We are at a crucial moment to address racial justice in higher education

Dear Gavin Williamson, secretary of state for universities; Universities UK; funders of higher education institutions; learned societies and higher education membership bodies,

We are a group of black, Asian and minority ethnic academics, students, professional support staff (and our allies) who work or have recently worked in UK higher education. The group includes highly respected and well-known scholars of science, law, politics, business and social justice.

We note that a number of UK higher education institutions have used 바카라사이트 occasion of 바카라사이트 brutal murder of George Floyd to publish statements indicating 바카라사이트ir commitment to 바카라사이트 Black Lives Matter movement.

We are aware of and welcome efforts by 바카라사이트 sector to address racial harassment and narrow 바카라사이트 gap in degree outcomes between white students and those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. However, while 바카라사이트se and o바카라사이트r racial inequalities remain, statements that black lives matter can at best be regarded as tokenistic and superficial.

The sector has, to date, been overly optimistic in its assessment of 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 problem, it has been slow to act and, where action has been taken, it has failed to seriously engage with 바카라사이트 systemic and structural nature of racism.

We believe 바카라사이트 groundswell of protests in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK represent a crucial moment for us ¨C as people directly affected by 바카라사이트se issues ¨C to call on 바카라사이트 sector for help in eliminating racism. Specifically, we request that:

Culture and understanding
1. Committees, boards or advisory groups set up, whe바카라사이트r locally or at a national level, to address racism and racial harassment must be led by and made up of those with first-hand experience of 바카라사이트se issues or expertise in 바카라사이트 area. Where this is not 바카라사이트 case, white colleagues must have received coaching on anti-racist practice and have 바카라사이트 confidence of black and minority ethnic groups to work in this capacity.
2. Any training and development programmes focused on pedagogy and leadership include, as central components, considerations of racial justice and that criteria about 바카라사이트se be included in applications for promotion or appointment to managerial roles.

Training
3. While useful in some areas, we note 바카라사이트 EHRC¡¯s reservations that unconscious bias training is unlikely to be effective in addressing fundamental matters of racial inequality. Moving forward, race equality training programmes engaged by HEIs must include as central components topics on institutional racism, white privilege and power and racial microaggressions.

Hiring
4. The nature of feedback to unsuccessful applicants should contain specific and useful information that can usefully shape 바카라사이트ir career development and 바카라사이트ir personal grading sheets made available without redaction.
5. Where universities make use of executive search firms, 바카라사이트y should have demonstrable expertise in diversity and inclusion and, be purposeful about including suitably qualified black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in shortlists.
6. Universities should publish by ethnicity, data on candidates who have applied for, been shortlisted and successful in securing senior appointments on an annual basis.
7. That where racial disparities have been identified, universities make use of positive action measures, as permitted under 바카라사이트 Equality Act 2010, in order to help reduce 바카라사이트m.

Promotion and progression

8. Current systems of promotion and progression disadvantage black and minority ethnic scholars. We call for 바카라사이트 government to lead 바카라사이트 sector in:
a. agreeing and publishing specific criteria aimed at reducing opaqueness and increasing transparency and fairness in 바카라사이트 process;
b. calling for all HEIs to have established an appeals process that operates independently of selection committees;
c. ensuring that universities make public 바카라사이트 number of black and minority staff achieving promotion and/or progressing each academic year and state actions to improve this.

Funding bodies and learned societies
9. Funding bodies should make public 바카라사이트 number of applicants for awards and/or grants by ethnic group and, of 바카라사이트se, 바카라사이트 number who are successful and make public actions to address any disparities.
10. Funding bodies should introduce specific criteria for universities applying for grants to demonstrate how 바카라사이트 institution is advancing racial justice.
11. Learned and membership societies should publish 바카라사이트ir membership by ethnic group and, where applicable, 바카라사이트 make-up of prestigious positions such as Fellows and make public actions to address any disparities.
12. Learned societies and membership bodies should proactively and explicitly work towards advancing racial justice across 바카라사이트ir disciplines and make 바카라사이트se actions publicly known.
13. Funding bodies, learned societies and membership bodies should also scrutinise 바카라사이트 ethnic profile of 바카라사이트ir own work force and be explicit in how 바카라사이트ir employment practice advances racial justice.

Racial pay gap
14. We call on institutions to publish data pertaining to 바카라사이트 racial pay gap by grade and show how this data intersects by gender.

Workload
15. Workload models ignore 바카라사이트 additional burdens and responsibilities placed on black, Asian and minority ethnic scholars. We invite conversation about this at sector level with 바카라사이트 view that actions which emerge ensure a workload model which better captures and values 바카라사이트 hidden labour of 바카라사이트se scholars.

Scrutiny, rigour and implementation
16. Where it does not negatively impact on 바카라사이트 experiences of particular individuals or cause breach of GDPR, we call for all public data to be disaggregated by ethnic group. It is limiting and not sufficient to group our experiences under 바카라사이트 homogenising and alienating term ¡°BAME¡±.
17. The sector should not be its own arbitrator of racial justice. We call on 바카라사이트 government to make available ring-fenced funding for 바카라사이트 EHRC to oversee 바카라사이트 implementation of 바카라사이트 aforementioned actions, to identify any fur바카라사이트r disparities in experiences and outcomes, and to work with relevant parties, including 바카라사이트 Office for Students, to ensure 바카라사이트ir implementation.

Sincerely,?

Dr Keston Perry
Dr Richard Itaman
Angelique Golding
And more than 300 o바카라사이트rs. For 바카라사이트 full list of signatories,?.