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Race Equality Charter
The university signed up to the Race Equality Charter (REC) in March 2021 to help improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students at Lancaster. We aim to submit our materials for the Charter by the spring of 2024. Over the past six months, the REC process has been put into place and has begun functioning in its early stages.
What is the Race Equality Charter?
The Race Equality Charter (REC) aims to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. It provides a framework through which institutions work to self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of minority ethnic staff and students. Institutions working on the REC develop initiatives and solutions for action and can apply for a Bronze or Silver Race Equality Charter Mark (RECM) award, depending on their level of progress.
REC is underpinned by five fundamental guiding principles:
- Racial inequalities are a significant issue within higher education. Racial inequalities are not necessarily overt, isolated incidents. Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial inequalities manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes and behaviours.
- UK higher education cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population and until individuals from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.
- In developing solutions to racial inequalities, it is important that they are aimed at achieving long term institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where solutions are aimed at changing the individual.
- Minority ethnic staff and students are not a homogenous group. People from different ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of and outcomes from/within higher education, and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data and developing actions.
- All individuals have multiple identities, and the intersection of those different identities should be considered wherever possible.
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Race Equality Charter Self Assessment Team (REC ISAT)
In accordance with the REC guidelines from Advance HE, an Institutional Self-Assessment Team (REC ISAT) has been formed to progress the Charter work. This team will be responsible for undertaking a full evaluation of race equality across the institution, developing appropriate actions in response, and leading the institution’s application for the Charter. Its members are:
- Co-Chairs: Steve Bradley (Deputy Vice-Chancellor) and Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad (Distinguished Professor, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere (UG student, Equalities Officer, County College)
- Ignatius Eziani (Senior Teaching Associate, Computing)
- Luca Follis (Senior Lecturer, Law School)
- Hu Yang (Senior Lecturer, Sociology)
- Shuruq Naguib (Lecturer, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Rashmi Patel (Head of Inclusion, People and Organisational Effectiveness)
- Sabiha Patel (Associate Director (Student Wellbeing and Inclusion)
- Nayaab Khan (Postgraduate researcher)
- Sayjda Talib (Senior Teaching Fellow, Accounting and Finance)
- Project Manager: Paulette Nhlapo
- Project Officer: Sadaf Noor
In order to ensure that the REC process is embedded into larger discussions about race and equality, a more informal REC Advisory Group has been formed, which will periodically feed questions and advice to the REC ISAT. Its current membership is as follows:
- Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad (Chair)
- Faraz Ahmed (Lecturer in Health Inequalities, Health Research)
- Fabiha Askari (UG Student, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Bruce Bennett (Senior Lecturer, Institute for the Contemporary Arts)
- Laura Clancy (Lecturer in Media, Sociology)
- Lola Dada (Professor of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship and Strategy)
- Julie Hearn (Lecturer, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Marwan Izzeldin (Professor of Financial Economics, Economics)
- Mark Levin (Professor of Psychology, Psychology)
- Nameesha Nobi
- Rebecca Robinson (Planning Officer, Strategic Planning and Governance)
- Ala Siriyeh
- Imogen Tyler (Professor of Sociology, Sociology)
Race Equality Charter Working Groups
The work towards the Charter will be done primarily through the Working Groups, addressing different aspects of race equality. Working Groups will be reaching out to various parts of the university that are relevant to their area.
Members of REC ISAT will typically sit on at least one Working Group but the membership of Working Groups is primarily constituted by colleagues across the university with relevant expertise, experience and interests.
Working Group on Racial Harassment, Complaints and Procedures
Chair: Carolyn Jackson (Professor, Educational Research, Associate Dean for EDI and People, FASS)
Membership:
- Sherry Currington (Student Mental Health Advisor, Student Wellbeing Services)
- Luca Follis (Senior Lecturer, Law School)
- Christina Hicks (Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre)
- Kay Rawlins (Teaching Co-ordinator, Psychology)
- Sayjda Talib (Senior Teaching Fellow, Accounting and Finance)
- Blanchard-Lafayette, Jordan (Postgraduate Researcher)
The terms of reference for this group can be found here: Terms of Reference
Working Group on Data Analytics
Chair: Shuruq Naguib (Lecturer, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
Membership:
- Abbas, Madeline-Sophie, Senior Lecturer in Sociology (Race and Anti-Racism), Sociology.
- Ignatius Eziani (Senior Teaching Associate, Computing and Communications)
- John Bagnall (EDI Data Analyst, People and Organisational Effectiveness)
- Hu Yang (Senior Lecturer, Sociology)
- Rebecca Robinson (Planning Officer, Strategic Planning and Governance)
- Tao, Yingnian (Senior Research Associate, Racial Equality Charter)
- Xiong Qian (Lecturer in Ageing, Health Research)
The terms of reference for this group can be found here: Terms of Reference
Race Equality Charter Staff Working Group
Co-Chairs:
Professor Steve Bradley (Deputy Vice-Chancellor)
Professor Ram Prasad (Distinguished Professor, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
Membership:
- Ann-Marie Fortier (Professor, Sociology)
- Claire Leitch (Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership)
- Jo Rycroft-Malone (Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine)
- Jeremiah, Anderson (Senior Lecturer, Philosophy, Politics and Religion)
- Ms Sue Atherton (Head of School Administration)
The terms of reference for this group can be found here: REC Staff Working Group Terms of Reference
Working Group on Student Wellbeing
Chair: Professor Mark Levine, (Professor of Social Psychology)
Membership:
- Emmanual Adeyemi-Abere, (UG History and Politics)
- Nimisha Noby, (UG Lancaster Medical School)
- Dr Sarah Sweeney, (Head of Student Support and Wellbeing Services)
The terms of reference for this group can be found here: Student Wellbeing Working Group Terms of Reference
Working Group on Learning and Teaching
Chair: Nonhlanhla Dube (Lecturer in Operations Management)
Membership:
- Mutty Dad (Head of International Student Recruitment)
- Nimisha Noby (Student, Lancaster Medical School)
- Jude Rowley (PGR, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Akinbami-Ishola, Chanelle (UG, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Khan, Nayyab (PGR, Politics, Philosophy and Religion)
- Elaine Taylor (Director of Student Support & Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences)
- Nicola Wylie (Research Intelligence Manager, Library)
- Sabiha Patel (Associate Director, Student Wellbeing and Inclusion)
The terms of reference for this group can be found here: REC Teaching and Learning Working Group Terms of Reference
It is expected that further Working Groups will be formed for shorter periods of time in the coming year. Look out for further calls for participants and contributions in the coming months. We are committed to consulting widely, increasing the participation of colleagues across the university, and using the opportunity to apply for the Charter to work genuinely on the University’s institutional culture.
More about the Race Equality Charter
What aspects are covered by the Race Equality Charter?
- professional and support staff;
- academic staff;
- student progression and awarding;
- diversity of the curriculum.
You can find more information about the Race Equality Charter on the Advance HE website here:
www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/race-equality-charter
Resources specifically applicable to Higher Education that may be of interest:
Get in Touch
If you have any questions, or would like to be involved in the work surrounding REC, please contact one of the following:
- Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, co-chair of the Institutional Self-Assessment Team
- Paulette Nhlapo, Race Equality Charter Programme Manager
- Sadaf Noor, Race Equality Charter Project Officer
Or contact us using the form below
The Race Equality Self-Assessment Team and Action Group use both quantitative and qualitative data to identify issues and measure the impact of actions. We value your views on how the university supports its BAME staff and students and where more focused work is needed.
You can help direct the work by sharing your experience of working or studying at this university via the form below.
You can also use this form to:
- Share your feedback on policies and practices across all areas of the university and whether these are equally applied
- Highlight where practices disadvantage BAME staff or students
- Make suggestions for actions you would like to us see
- Suggest resources you would like to see us share across the university community
There is no obligation to add your name or email address