higher education institutions and students from state high schools, potential future students, who are at risk of dropping out in the first year of studies in the undergraduate cycle, mainly belonging to disadvantaged groups. RR 181

 ASE is part of the research project “Towards a better understanding of the integration process of young migrants“, launched in 2020. The project aims to assess, improve and provide solutions on the situation of young migrants in Europe through a multi-level analysis of the various integration processes. Research will focus on the dynamic process of integration, on multiple levels: at macro level (EU migration policies), at mesolevel (regional economic and social systems) and at micro level (individual practices).

The Academy of Hope is a socio-humanitarian volunteering project of both students and professors within ASE. Academy of Hope’s actions are aimed at:  

• helping members of the university community who face difficult medical and material situations;
• supporting people institutionalized in homes for children and the elderly through the annual Christmas and Easter campaigns;
• helping communities affected by floods, earthquakes, fires with multiple victims, medical crises, humanitarian crises such as the one in Ukraine;
• preparing the entire university community for correct behavior in emergency situations (earthquakes, fires, explosions) and providing first aid.