Equality and Diversity
Race Equality Policy
Note: This policy should be read in conjunction with the general College Code of Practice relating to Equal Opportunities for staff and students.
1. Commitment of the College
Goldsmiths values its diverse community and is opposed to racism in all its forms. The College is committed to the fair and equal treatment of all individuals and aims to ensure that no-one in the College community is disadvantaged on the grounds of race, cultural background, ethnic or national origin or religious belief. The College expects all its staff, students, suppliers and contractors to endorse this commitment and to behave accordingly.
There are channels of complaint (via the College’s Code to Combat Harassment and Bullying in the working and learning environment, and the grievance/complaints procedure) for staff or students who believe they have been the subject of discrimination or harassment. Disciplinary procedures may be invoked against any member of staff/student whose behaviour contravenes this policy.
Monitoring and assessing the policy’s effectiveness and addressing inequalities revealed
The College is committed to assessing the impact of all its functions and policies on race equality by means of an implementation plan, annual monitoring and evaluation.
The College is also committed to monitoring, by racial group, student admission and
progress and staff recruitment and career progress.
The College will address any patterns of discrimination and inequality, take positive action for underrepresented groups as permitted by legislation and extend good practice that is identified as a result of monitoring.
3. Roles and responsibilities
Council is responsible for ensuring that the College complies with the Act and meets its duties. The Equal Opportunities Committee is responsible for reviewing, developing and monitoring this policy. The Equal Opportunities Committee reports its findings and proposals to Council at least once a year and Council has the ultimate responsibility for the successful implementation of this policy.
The Pro Warden Students, as Chair of the Equal Opportunities Committee, carries a particular responsibility for ensuring that this policy is effective. However all members of the College, particularly the Senior Management Team, the Secretary, Head of Human Resources, the Academic Registrar and heads of academic and support departments, in their own areas of responsibilities and/or in the light of their managerial roles, have a particular duty to ensure the policy is effective. Each individual member of staff and students has a responsibility to support the aims of this policy.
4. Failure to follow policy
In cases of individual harassment the Code to Combat Bullying and Harassment should be invoked. If there is a more general concern that this policy is not being followed, the issue should be referred to senior management, the Equal Opportunities Committee and or Council who will address the matter accordingly.
5. Publication
The results of the monitoring undertaken under this policy will be published annually
on the College’s external web site. This policy will be publicised in appropriate ways
within the College. Copies will be made available to all staff and students and will be published on the College web site. It will be made available in other formats such as large print and staff and students will be consulted on the measures proposed in the action plan related to this policy. Details on consultation exercises undertaken in relation to race and racism will be published alongside the results on the monitoring exercises.
Policy statements in relation to the main areas of College activites:
6. Values
The College is committed to equality of opportunity for staff and students and this is enshrined in its Charter (para 13). The College’s strategic plan reiterates this commitment as one of its ten basic aims. (Vision statement, point 9)
The strategic plan also articulates the core values to which the College is committed:
In terms of its general public conduct, the College will remain committed to the ‘Nolan’ values which establish principles for the conduct of public life; to intellectual freedom and to freedom of expression; to academic autonomy; to equality of opportunity; and to the College’s existing published codes of conduct and ethical commitment, including those that relate to environmental and investment matters. (Section A, part 1).
The College’s general Equal Opportunities Policy relating to students and staff details the way in which the College seeks to pursue these standards.
The College is committed to promoting good race relations and opposes racism including institutional racism as defined in the Macpherson report
the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin … seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantages minority ethnic people (para. 6.34)
7. Management and Governance
The College is committed to a system of management and governance that is fair, inclusive and proactive in undertaking its responsibilities to actively promote equality of opportunity and good race relations.
8. Consultation and Communication
The College is committed to involve and consult the College community and specifically, black and ethnic minority staff and students in the planning and development of the Race Equality implementation plan and will consult and work with the Students Union and trade unions and external bodies such as the Commission for Racial Equality, Lewisham Racial Equality Council, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Equality Challenge Unit.
9. Issues relating to students/the student experience
9.1 Admissions, access and participation
The College is committed to an admissions policy that is as inclusive as possible and which widens participation for under-represented groups. This commitment is articulated within one of the ten basic aims of the College’s Strategic Plan:
We aim to widen participation in higher education, to combat social exclusion…. and to play a full part in developing lifelong learning (Vision statement, point 8)
The College will monitor all stages of the student’s admission process from applications to outcomes and all students’ achievements and progress.
9.2 Curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment
The College will monitor the curriculum to see that it meets the expectations of students from different racial groups and how it deals with questions of race and diversity. The College remains committed to creating an environment free of prejudice, discrimination and harassment, where students can contribute fully and feel valued and will encourage students to understand and value cultural and ethnic diversity.
9.3 Student support and guidance
The College will continue to place a high priority on its student support network in order to provide the best possible support to students throughout their time at the College and to meet their cultural and religious needs.
9.4 Student feedback
The College remains committed to receiving students’ feedback on their experience at Goldsmiths and will continue to solicit their view via the programme monitoring process, surveys and the regular student census.
10. Issues relating to staff
10.1 Staff recruitment, promotion, training and career development
The College will pursue the standards set out in the College’s main equal opportunity policy in relation to recruitment, promotion, training and career development of staff. The College will continue to monitor all these activities by department and will regularly assess the monitoring information obtained to evaluate the progress the College is making towards meeting its race equality targets and aims.
10.2 Research
The College will ensure that its research strategy is consistent with this policy and will actively encourage the undertaking of research in race issues.
Other issues
11. Behaviour and discipline
The College will review its complaints procedures and disciplinary procedures relating to staff and students to ensure that they are appropriate and effective.
12. Partnerships and community links
The College’s strategic plan commits it to
Developing our relationship with the local community …to contribute to the social, environmental regeneration of the area, to be a significant cultural resource….
(Vision statement, point 8)
and in undertaking these activities intends to promote actively the values in this policy.
13. Service delivery (contracting out)
The College will look at the area of the contracting out of goods and services with the aim of ensuring its policies and activities in this area do not disadvantage any particular ethnic group. It will consider sanctions against contractors or providers of service who do not follow the College’s race equality policy.