Race equality

The university recognises that racism and racial inequalities are deeply rooted within society and so too within higher education institutions, including our own.

The work towards our Race Equality Charter Award involved a thorough examination of our culture and practices and acknowledged specific structural racial inequalities experienced by our staff and students that divide, marginalise and isolate.

The Race Equality Charter Action Plan commits us to addressing these inequalities, with the University Executive Board and Board of Governors accountable.

There is also a collective ownership, as each of us has a role to play in doing the necessary work to make sure our university becomes genuinely inclusive and actively anti-racist in practice as well as intention.

Read more about our ongoing work, as well as quarterly updates on action plan progress, in the following areas of focus:

Race Equality Charter Action Plan

In 2019, the University of Brighton achieved a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, valid until 2023. This award recognises that we have established an institutional basis for addressing racial inequalities for staff, students and in teaching and learning.

Our four-year Race Equality Action Plan is aimed at creating long-term cultural change across the university. Implementation of this is overseen by the Race Equality Steering Group, chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Operations) with representation from staff, students and colleagues from the Staff Race and Faith Staff Network, our Trade Unions and Brighton Students' Union. Progress is reported quarterly to the Equality and Diversity Committee, which is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.

Black Lives Matter Action Forums

In addition to the ongoing work across the institution, the university held forums July, attended by students and staff and representatives from Brighton Students’ Union, the University Executive Board and the Race Equality Steering Group. Proposed actions have been incorporated into the Race Equality Action Plan.

Decolonising the curriculum

Our practice 

Decolonising the curriculum involves reflecting on our assumptions about how the world is, and the legacies of Western colonialism and empire on knowledge, education and professions, especially around race. Different disciplines have different histories and therefore will approach this in different ways and to different extents.

Our Learning and Teaching Hub is working with schools across the university to decolonise and diversify the curriculum, to be more relevant and better represent our society through the development of the Inclusive Practice Partners programme.

Decolonising the Curriculum

This twice-yearly cross-disciplinary publication offers staff and students the opportunity to reflect on practice and experience and to showcase initiatives.

Download it here (pdf):

Collaborating with students 

The Inclusive Practice Partnerships (IPP) scheme aims to create a collaborative student-staff partnership that is focused on developing an inclusive, decolonised and diversified curriculum. The scheme has been developed from the Curriculum Advisers pilot by the School of Art and the School of Humanities.

Students are able to apply to become Inclusive Practice Partners. They are paid for their time and have the opportunity to develop their interest in equality and diversity and their skills in collaborative working. They work with academic staff in their school as well as other IPPs, and are involved in activities such as reviewing curriculum content, developing resources on decolonising learning and teaching in their subject area and sharing the outcomes of their work.

The benefits of the programme include:

  • Having a student perspective on curriculum design, content and delivery.
  • Creating an inclusive curriculum.
  • Creating new and diverse resources available for use in different subject areas.
  • Creating a sense of belonging for students through the co-design of curricula and co-creation of resources with students and staff.
  • Encouraging collaborative exchange between students and staff at university, within school and inter-school.
  • Providing valuable training for students to develop transferable skills such as public speaking, facilitating groups and mentoring as well as supporting career development.
  • Increased engagement from students in potential postgraduate study and further research.

Find out more

For more on the work being initiated by schools, follow these blogs:

Addressing the degree awarding gap

Our approach 

In line with much of the Higher Education sector, at the University of Brighton there is a gap in the proportional number of 1st and 2:1 degrees awarded to students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds when compared to students from White backgrounds. We see the language of an ‘attainment gap’ is a negative student deficit term that suggests that the students are not achieving, rather than recognising that it is a ‘degree awarding’ gap which is of the sector/institution’s creation.

We are taking a whole-institution approach to addressing the differential experience and outcomes. Our intention is to change our culture rather than problematising the students.

In a targeted programme of activity, we aim to address the differential outcomes and experience of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students through three areas of work: developing staff; supporting students; and data and process. The approach is underpinned by the Universities UK/National Union of Students #ClosingTheGap framework (pdf) published in May 2019.

Graduate in a gown on the seafront

Developing staff 

Student insight

Focus groups were held across the schools and professional service departments to understand more about the experiences of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students. The outcomes from the focus groups were formed into staff development workshops to enable colleagues to reflect on the experiences of their students and plan local level actions to improve the experiences of the students.

Speaker series

These started in the winter 2019, inviting external speakers from within HE and from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community to share their insights into the issues around the student experience and for staff to discuss issues related to Race and Ethnicity (as recommended in the ClosingTheGap Framework). Most recently we have welcomed colleagues from within the institution to raise awareness of issues impacting on the experience of BAME students.

The recordings of the speakers can be found on Mediastream (login required):

Inclusive practice resources

These have been completely redesigned and take into account Inclusive Practice in its widest definition and focus around pedagogies which develop a sense of belonging for all students. These resources support the implementation of the Learning and Teaching Inclusive Practice and Accessibility Policy and were further updated for COVID-19.

Digitally enabled learning resources

Resources developed by the Learning and Teaching Hub also include resources for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the work of Dr Gurnam Singh from the University of Coventry who has been leading the sector in considering BAME students’ experiences.

Supporting students 

Mentoring

The Identity Mentoring Match programme enables Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students to get support from a mentor who has experience of living or working in the local community.

It is available to students from all subjects areas. Before the COVID-19 lockdown 45 students were paired with a mentor under the scheme. During the lockdown a further 27 students were paired with mentors to develop the mentoring relationship remotely, a further cohort is currently being rolled out with remote mentors coming from across the country.

In 2019–2020 Brighton Business School led the Schools of Media, Environment and Technology, Education, and Sport and Service Management in a project to develop the confidence of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students through developing their pre-professional identities.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic alumni as role models.

Data and process 

Anonymous marking

This has been fully implemented where the assessment type allows.

School targets

Key performance indicators have been established this year, which include five year targets for closing the BAME degree awarding gap.

Learning and Teaching Inclusive Practice and Accessibility Policy 

The policy was created to support the strategic commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for all students. The focus is on:

  • designing and developing inclusive courses and modules
  • delivering accessible and inclusive learning and teaching experiences
  • creating inclusive assessments.

A key aspect of the policy and its implementation is the requirement to consider decolonisation and diversifying the curriculum at the point of approval. This is achieved through the Inclusive Practice Partners scheme.

Addressing staff underrepresentation

Our Race Equality Charter submission clearly showed the under-representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff across the university, particularly in senior levels, leadership and governance roles.

There are pronounced underrepresentation issues in many of our professional services departments and non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) academic schools.

The Race Equality Action Plan identifies initiatives to address barriers in career development for our existing staff whilst also making changes to our recruitment processes.

Some of the current initiatives being taken forward include:

  • piloting a leadership programme for BAME staff in professional and academic roles
  • a targeted promotion workshop for BAME academic staff
  • fair recruitment training for recruitment panellists
  • mandatory requirement for recruitment panellists to undertake unconscious bias e-learning
  • introducing a positive action statement to all our adverts to encourage applications from BAME applicants
  • increasing our advertising routes to attract diverse candidates
  • setting localised targets to improve the outcomes for BAME applicants.

Supporting and connecting our students

Identity Mentoring Match

This is an identity match programme that aims to match students and mentors affiliated by their skin colour, background heritage or a shared experience of being racialised. It offers an opportunity for students to get support from a professional person who has experience of living or working in the local community.

Each student is paired with a mentor for six months. During this time, students and their mentors meet regularly to have confidential discussions about relevant issues, exchange ideas and information, allowing the student to develop confidence, new skills and enhance their career prospects.

Full training is given to both mentors and mentees so that everyone can benefit as much as possible from the process.

Students taking part in the Identity Mentoring Match programme:

  • have the opportunity to meet with a mentor who lives or works locally and discuss issues in confidence
  • get a boost in confidence and wellbeing to achieve in your course and focus your career plans
  • gain insight into the local community.
Two people chatting in a communal area

Student societies 

Brighton Students' Union support a range of student-led societies, including several culture and faith based societies.

The African Caribbean Student Society, the Asian Society, and the Chinese Society are just a few of the societies students can currently join. Student societies hold a range of social activities and events for students throughout the year.

Local community 

The local area has a vibrant community sector with community organisations which can support and connect staff and students of colour to people with shared experiences locally.

These include:

Supporting and connecting our staff

Race and Faith Staff Network 

The Race and Faith Staff Network provides peer-to-peer support and networking for staff and research students of any race and faith.

The network’s key priorities are:

  • providing peer-to-peer support and a safe space for their members
  • informing policy on issues relating to race and faith
  • raise awareness of issues related to race and faith
  • plan and host events e.g. Diwali, One World Week, Black History Month
  • promote and inform diversity of the curriculum.

Sharing experiences

The Cultural Connections LinkedIn site developed by Professor Bhavik Patel further aims to connect staff and students who wish to share cultural experiences.

Staff mentoring 

Staff mentoring has been introduced across the university to support our staff of colour. The aim of the university’s mentoring scheme is designed to help staff across the institution to challenge barriers and to empower them to realise their personal potential. Through making mentoring partnerships, the scheme will:

  • provide greater support for individuals looking to develop themselves
  • help staff make connections across the university, breaking down silos, sharing knowledge and expertise and broadening outlooks.

Mentoring scheme

Find out more about our mentoring scheme including how to register as a mentor or mentee.

Race Equity Allies programme

The Race Equity Allies programme was introduced following work from the Teaching and Learning subgroup of the Race Equality Charter which highlighted the need for white colleagues to be equipped to drive race equality change alongside colleagues of colour, with white colleagues making up the significant majority of the staff base.

The training programme consists of two parts:

  1. The first focuses on the history of race and race equity and learning skills and methods to challenge micro-aggressions and structural racism.
  2. The second focuses on equipping colleagues with the skills needed to be an active ally and establishing the expectations and responsibilities of allyship, concentrating on the qualities of an ally and practical responses to scenarios and lived experiences from staff and students.

Following three successful cohorts, the programme now has approximately 45 trained Race Equity Allies with colleagues from across the institution in a range of roles and disciplines being represented.

Staff programme

If you are a member of staff interested in signing up to become a Race Equity Ally, please contact equality@brighton.ac.uk.

Local community

The local area has a vibrant community sector with community organisations which can support and connect staff and students of colour to people with shared experiences locally.

These include:

Reporting racial discrimination and harassment

The university takes allegations of racial discrimination and harassment extremely seriously and the measures in place to report and investigate such incidents have been reviewed and clarified.

The university has zero tolerance to bullying, harassment and victimisation, and is committed to tackling this at all levels of the institution. Action will always be taken where racial discrimination and or harassment is found to have taken place.

The bullying, harassment and victimisation policy and procedures for staff have been revised to give staff and students the confidence to report incidents, especially when they may have done so previously and not had the outcome they'd hoped for.

Students

Students can now disclose an incident by completing an online disclosure form – both in person and anonymously. Trained staff review the disclosures and where students have shared their detail, will practical support, signpost individuals to specialist services, explain the student’s options for making a formal report or complaint, and support them with managing their safety.

Staff

There is a staff-specific harassment working group with a particular focus on racial harassment which is working towards replicating a similar reporting tool to the student facing online disclosure tool for staff. The group is chaired by the Director of People and will re-launch in January. For now, staff are able to report racial discrimination and harassment through their line managers or through the central Human Resources team.

Members of the public

Members of the public wishing to report an incident involving a university student or member of staff should contact the university at communityrelations@brighton.ac.uk.

Terminology

We are examining the language and terminology we use and recognise the problems with the term Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME). A group of students and staff are involved in work to determine alternative terms and its use will be changed as soon as possible.