What is 'Race' and 'Racism'?
'Race' is a social construct implemented to categorize people in groups based on their genetic and biological differences.
'Racism' describes prejudice of discriminatory behaviour and attitude towards an individual or a group of people due to their race. Racism can occur on an individual, cultural, and institutional level.
'Institutional Racism' describes the ways, either covert or overt, in which institutions' policies, procedures, operations, and culture reinforce individual prejudices by way of the system itself – rather than by individuals.
Gaps in achievement by ethnicity (as described above) is just one example of institutional racism. St Mary's is committed to understanding and dismantling institutional racism within the University- starting with participation in in initiatives like the Race Equality Charter.
Discrimination of any kind based on race is prohibited under Equality Act 2010 and is not tolerated at St Mary's. St Mary's has zero tolerance for racism in our community.
Race is a protected characteristic under the UK Government's Equality Act 2010.
In the most recent figures for St Mary's, 90% of White students completed their degrees, compared to 83% of other ethnicities.
These gaps must be addressed and tackled by St Mary's and all universities to ensure:
- Every student has equal opportunities to learn and work to the best of their abilities, ensuring the best possible graduate life chances
- Equal opportunities and career progression for all staff members to learn new skills and to reach their full potential
'Race' is a social construct implemented to categorize people in groups based on their genetic and biological differences.
'Racism' describes prejudice of discriminatory behavior and attitude towards an individual or a group of people due to their race. Racism can occur on an individual, cultural and institutional level.
'Institutional Racism' describes the ways, either covert or overt, in which institutions' policies, procedures, operations, and culture reinforce individual prejudices by way of the system itself – rather than by individuals.
Gaps in achievement by ethnicity (as described above) is just one example of institutional racism. St Mary's is committed to understanding and dismantling institutional racism within the University- starting with participation in in initiatives like the Race Equality Charter.
Discrimination of any kind based on race is prohibited under Equality Act 2010 and is not tolerated at St Mary's. St Mary's has zero tolerance for racism in our community.
'BAME' is an acronym for 'Black, Asian and Minority ethnic'. This term is inclusive of minority ethnicities and is used in the UK. Learn more about the definition of BAME and why these terms matter.
'POC' is an acronym for 'People (or a Person) of Colour'.
'BIPOC' is an acronym for 'Black and Indigenous People of Colour'. Learn more about the definitions of POC, BIPOC, and why these terms matter.
Whilst these acronyms were coined by minority groups to demonstrate their united front against discrimination, these terms are now under scrutiny due to their impetuous use which dangerously bunches all non-white people together. Whilst at St Mary's we acknowledge that the use of BAME is contentious, this is the term most widely used in universities in the UK and one we are required to use in our reporting to the Office for Students (our regulator) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). As the world-renowned historian, David Olusoga notes, although the term is limited, it can continue to serve as a useful umbrella under which communities with what he calls a "shared colonial experience" can work together to create a path forward.
The 'BAME student experience' is currently a focus of all universities across the UK due to an identified degree 'attainment gap'. The term 'attainment gap' refers to the difference in ‘top degrees’ – a First or 2:1 classification – awarded to different groups of students – namely students from different ethnic backgrounds. Although 'attainment gap' is the terminology often used, it should perhaps be more accurately called an 'awarding gap' to acknowledge that the responsibility for this phenomenon lies with universities and with societal, structural and historical inequalities, rather than with the students themselves.
- In 2015/16, the degree attainment gap in England – with 78.8% of White students receiving a first/2:1 compared with 63.2% of BAME students – a 15.6% gap.
- In the 2017/18 academic year at St Mary's there was an 17% gap between Black and White students and an 11% gap between Asian and White students. This has since reduced slightly, but still must be tackled.
- All universities across the UK (including St Mary's) have pledged to eliminate this gap by 2025
There is also a 'continuation gap' which means that BAME students are less likely to complete the whole of their degree programmes and graduate.
- In the most recent figures for St Mary's, 90% of White students completed their degrees, compared to 83% for other ethnicities
These gaps must be addressed and tackled by universities (including St Mary's) to ensure every student has equal opportunities to work to and achieve at the best of their ability, ensuring their graduate life chances are the best they can be. The gaps occur for a range of reasons, including systemic issues both at and before university such as a lack of representation in curricula and staff.
As for BAME staff working in universities, there are significant barriers to representation and progression across the sector. Research by Advance HE has found that UK university staff from minority ethnic backgrounds:
- can feel that their leadership ability is questioned
- assumptions are often made that they are in junior positions even when they occupy senior (eg professorial) roles
- have reported negative assumptions being made about their abilities
- report experiences of invisibility, isolation, marginalisation and racial discrimination in HE
- report experiencing heavy workloads, disproportionate levels of scrutiny compared with their white counterparts
- a lack of mentoring and support for career development, and difficulties in gaining promotion
- lecturers teaching in the areas of ‘race’, equality and multiculturalism report that these subjects are often designated as low status when performed by BME staff, yet they appear to acquire higher status when performed by white staff
- report having fewer opportunities to develop research capacity and enhance their promotion prospects
Key initiatives at St Mary's like the Race Equality Charter and work by our Widening Participation Team (in line with our Access and Participation Plan) seek to address and remove these barriers to equality for our BAME students and staff. For more information on these programmes, please visit our Further Information and Guidance page linked below.
The Race Equality Charter
To help drive forward our efforts to improve racial equality at St Mary’s, we are a proud member of Advance HE’s Race Equality Charter. The charter serves as a helpful framework as we seek to interrogate and improve existing structures, policies, and practices that may prohibit St Mary’s from achieving racial equality for our staff and students. As part of joining the Charter, the Vice-Chancellor has released a letter in which he has committed to five guiding principles which will underpin our efforts to improve our policies, practices, and culture through structured action planning. The university has assembled a self-assessment team (SAT) who will lead our efforts to address racial inequality at St Mary’s. The SAT formation process was informed and supported by our BAME & Allies Staff Network and BAME Student Network, who have been key collaborators in our REC process.
Learn more about our work with the Race Equality Charter.
To join our Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team (SAT) or find out about more ways to get involved, please email equalitycharters@stmarys.ac.uk.
BAME Staff and Student Networks
Our BAME Staff and Student Networks are dedicated to addressing students' and staffs' racial issues and enhancing the experience of BAME community members at St Mary's. For more information or ways to get involved, visit our BAME & Allies Staff Network page or reach out to our BAME & Allies Staff Network chair Oby Oputa or BAME Student Network chair Melina Healy.
Be SMART Programme
Run by the Employability Service and Widening Participation department, Be SMART offers mentoring, leadership and paid micro-internship opportunities to BAME Students. The programme empowers students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to recognise and promote the value in their difference and the unique strengths and perspectives bring to the workplace, enhances their employability, and supports them to achieve their future career goals through building the graduate career capital essential to successful career development. More information about Be SMART and how to get involved can be found on the Careers and Employability Moodle page.
Access and Participation Plan
St Mary's Access and Participation Plan (which is our formal agreement with our regulator, the Office for Students) has a number of specific targets about improving inequalities where they have been identified. Learn more about our Access and Participation Plan and the work of our Widening Participation and Outreach team here.
Anonymous Reporting
St Mary's has recently launched an anonymous reporting form to better understand and address issues of discrimination and racism in our community.
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