Colleagues, students and our alumni have been left shocked and deeply disturbed by the killing of George Floyd in the United States. We share the abhorrence felt by all connected with our University with regards to this senseless death.
As a University we accept our responsibility to address all forms of racism, harassment and discrimination. We are determined that no one should feel isolated and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our black students, colleagues and alumni intent on offering our full support both now and in the future.
What is the University doing and how can I get involved?
Supporting our students, staff and alumni
We would like to offer our support for any students who are or have been affected and invite them to make contact with the Welfare Team at their campus. Our Counselling Service is also available for support at this time of emotional difficulty. The University also offers an online support community for our students and staff, Together All, which provides an anonymous 24/7 safe, confidential and moderated space for students to talk about their experiences, explore their feelings and learn how to improve and self-manage their emotional wellbeing.
Our staff (and members of their family) have access to a confidential Employee Assistance and Counselling service, which can offer support to anyone affected by these recent and ongoing events. We also provide a confidential helpline – Mindful Employer Plus – as well as members of staff in each campus who are trained Mental Health First Aiders. All of these resources are available to support and/or appropriately signpost our staff to help manage their feelings and emotions at this time.
If you have been a victim of harassment and abuse or have witnessed it taking place, please report this directly to the police on 999 if an emergency or 101 to report an incident. ULaw does not tolerate abuse of any kind within our community and we take all allegations of bullying, harassment and any kind of discrimination very seriously. Students are encouraged to view our Dignity at Work and Study Policy if you have any concerns.
Promoting equality, addressing structural racism
The #blacklivesmatter movement is focused on the experiences of black people. Our University is committed to supporting all students who encounter structural racism.
As part of the University’s wider Widening Participation work, the University has made clear commitments to support our Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) students to access higher education, succeed within higher education and progress into employment or further study. To achieve these commitments the University is looking to address the structural inequalities facing BAME students at each stage of the student journey, from appreciating the education inequalities BAME school pupils face, to reviewing the curriculum and promoting the need for the professions to be fair and objective in their future recruitment.
This work is being led by the University’s BAME Advocates scheme which was established in collaboration with the Student Association in April this year.
The aim of our BAME Advocates scheme is twofold:
- to enable students from BAME backgrounds to express their opinions on their student experience in a safe space, addressing both overt and structural inequalities within the University as an institution, and society more generally.
- to enable BAME students and the University to co-create and co-deliver activities and events aimed at improving the experiences and outcomes of BAME students
How can I get involved?
We know that there is more that we can do, and the University invites all students, staff and alumni to be involved in these discussions, and to work with the University to address racism. All voices are welcome in this dialogue: we want to create a safe supportive space where students and staff can have open and honest conversations about racial injustice and discrimination.
At each ULaw campus, our BAME Advocates are creating the space for this open discussion. If you would like to be involved please contact [email protected] for more information. You may also be interested in contacting the Student Association President. To find out more about the Student Association and their contact information please visit: https://studentassociation.law.ac.uk/
It is our responsibility to educate ourselves about racism and how we as individuals can address it. Our Library team are collating all of our resources into a single space for ease of access, and are actively expanding this collection. This collection will be accessible online to all our students and staff.