Developing an inclusive culture

We will develop a standard for shared definitions and terminology with our community.

Discussions with our community have highlighted that we need to reflect on the ethnicity options on offer to enhance the sense of belonging so all feel included and not 'othered' by language. 

1. Build on work in our networks and Let's Talk series on the use of terminology to agree on standards. Discuss with other HE organisations (e.g. University of West of England) to learn from their practice.
2. Communicate the rationale for data collection internally and externally.
3. Review ethnicity options available on our data system taking external and internal constraints into account.

• Guidance shared on terminology usage.
• Definitions agreed upon and used to produce data sets.

We will develop quality future data reports and dashboards using the 6-way data split.

Before working on the Race Equality Charter process, our HR data was almost always referenced as a 3-way split, and we recognise the benefit of using the 6-way split to highlight the variation between the experiences of different Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups. 

1. Use the template we have used for the Race Equality Charter to produce future reports for institutional data, Faculty data and departmental data. Ensure reporting cycle is established.
2. Determine forums/boards to receive reports.
3. Determine the frequency of reports to be received.

1. Reports produced and aligned with Race Equality Charter templates.
2. List of forums/ boards produced.
3. The frequency of reports agreed.

We will build Race Equality Charter surveys into the University survey cycle to increase future Race Equality Charter student survey responses.

Race Equality Charter student survey response rate: There was a low participation rate from all student groups.

Plan for longer lead-in times to allow fuller engagement with the Students' Guild, the Students' Union (Cornwall), student societies and academic departments. Communicate more effectively (and over longer timeframes) how and why the university is using the Race Equality Charter to tackle racism and improve representation and how lived experiences through surveys and other mechanisms are integral mechanisms of feedback.

Improve Race Equality Charter student responses for all student groups.

We will raise awareness of the new phase of the Race Equality Charter journey post-submission. 

We have approached the application as a framework to make the changes we want to see in our university and it doesn’t end with our submission and award.

Develop and implement a communication plan (internal and external for our partners) to launch the race equality action plan.

Communication plan developed and rolled out.

We will transition the Race Equality Charter SAT post application to become the Strategic Race Equality Group (REG) and oversee the implementation of the Race Equality Charter action plan. This group will form part of our EDI governance (outlined in Figure 2b.1 in our Race Equality Charter application). Implementing and reporting on action plan will form part of stage three of our EDI Vision 2025. 

We know that we will only make progress towards our aspiration to becoming an anti-racist University if we embed our findings and actions into core business.

The Self-Assessment Team chaired by the Provost will continue to work as the University’s strategic Race Equality Group (REG) and will oversee the implementation of our Race Equality Action plan over the next four-year cycle.

The new group will review its current membership to ensure that it has the right skill set to oversee the Race Equality Action Plan implementation.

1. Identify people with the required skills, expertise and commitment to join the group (liaising with the Provost Commission a group of over 100 staff and students from across our University accordingly).
2. Create the Strategic Race Equality Group
3. Provide training and appropriate organisational support to the Strategic Race Equality Group

Race Equality Group is fully functioning (with a yearly schedule, and TORs) as a strategic group with appropriate membership.

We will create a more welcoming environment and promote the contributions of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students to our wider community. 

Race Equality Charter Staff survey: Just over half of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the ethnic/racial diversity of the local population impacts their day-to-day life. Some Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff placed a particular emphasis on experiencing an inclusive working environment because they experienced “different treatment” including micro-aggressions where they lived in Devon, Cornwall or other places. 

1. Promote the Everyone Welcome campaign and branding.
2. Continue to promote informal reporting routes.
3. Develop resources for students and staff on culturally sensitive services across Devon and Cornwall.
4. Providing anti-racism education through seminars and events open to the wider community beyond our immediate University community highlighting the contribution of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and staff to the enrichment of our experience in the South West.

Positive experiences shared at forums such as the Provost Commission or informally raised in our Faculties, Departments and Divisions. 

We will improve the declaration rate for staff and student ethnicity by building confidence in the rationale for ethnicity data collection.

We will ensure that our rationale for requesting this information is made clear going forward. The lack of disclosure is more apparent amongst UK-based staff, and more prominent among senior academics. 

1. Review ethnicity options available on our data system, taking external and internal constraints into account.
2. Communicate the rationale for data collection internally and externally.
3. Develop guidance on appropriate language and terms for those dealing with and reporting on ethnicity data.

Non declaration rate reduced to 3% across our University in line with Russell Group benchmark.

We will improve the capacity for Inclusive decision-making through the increasing representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff on decision-making boards, and also through incorporating inclusion principles into our decision-making process. 

Our main decision boards lack appropriate levels of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation since we have very limited Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation at senior levels.
Whilst we have other decision-making boards at our university, sourcing this data has proven difficult because we do not routinely record this information.

We acknowledge that decision-making is not just about the people making the decision but also about the decision-making process, therefore whilst improving the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic decision-makers outlined in Priority 3, our decision-making processes need to be more inclusive.

1. Audit who is on decision-making boards, with action planning on targeted representation overseen by the upcoming Wellbeing Inclusion and Culture Committee to improve inclusive representation on boards.
2. Develop guidance for decision-making committees and boards on how to increase diversity in their composition.
3. Provide anti-racism and cultural competence training to board members.
4. Use our HR Software Trent to Race Equality Chartered membership of committees and boards.
5. Refresh existing Equality Impact Assessment guidance.
6. Deliver Equality Impact Assessment training to decision-makers.
7. Support University Council in their endeavour to diversify their membership.

• Decision-making audit completed and starting benchmark data acquired beyond our main decision-making boards. Utilising data on Council and Senate: Improved representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic council and Senate members to 10% by 2026.
• Progress reported and monitored 6 monthly against targets on diverse representation on main committees and Boards. Guidance produced and disseminated.
• Board membership recorded on Trent.
• EIA guidance refreshed, and training provided.
• Anti-racism training for boards developed and delivered.

We will use exit interviews consistently to help improve institutional culture. 

Our exit interview process was discussed at our Task & Finish Group meetings with concerns raised regarding the consistency of use.

We do not currently monitor the uptake of exit interviews by ethnicity and only monitor by gender. This does not provide us with a detailed enough picture of our exit data.

1. Mandate the offer of Exit interviews through policy so that they are offered consistently across University.
2. Monitor the number of Exit Interviews offered with a breakdown by ethnicity, and Race Equality Chartered reasons for the offer of the Exit interview being turned down by the leaver.
3. Exit data is produced termly and reviewed at Faculty and institutional levels.

1. All staff leavers regardless of ethnicity are offered an exit interview, ensuring that all Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff are aware of and offered this interview. 
2. Data scrutinised by VCEG and new Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture Committee
3. Exit data shared and reviewed termly.