Race Equality Charter

UON: Proud Member of the Advance HE Race Equality Charter (REC)

At UON, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for all. As a proud member of the Advance HE Race Equality Charter (REC), we will utilise this framework to identify and address organisational and cultural barriers that may impact members of the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) and other aspects of our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) measures. Through REC, we will develop initiatives and solutions that drive positive change across the University.

The REC Framework Positively Impacts:

• Professional and support staff
• Academic staff
• Student progression and attainment
• Diversity of the curriculum

What is the Race Equality Charter (REC)?

The Advance HE Race Equality Charter supports our efforts to identify and tackle the barriers faced by GEM staff and students. It provides a structured approach for action and continuous improvement.

REC Principles

The Race Equality Charter is built on five key principles:

1. Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial inequalities may manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes, and behaviours. Racial disparities are a critical issue in outcomes for staff and students, recognising that racial inequalities are not necessarily overt, isolated incidents.
2. The UK higher education sector will not 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.
3. In tackling racial inequalities, it is important that actions are aimed at achieving transformational and long-term institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where actions are aimed at changing the individual.
4. Staff and students from racially minoritised ethnic backgrounds are not a homogeneous group. People from different ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of, and outcomes from and within, higher education, and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data, developing solutions, and implementing actions.
5. Embracing intersectionality, from analysing data to developing actions, can better support institutions to tackle racism within the higher education sector.

As a member of REC, UON is dedicated to these principles in our approach to race equality and in fostering an inclusive institutional culture.