Overview on race policy and activity

Section 1 - Background
Section 2 - Policy Context
Section 3 - Policy Statement

The University has a history of commitment to equality of opportunity and has worked to ensure that race equality is a significant part of this work. The University is proud of the fact that there is a good representation of ethnic diversity across its student and staff body and has worked over the years to be genuinely inclusive. It has made vigorous efforts to ensure that its staff are recruited from a diversity of groups and has extended outreach in the local community to schools, colleges and community groups where there is a good representation of diversity.

As an example, the University is a partner in the Black and Ethnic Minority Experience (BEME) project, which seeks to develop an archive of experiences of those ethnic groups who from the 1950s came to the City of Wolverhampton and contributed to its development and achievements.

Many Schools and Departments are already actively engaged in projects to extend the University’s commitment to equality. The University holds a two-yearly equality conference at which the Schools report back on equality projects worked on in the preceding two years and plan projects for the next two years.

However, the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, highlighted the likelihood of institutionalised racism in the policies and practices of large public sector organisations. This was a challenge to any organisation’s complacency about its approach to racism. The Report led to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act which places a general duty on public authorities to:

• Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
• Promote equality of opportunity
• Promote good race relations.

For universities there are specific duties, which have been identified as steps to help, meet the general duty and which must be addressed in a written Race Equality Policy Statement. These are:

• To assess the effect of the university’s policies on staff and students from different racial groups
• To monitor, by racial group, the admission and progress of students
• To monitor the recruitment and career development of staff
• To publish the results of the assessment and monitoring annually.

The functions, which must be reviewed, include:

• Student admission and progression
• Teaching and learning, including course validation and curriculum
• Assessment
• Research
• Student support (including counselling, careers advice and disability support)
• Marketing
• Educational advice and guidance
• Recruitment, selection, progression and training of staff
• The Governing body and the University's management
• Facilities management
• Transport
• Finance
• Information technology and systems
• Dealing with issues of harassment and bullying
• Schools and colleges liaison
• Business liaison
• Community liaison
• Partnerships.

This Race Equality Policy Statement below sets out how the University will meet its requirements under the Act in line with its ongoing commitment to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality across its various functions.

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The University’s commitment to fairness and equality of opportunity is set out in three main documents: the Mission Statement, the Equal Opportunities Policy and the Policy on Unfair Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment.

Equality of opportunity and the priority of fully developing individual potential are stated in the University's Mission Statement set out below:

The aim of the University of Wolverhampton is to be a first class regional university dedicated to high quality provision. Our priority is to enable and encourage individuals to realise their full potential and to achieve academic excellence through a flexible, innovative and vocationally focussed curriculum.

The University is committed to making a major contribution to the social and economic prosperity of the West Midlands with its programmes of applied research, technology transfer and consultancy. We strongly support cultural diversity and equality of opportunity in all our activities at home and abroad.

The commitment to equality is further developed in the Equal Opportunities Policy. The statement on General Principles is quoted below.

General Principles

University policy and practice will be concerned with the prevention of both direct and indirect, overt and covert discrimination, and the promotion of justice and equality. This necessitates both the removal of existing educational barriers and positive attempts to create new opportunities.

The University seeks to promote equality of opportunity for all, and to eliminate discrimination, particularly on grounds of colour, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, age, disability, religion and socio-economic background. The University requires staff, students and visitors to behave in a non-discriminatory manner and to support, implement and develop institutional practices and procedures that promote and reinforce equality of opportunities and treatment for all.

The University is committed to working towards the creation of additional educational and employment opportunities for groups currently under-represented among students and staff and to ensuring that access to these opportunities is not obstructed by conditions or requirements that cannot be justified.

The Policy on Unfair Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying clearly states the University’s intention to promote fairness and makes the following statements:

The University of Wolverhampton believes that its staff and students should be treated with dignity, respect and fairness by all members of the University community, managers, other staff and students.

Discrimination

Discrimination is unfair and unacceptable to the University (and potentially unlawful) where an individual is treated less favourably than other persons on grounds of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour or nationality ethnic/national origin or disability.

As required by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act the University sets out below its Race Equality Policy and planned action.

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The University will ensure that along with other aspects of diversity, racial equality for staff and students is mainstreamed and embedded in all our policies, practices and procedures and their outcomes. It will continue its work to eliminate racial discrimination and to promote racial harmony and equality of opportunity. The University will act by:

1. Regularly examining and reviewing policies, practices and both formal and informal procedures for inequitable outcomes. The progress and outcomes of its Race Equality Policy will be reviewed every three years

2. Building race equality into its broader strategic planning and review processes as well as into School and Departmental planning and review

3. Identifying and addressing patterns of under-representation and under-achievement in students, with the specific needs of international students reviewed separately

4. Identifying and addressing patterns of under-representation and differential career outcomes in staff groups, including under-representation in the Governing body and other Committees

5. Promoting activities that encourage racial harmony

6. Acting promptly in response to any complaint of racial harassment or inequitable treatment

7. Working to develop a curriculum that supports the University’s objectives to develop diversity and equality of opportunity

8. Developing and monitoring action plans as necessary, incorporating these into existing review cycles and mechanisms where possible, covering all relevant areas such as:

   • recruitment and progression of staff and students
   • teaching, learning and assessment
   • student services
   • research
   • services to international students
   • access and participation
   • management and governance
   • staff contract status, appraisal and training
   • complaints and disciplinary action
   • community links and partnerships
   • external service delivery.

9. Drawing up School and Departmental action plans to promote racial equality

10. Annually publishing this policy, related planning documentation and monitoring outcomes.

11. Ensuring that the following roles are understood and implemented:

    • The Governing Body has overall responsibility for ensuring the University fulfils its legal obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act. It will approve the Race Equality Policy and receive regular updates on the implementation of the policy

    • The Vice Chancellor has responsibility for ensuring the action plan is appropriately developed and implemented; that staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act and fully trained in them; and that non-compliance is dealt with appropriately

    • Schools and Departments through Deans and Managers are responsible for carrying out policy impact assessment and then developing plans to eliminate any racial discrimination and promote racial harmony

    • The EO Co-ordinator and Monitoring Officer are responsible for assisting Schools and Departments in the above tasks

    • All staff are required to attend/have access to appropriate training to ensure that they are aware of the requirement to promote racial harmony and do not unwittingly discriminate

    • It is the responsibility of all members of staff, including Governors, senior staff and managers, to ensure that equality and fairness are integral to the work they do and the decisions they make

    • Departments and individuals with a role in external contracting are responsible for ensuring the services being provided to the University are in compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act

    • Students are responsible for conforming to the requirements of this Policy

    • Trade Unions are responsible for actively engaging in policy development and promoting the policy among their members

    • Ensuring that all students and staff are aware that the University takes race equality extremely seriously and disciplinary action may be taken against staff or students who do not conform to this policy

    • A fuller list of functions and activities is attached at Annex A.

This policy, planning documentation, evidence of monitoring and action outcomes will be published annually on the University website and paper copies will be available from the HE Shop.

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