Race Equality Policy
Version 1.0
Overview on race policy and activity
The University of Wolverhampton is committed to actively tackling racial discrimination
and promoting racial equality and good race relations across the range of its activities
and functions. This specific commitment forms part of a broader commitment to equal
treatment and respect for diversity.
Race Equality Policy
Background
The University has a history of commitment to equality of opportunity and has worked to
ensure that race equality is a significant part of this work. The University is proud of the
fact that there is a good representation of ethnic diversity across its student and staff
body and has worked over the years to be genuinely inclusive. It has made vigorous
efforts to ensure that its staff are recruited from a diversity of groups and has extended
outreach in the local community to schools, colleges and community groups where there
is a good representation of diversity.
As an example, the University is a partner in the Black and Ethnic Minority Experience
(BEME) project, which seeks to develop an archive of experiences of those ethnic groups
who from the 1950s came to the City of Wolverhampton and contributed to its
development and achievements.
Many Schools and Departments are already actively engaged in projects to extend the
University’s commitment to equality. The University holds a two-yearly equality
conference at which the Schools report back on equality projects worked on in the
preceding two years and plan projects for the next two years.
However, the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, highlighted the likelihood of
institutionalised racism in the policies and practices of large public sector organisations.
This was a challenge to any organisation’s complacency about its approach to racism.
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The Report led to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act which places a general duty on
public authorities to:
Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
Promote equality of opportunity
Promote good race relations.
For universities there are specific duties, which have been identified as steps to help,
meet the general duty and which must be addressed in a written Race Equality Policy
Statement. These are:
To assess the effect of the university’s policies on staff and students from different racial
groups
To monitor, by racial group, the admission and progress of students
To monitor the recruitment and career development of staff
To publish the results of the assessment and monitoring annually.
The functions, which must be reviewed, include:
Student admission and progression
Teaching and learning, including course validation and curriculum
Assessment
Research
Student support (including counselling, careers advice and disability support)
Marketing
Educational advice and guidance
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Recruitment, selection, progression and training of staff
The Governing body and the University's management
Facilities management
Transport
Finance
Information technology and systems
Dealing with issues of harassment and bullying
Schools and colleges liaison
Business liaison
Community liaison
Partnerships.
This Race Equality Policy Statement below sets out how the University will meet its
requirements under the Act in line with its ongoing commitment to tackle racial
discrimination and promote racial equality across its various functions.
Policy Context
The University’s commitment to fairness and equality of opportunity is set out in three
main documents: the Mission Statement, the Equality & Diversity Policy and the Policy on
Unfair Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment.
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Equality of opportunity and the priority of fully developing individual potential are stated in
the University's Mission Statement set out below:
The aim of the University of Wolverhampton is to be a first class regional university
dedicated to high quality provision. Our priority is to enable and encourage individuals to
realise their full potential and to achieve academic excellence through a flexible,
innovative and vocationally focussed curriculum.
The University is committed to making a major contribution to the social and economic
prosperity of the West Midlands with its programmes of applied research, technology
transfer and consultancy. We strongly support cultural diversity and equality of
opportunity in all our activities at home and abroad.
The commitment to equality is further developed in the Equal Opportunities Policy. The
statement on General Principles is quoted below.
General Principles
University policy and practice will be concerned with the prevention of both direct and
indirect, overt and covert discrimination, and the promotion of justice and equality. This
necessitates both the removal of existing educational barriers and positive attempts to
create new opportunities.
The University seeks to promote equality of opportunity for all, and to eliminate
discrimination, particularly on grounds of colour, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin,
age, disability, religion and socio-economic background. The University requires staff,
students and visitors to behave in a non-discriminatory manner and to support,
implement and develop institutional practices and procedures that promote and reinforce
equality of opportunities and treatment for all.
The University is committed to working towards the creation of additional educational and
employment opportunities for groups currently under-represented among students and
staff and to ensuring that access to these opportunities is not obstructed by conditions or
requirements that cannot be justified.
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The Policy on Unfair Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying clearly states the
University’s intention to promote fairness and makes the following statements:
The University of Wolverhampton believes that its staff and students should be treated
with dignity, respect and fairness by all members of the University community, managers,
other staff and students.
Discrimination
Discrimination is unfair and unacceptable to the University (and potentially unlawful)
where an individual is treated less favourably than other persons on grounds of sex,
marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour or nationality ethnic/national origin or
disability.
As required by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act the University sets out below its
Race Equality Policy and planned action.
Policy Statement
The University will ensure that along with other aspects of diversity, racial equality for
staff and students is mainstreamed and embedded in all our policies, practices and
procedures and their outcomes. It will continue its work to eliminate racial discrimination
and to promote racial harmony and equality of opportunity. The University will act by:
1. Regularly examining and reviewing policies, practices and both formal and
informal procedures for inequitable outcomes. The progress and outcomes of its
Race Equality Policy will be reviewed every three years
2. Building race equality into its broader strategic planning and review processes as
well as into School and Departmental planning and review
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3. Identifying and addressing patterns of under-representation and underachievement in students, with the specific needs of international students reviewed
separately
4. Identifying and addressing patterns of under-representation and differential career
outcomes in staff groups, including under-representation in the Governing body
and other Committees
5. Promoting activities that encourage racial harmony
6. Acting promptly in response to any complaint of racial harassment or inequitable
treatment
7. Working to develop a curriculum that supports the University’s objectives to
develop diversity and equality of opportunity
8. Developing and monitoring action plans as necessary, incorporating these into
existing review cycles and mechanisms where possible, covering all relevant
areas such as:

recruitment and progression of staff and students

teaching, learning and assessment

student services

research

services to international students

access and participation

management and governance

staff contract status, appraisal and training

complaints and disciplinary action

community links and partnerships

external service delivery.
9. Drawing up School and Departmental action plans to promote racial equality
10. Annually publishing this policy, related planning documentation and monitoring
outcomes.
11. Ensuring that the following roles are understood and implemented:

The Governing Body has overall responsibility for ensuring the University
fulfils its legal obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act. It will
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approve the Race Equality Policy and receive regular updates on the
implementation of the policy

The Vice Chancellor has responsibility for ensuring the action plan is
appropriately developed and implemented; that staff are aware of their
responsibilities under the Act and fully trained in them; and that noncompliance is dealt with appropriately

Schools and Departments through Deans and Managers are responsible for
carrying out policy impact assessment and then developing plans to
eliminate any racial discrimination and promote racial harmony

The EO Co-ordinator and Monitoring Officer are responsible for assisting
Schools and Departments in the above tasks

All staff are required to attend/have access to appropriate training to ensure
that they are aware of the requirement to promote racial harmony and do
not unwittingly discriminate

It is the responsibility of all members of staff, including Governors, senior
staff and managers, to ensure that equality and fairness are integral to the
work they do and the decisions they make

Departments and individuals with a role in external contracting are
responsible for ensuring the services being provided to the University are in
compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Students are responsible for conforming to the requirements of this Policy

Trade Unions are responsible for actively engaging in policy development
and promoting the policy among their members

Ensuring that all students and staff are aware that the University takes race
equality extremely seriously and disciplinary action may be taken against
staff or students who do not conform to this policy

A fuller list of functions and activities is attached at Annex A.
Publication
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This policy, planning documentation, evidence of monitoring and action outcomes will be
published annually on the University website and paper copies will be available from the
HE Shop.
Version
1.0
Author
Approved date
Review date
11/2002
02/10
Approved by
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Equality and
Diversity Manager
Board of Governors
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