Attainment of Students and Staff: Senior Management in Conversation
Fri, 13 March 2020 – 17:30 – 21:30 GMT
Peckham Road Lecture Theatre, University of the Arts London, Camberwell College of Arts – 45-65 Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UF
The Group for the Equality of Minority Staff (GEMS) in collab with Shades of Noir present ‘Real Talk’: poignant, purposeful conversations.
About this Event
GEMS in collaboration with Shades of Noir present ‘Real Talk’, a series of poignant and purposeful conversations surrounding equity towards equality, focusing on the present anti-racist social justice initiatives, strategies and opportunities within the University of the Arts London (UAL) moving into 2020.
These events are the first of their kind, situated in a formal and transparent space for critical engagement between GEMS membership and UAL leadership. This series of conversations seek to build on UAL’s ambitions towards social justice, including redefining practices of consultation with this community as another step towards better race relations and a deeper understanding towards change.
Event 1 – Friday 13th March: Attainment of Students and Staff: Senior Management in Conversation
This panel will explore the lack of understanding surrounding the everyday realities of staff and students of colour, and the work presently being performed by a number of groups and individuals that further support and embed anti-racist practice, programmes and policies within the institution. In addition, this event will afford the opportunity to share the structural considerations needed for change in institutional culture, for equity towards equality within for the staffing body.
The evening will include a conversation with multi-disciplinary artist Favour Jonathan and her work ‘Divinity’.
These series of events are supported by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Simon Ofield-Kerr and Dean of Students Mark Crawley
Catering provided by The Dutchie
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Group for the Equality of Minority Staff (GEMS) was set up to promote the personal development and create a network of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff throughout the University of the Arts London (UAL). With its membership made-up of a third of BAME staff across the institution, this makes the community group the largest and longest-standing staff network at UAL. Its members are supported in being heard and instigating equality of opportunity, promotion and access, and the group politically, critically and actively continue to contribute to the discussion and monitoring the progress of UAL’s published objectives, including policy surrounding UAL’s equality and diversity strategy.
Shades of Noir aims to tackle the issue of differential degree attainment between White Home students, home students of colour and students who pay fees at the overseas rate. Explore issues of Race and ethnicity in arts, design and communication higher education; Promote discussion and debate across the university community (and nationally and internationally); Support the development of pedagogical and assessment practice and curriculum that seek to narrow the degree attainment differential. Shades of Noir was created by Aisha Richards in 2009, and born from curiosity, research and experience. The program continues to develop, grow and be purposeful through the input and contributions of students, alumnus, staff, academia and industry. The term ‘Shades’ reflects the multiplicity of skin complexions, identities and shared experiences associated with the term ‘Black’ or ‘Noir’; whilst also provoking thought around whether this is, can or should be a cohesive of homogenous term in the context of Diverse Arts.
