Resources

16 November 2022

Advisory Content – this communication and attached report contains discussion of racism

Dear Colleagues

We are writing to thank everyone who took part in the Race Equality Charter staff and student surveys, and to share the results of the surveys. 1,318 staff participated, a response rate of 40%, and 605 students participated, a response rate of 4%.

A summary of the results can be found in the report’s Executive Summary and the detailed staff and student responses are in sections 8 and 9 of the report.

The surveys offered the opportunity to share experiences and suggestions about race equality in the University.

The results of the surveys indicate that inequalities exist in our Institution and provide insights as to the specific areas where improvement is required to achieve our ambition of becoming an antiracist University, as set out in our Antiracism Strategy which was launched this year. We will address the issues raised in the surveys with commitment and determination and in consultation with our community.  We are committed to tackling racism in all its forms, and any reports of racism by staff or students are deeply concerning to us.  

The responses show the importance of fostering a sense of belonging in the working and learning environments.  Staff and students have reported that they have experienced racism and are unclear as to the most appropriate route for reporting it. Staff indicated the importance of transparency in recruitment and selection and career development processes, and students indicated that race could be discussed in the learning environment more frequently.

We have identified the areas where action is required and will take forward the work through an Antiracism Strategy Action Plan, to build on the work undertaken to date. Priorities are as follows:

• Implementing and monitoring the new Recruitment and Selection Policy which has a focus on addressing under-representation and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion

• Build on the race literacy training delivered to staff, including senior management, to increase knowledge and awareness of antiracism

• Further promoting and developing our race incident reporting systems such as the Online Reporting Tool and the role of the Race Equality Champions

• Continue to drive decolonisation through the priorities and aims of the Decolonising the Curriculum Steering Group.

• Drive work on addressing the ethnicity awarding gap through our Race Equality Strategy Group

• Embedding antiracism in University initiatives and policies for staff and students through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Student Support and Experience Committee and in all University business, working with our Court members

• Continue with a rolling programme of race listening activities to further explore the results of the survey

Our commitment to the principles of the Race Equality Charter will continue to support our work on antiracism, and the surveys will be repeated to enhance our understanding of the experiences of staff and students. Racial inequalities have no place in our University and we look forward to continuing to work with our community to tackle and dismantle it.

Thank you for engaging with this report and if you would like to provide feedback or comments, please e-mail recsurvey@abdn.ac.uk

Best wishes

Ruth Taylor
Vice-Principal Education and Co-Chair of Race Equality Strategy Group

Siladitya Bhattacharya
Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Science and Nutrition and Co-Chair of Race Equality Strategy Group

Support

You can seek support from the following:

• Human Resources Team hr@abdn.ac.uk

• Student Advice and Support Team

• University Counselling Service counselling@abdn.ac.uk

• University’s Race Equality Network for Staff and Postgraduate Researchers racenetwork@abdn.ac.uk

• Employee Assistance Programme-Care First (detail can be found here)

• AUSA Advice team ausaadvice@abdn.ac.uk

• AUSA Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students Forum either at ausapresident@abdn.ac.uk or bme-forum@abdn.ac.uk

• Further information can be found on our Race Equality – Support website

10 October 2022

Dear colleagues
 
Our goal of creating an antiracist culture and ethos on campus moves a step forward with the formal launch of our Antiracism Strategy 2022-2025. 
 
The strategy was developed by our Race Equality Strategy Group and the video below provides valuable insights and perspectives from staff and students on how the strategy will drive forward race equality in the University.

 If you want to discuss anything which arises for you through reading the strategy or watching the video please do get in touch or contact our staff and student support services.
 
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and students who provided invaluable contributions to the development of the Antiracism Strategy. The areas of focus in the strategy were identified and fostered through conversations across campus and with input from Advance HE and other partners throughout 2020 and 2021. The strategy provides high-level ambitions on governance, leadership, representation, recruitment and selection, diversifying the curriculum, closing the awarding gap, research and reporting racism, and support. 
 
We recognise the long-term commitment required to realise the ambition of the strategy which provides the platform and basis for our continuing engagement with you. We are committed to bold action to progress the development of antiracist working and learning environments and to regularly update you as to our progress and engaging you in this work.
 
During the development phase of the strategy, it was important to continue to take the action required to address racism. We share examples of this action below and very much welcome your feedback on these. More information can be found here: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/working-here/race-equality-12589.php
 
We look forward to working with you to take forward the critical pledges in the Antiracism Strategy.
 
Best wishes
 
Ruth and Bhatty
 
Ruth Taylor
Vice-Principal Education and Co-Chair of Race Equality Strategy Group

Siladitya Bhattacharya
Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Science and Nutrition and Co-Chair of Race Equality Strategy Group
 
Antiracism work in the University:
 

• In 2019 the University signed up to the Advance HE Race Equality Charter which has provided a helpful framework for progressing our work, particularly in relation to the collation and analysis of the data required to benchmark our progress.
• We established the Race Equality Strategy Group in 2020 with a remit to tackle systemic inequalities, challenge stereotypes and decolonise the curriculum.
• A listening and learning period on race and racism began in 2020 to understand the barriers faced by racialised groups and to support with identifying actions which can be taken to advance race equality.
• The Race Equality Network was established in 2020 and provides an informal social space to share experiences in a confidential and supported environment and to promote and contribute to the advancement of race equality in our institution.
• In 2021 we appointed 21 Race Equality Champions who support the implementation of good practice in race equality in their School or Directorate and provide advice and guidance to staff and students.
• The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students’ Forum represents the views of students who identify with minority ethnicities and has provided valuable support in taking forward antiracism in the University
• The Decolonising the Curriculum Steering Group is a subgroup of the University Education Committee which provides a framework for the work on decolonising the curriculum, creating sustainable actions to develop an anti-racist culture, and responding to the needs of racialised groups
• We adopted the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism this year, working with Jewish students to achieve this and support their safety and security on campus.
• The first Race Equality Charter Survey was launched earlier this year to provide an opportunity for staff and students to share their views about their experience of working or studying here and the results of this will support the development of the Antiracism Strategy Action Plan.
• We have hosted and led two virtual Antiracism Roundtables to identify where we can work with local partners to support antiracist work in the northeast of Scotland.
• Our Black History Month events have provided opportunities for engaging staff and students
• Race literacy training was offered to all staff during 2022. The previous year, frontline staff, as well as the Senior Management Team, University Court and University Management Group engaged in sessions dedicated to understanding leadership in the context of an antiracist university.

25 May 2021

Dear colleagues and students,

We wanted to write to you to acknowledge that a year has passed since the tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and to reflect on the significance of this anniversary. 

We understand that this will be a difficult time for many of us.  If you do wish to talk or access support, please visit our Race Equality web pages.

The appalling events of 25 May 2020 further highlighted endemic racism in society and prompted the Higher Education sector to call for more action to address racism. The Black Lives Matter movement motivated us to accelerate our work on race equality by listening to, and learning from, our valued diverse community.

We are dedicated to implementing a bold Anti-Racism Strategy and creating a culture of inclusion where all our staff and students feel welcome and safe.  Our Race Equality Strategy Group is supporting us with this work as we begin consultation on our strategy. This strategy is informed by our institutional data as well as feedback from our new anonymous and confidential online reporting tool. Our aim is to fully understand and address the barriers faced by staff and students of colour, by actively listening to the lived experiences of our community. A recent conversation between Professor Ruth Taylor and PhD student, Karendeep Sidhu can be viewed here.

Our commitments under the Race Equality Charter provide a focus and structure for this work. The recent race equality training in the University continues to raise awareness about race and inspire action at individual and organisational level. Our ongoing conversations on race, the appointment of Race Equality Champions, discussions on de-colonisation and a range of events delivered through Black History Month have increased our understanding of racism and strengthened our resolve to tackle it.

This poignant anniversary reminds us that we have much to do to realise our ambition of creating an anti-racist University.  Our commitment to Advance HE’s Declaration on Race is unwavering, and, with your support, we will continue to drive forward this critical work and remember how the events of 25 May 2020, as well as other such tragic incidents both before and since George Floyd’s death, have galvanised the global fight against racism.  

Racism exists on our campuses and in our society, call it what it is and reject it in all its forms.  We stand united against racism.

Advance HE Declaration on Race

With best wishes

Ruth, Bhatty and Cecilia

Ruth Taylor and Siladitya Bhattacharya
Senior Race Equality Champions
Co-chairs, Race Equality Strategy Group

Cecilia Wallbäck
AUSA Student President

To tackle racism on our campus, we first need to learn about the experiences of our community.

In August 2020, Ruth Taylor and Siladitya Bhattacharya spoke with medical students Jessica Eze and Karina Chopra about race equality at the University, and their experiences of racism during their studies.

In May 2021, Ruth Taylor spoke with PhD student, Karendeep Sidhu. Watch their conversation here.

8 July 2020

Dear colleagues and students,

Our stance on racism could not be clearer - this University does not tolerate racist or discriminatory behaviour and we will take action where it occurs.

Like many other institutions we have our own story to tell and we will do so openly and honestly as we pledged in our statement in relation to Black Lives Matter.

Part of that story is about our own historical connections to slavery and we are investing in a new research post investigating those links. It will shine a light on how the University and the North-east of Scotland benefited from the proceeds of the slave trade. It will also explain the role of those connected to the University who were involved in slavery or actively sought its abolition.

Examples of this legacy remain with us - such as some of our campus architecture or financial endowment funds. These too will be highlighted.

Separately, this month we will also launch a new series of listening sessions for students and staff. These will enable us to continue to learn from those prepared to share their own lived experiences, which in turn will shape and inform our anti-racism strategy.

Inclusiveness is a key theme of Aberdeen 2040, we are signatories to the Race Equality Charter  and we have also just agreed to work further on tackling racism with our campus trade unions, who have asked for more training for staff, are helping support our racial harassment work and are contributing to the portfolio of planned actions.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee has approved the creation of a new Race Equality Strategy Group and we have identified a chair of a soon-to-be launched staff and student race network.

We are grateful to those who have been in touch to share their experiences - including the signatories and supporters of an open letter from the Black Medical Society Aberdeen detailing racist incidents that medical students have experienced in a range of settings. It makes for shocking reading - demonstrating systemic racism and ongoing microaggressions.

The University acted swiftly after receiving the open letter – meeting members of the Black Medical Society and responding to other students in touch with concerns or a wish to share their own experiences.

The matter was raised immediately with health partners; the content of the medical curriculum is being reviewed to make it more inclusive reflecting the diversity of our students and a plurality of perspectives; improvements will be made to emphasise and amplify race equality within equality and diversity training in the School, and an enhanced reporting system for students is also being investigated.

A separate incident involving an image which plays to racist stereotypes that was used on an advert for a degree programme has led to an apology from the University and a commitment to review our approach to using imagery in marketing and other platforms in consultation with AUSA and other stakeholders.

We do not believe these problems are limited to health settings and are likely to be present across the University. Improvements and learning from these issues – and from experiences shared at our listening sessions – will enable us to make changes that will be embedded across our institution.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission Report: Tackling Racial Harassment: Universities Challenged provided further evidence that racism exists in universities. We have analysed its findings and its recommendations will be taken forward by our new Race Equality Strategy Group.

The Black Lives Matter movement has brought a new and much-needed focus to the endemic racism which persists in society and is under-reported.

There is much to do to tackle structural racism in our education and research but we will do whatever is necessary to eliminate it.

Best wishes

George and Cecilia

8 June 2020

Dear Colleagues and Students,

As a University which strives to be open and welcoming, diverse and inclusive, we recognise that the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has prompted sadness, grief, outrage and anxiety in America and across the world.  Over the last two weeks we have seen demonstrations across the globe against systemic racism that sadly still exists in our society. 

We know that the shock and anger were no less felt across our University community. We wanted to reach out to you all to express the University and AUSA’s solidarity on these events and to offer support.

The University of Aberdeen will not tolerate racist or discriminatory behaviour against any minority group.

We encourage open discussion on race equality, and inclusivity of all minority groups. We urge anyone who has witnessed or experienced racist behaviour to speak out, and your channels for doing so can be found below.

As a society and as a University, we have much more to do to ensure racial equality. There have been times in our history when we as a University have fallen short. We are committed to continuing to support work to tackle racism across the sector, and we wanted to let you know that our University has:

• Embedded Inclusion as a key strategic priority in Aberdeen 2040 and is developing a clear set of Key Performance Indicators in this area
• Signed up to Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter which aims to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education
• Established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee with representatives from staff and students discussing actions to promote race equality. The Committee has been analysing data in relation to the employment lifecycle of staff of all ethnicities with a view to developing recommendations
• Convened a working group on Tackling Racial Harassment - co-chaired by Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya and Professor Ruth Taylor - to address the recommendations of the report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, entitled Tackling Racial Harassment: Universities Challenged
• Begun consultations with staff on establishing a Race Equality Network.

We know there is much to be done still and this includes ensuring our curriculum is fully inclusive and also contributing to tackling the national attainment gap linked to race and ethnicity. Let us absolutely assure you that we will do this with energy, vision and determination.

Our resolve to celebrate diversity and strengthen our approach to inclusion remains fundamental.

We want to hear from our community of staff and students, as we as a University seek to better support staff and students from all backgrounds, to develop our curriculum and reflect on our role as an educator and how we can facilitate change for future generations. 

We are also here to support you. For anyone with points to raise or actions to suggest, please do so by contacting hr@abdn.ac.uk (for staff) or student.support@abdn.ac.uk (for students).  

Alternatively, you can also seek support from the AUSA Advice team by emailing ausaadvice@abdn.ac.uk or the AUSA Black and Minority Ethnic Students Forum either at ausapresident@abdn.ac.uk or bme-forum@abdn.ac.uk.  

We will continue to take action where racism occurs.

Best wishes,

George and Cecilia

If you would like to share your own experiences, you can do so confidentially using this form.

Listening period on race and racism

The University invites you to contribute to its listening period on race and racism. The purpose of this is to learn from the experiences of staff and students, to ensure that all voices are heard and therefore to normalise open conversations on race. Our work on race equality will be informed by the lived experiences of our community. We want to hear about the real issues and the barriers faced by staff and students and ideas about how best to tackle them. The responses on this form will be reviewed by the Equality and Diversity Adviser and confidentiality will be maintained - you don’t have to provide any identification or contact details if you don’t wish to. Thank you for your participation and support in promoting race equality.