This post in Q&A format is adapted from Naz’s original blog post, where she shares her thinking as a post-graduate research student and equalities campaigner. 

RFN – How representative are universities of students like you?

Naz – I think representation is a key and important issue that needs addressing quickly – how can I, as a Black student, feel as though academia is for me when Black professors are so few and far between within University spaces. Every academic space I walk into I am a minority. I think critically reflecting on how many Black professors exist in the professoriate is so important. This is not a quick fix task. Systems need to be destabilised. The first step is to take care of the Black academics we DO have. We need to take a hard, long look at why within academia so many black members of staff remain on temporary and fractional contracts even with many years of service? Are there good mentoring and support programmes in place to support Black academics progress? Do universities emphasise the importance of the research conducted by Black academics? Do you encourage your Black PhD students to take up opportunities where they can expand and grow? Is there adequate support in place for Black PhD students?

It’s not enough to take tokenistic approaches either – it must be real change. Inviting one Black staff member or student to sit at the table, shouldn’t be seen as job done. We may have to remove the table altogether.

What are your views on universities recruitment processes?

Naz – Universities need to look at their recruitment practices. What are their interview panels like when recruiting Black staff members or Black PhD students? Is there adequate information on their websites about job roles or PhD proposals? Have they reached out to specific organisations that specialise in recruiting Black people? BAME Recruitment and Rare recruitment are two organisations that partnerships can be formed with.

Universities should also invite (and put pressure on) Doctoral Training Partnerships to take action too. They should be more transparent about their Equality Diversity and Inclusion stats for recruitment and consider supporting students throughout the recruitment process more. This might mean having pre-application workshops. We need to encourage other centres and institutions to offer proper support and help PRE-APPLICATION. So Black students have the best possible chance at succeeding in the interview. Some Black students are the first to do a PhD in their family – they might not have friends and family who can look over personal statements and research proposals. Have example statements and proposals on websites, which outline the differences between a good and bad application.

Another idea is asking different types of questions at interview? Or challenging DTPs to take other types of qualifications and experience into account when accepting students for PhD study. It is known that Black students are more likely to come into academia with different experiences and qualifications as mentioned by Nick Hillman director of Higher Education Policy Institute

RFN – How about training?

Naz – I think a specific training on supervising and supporting PGR students from a wide range of backgrounds with an intersectional approach is what is needed to. From working alongside me, my supervisors are aware that there are sometimes other issues that are part of the mix (learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia; mental health; other health, family networks and cultural expectations). It interesting because out of the few black PGRS I know ALL of us have had at least three of these issues impact us during the pandemic – coincidence? I think not! We have coached and supported each other. But, what about the other students who quit?

RFN – How can universities champion Black students?

Naz – We need to work on amplifying Black staff and student voices more – reach out to them and ask them to speak at events, write blogs, and more importantly ensure the adequate time is put aside to support them do a good job. Ensure that Black faces are on our websites, social media etc – Before going to uni, Black students look at these things and ask? Will I feel comfortable at this uni? Universities should engage with local community groups, invite them to take part in university events and offer mutual benefits. This coincides with universities being civic/public institutions, but also can serve another purpose. Smaller Black owned organisations and charities  may support Black students feel comfortable within the university space.

See the full text on her site, where Naz also discusses the use of language, funding and decolonising research.

A new working group has been formed at the University of Brighton in response to the discomfort many students and members of staff feel by the use of terms such as BAME or BME. In fact, the regular ethnicity question in registration forms seems to upset a great number of people.

The Race Equality Terminology Working Group was convened by Professor Andrew Lloyd (Academic Operations PVC) and is chaired by Professor Tara Dean (Research and Enterprise PVC). It has a wide representation of the university community, including staff and students. Its formation was a commitment from the univeristy’s UEB to look into the matter following the Black Lives Matter Action Forum held on 6th July 2020 chaired by Dr. Marlon Moncrief.

For a rather novice term, its use is surprisingly entrenched in the parlance of education experts, the media and in business. It is widely used for funding and statistical purposes frequently featuring in reports and narratives that define and categorise groups of people in a way that many feel robs them off their true identity and does little to promote inclusion. Invariably, students that I mentor report that they do not know what the term means and, even when they learn, they still do not feel it describes them.

In a Civil Servant’s blog post in July last year (Don’t Call Me BAME or BME), Indian born Zamila Bunglawala from the Race Disparity Unit in the Cabinet Office, explains why she dislikes being called BAME or BME while advising on equality and inclusivity dos and don’ts. Many will recognise the benefits of using acronyms or initialisms. After all, language and communication, like many other human fields are characterised by the principle of minimal effort. Using acronyms to classify people is just a symptom of something deeper.

However, using such terms to identify individuals or groups of individuals can mask rather than clarify issues. A good example is the so called “BAME progression gap”. It is often reported that Black students are affected much more than Asian students or students from other ethnicities. It can also irate people as the constant power dynamics between form designers and form fillers results in accumulation of data, duplication of effort and a feeling of “big-brother-watching-us-all” that has little to do with equality and inclusion. At least two daunting impacts of such arbitrary classifications are the unavoidable homogenisation (or bundling up) of certain groups of people (Black people, for example, when the speaker means Asian but refers to them as BAME) and the potential for data manipulation by those in a position of power to disenfranchise people.

A typical example of homogenisation was evident in the answer Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave to the question, “How many Black people are in the current cabinet?” to Sky News in June this year.

Although Mr Hancock accurately mentioned “two BAME” staff in his answer, non were Black as the interviewer repeatedly emphasised. Mr Hancock’s lapse can be seen as a consequence of the confusion the term creates, which may suit the State and the Institution, and therefore be hard to eliminate, while hurting others.

Another undesirable impact may well be the potential manipulation of the data collected to target certain groups of the population, like the example in 2016 of a data analytics company profiling of Black American citizens to be targeted with electoral campaign ads created to dissuade them from voting. As reported by Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, this resulted in a reduction by 19% of voter turnout in Wisconsin alone. Some may say that, rather than the actual result of the election, it was the detailed database that identified individuals based on their ethnicity that is a matter for grater concern.

Some of us seem to be resigned to the role the ethnicity question plays in higher education. The RETWG (here’s another acronym!) reflects this. There is a need, however, to strike a balance between respecting personal identities and the requirement for data to inform research and justify funding, which drives development in the sector. Choosing a different term (people of colour, or Black and Brown) may make little difference if individuals continue to feel ignored. As a member of the working group, I am looking forward to its report and recommendations. One of my key unknowns is what would happen if we decided for stopping using BAME and BME in writing and in speech?

Graciano Soares is Chair of the University of Brighton Race and Faith Network. He is Co-editor of Talk it out!