Action pledge to improve halls experience for Black students

The experience of Black students in our halls of residence will now be a specific focus of ongoing work to break down cultural barriers at Reading.

The University, Reading Students’ Union and our halls provider UPP have pledged to formally collaborate to address issues experienced by Black students in student accommodation, and incorporate this into our Race Equality Charter Mark action plan.

The work is in response to national research that revealed many Black students in halls face racism, cultural insensitivities and exclusion, which has a negative impact on their university experience and mental health.

Action plan

A Living Black working group including representatives from the University, Students’ Union and UPP have held six workshops with Black students at the University, over the course of more than a year, and agreed to a joint statement of intent and a list of actions relating to accommodation.

These include:

• Improving integration activities for new students.
• Improving pre-arrival communication on family accommodation for international students with dependents.
• Ensuring diversity among student ambassadors and staff supporting Welcome events, as well as in accommodation support roles.
• Enhancing our hall wardens service to build trust and allow concerns to be raised.
• Better anti-racism training for staff and students to improve understanding of issues faced by Black students.
• Utilising data on racial diversity in university accommodation.

The recent addition of the University’s Report and Support platform is one action taken to make it easier for students in halls to anonymously report microaggressions and negative behaviours to the University.

The Living Black work builds on the University’s 2021 Race Equality Review, our existing action plan that resulted in a Bronze Race Equality Charter Mark award in January 2023, and work to tackle racism in our academic settings such as the publication of Decolonising the Curriculum resources.

The work focused on student experience in accommodation will now be incorporated into race equality work led by the Race Equality Implementation Team, which is chaired by Professor Allán Laville, Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.

For more information on the Living Black at University working group, contact co-chairs Dr Karen Henderson or Andrew Mathias, or the Diversity and Inclusion team.