The
University
of York
has been praised by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
for its approach to race equality.
HEFCE
highlighted York’s
policies in race equality and specific actions that the university had taken to
improve race equality for both staff and students.
The
race equality policy was praised for:
•
setting out how the university intends to address race equality issues
in a clear and easily accessible format
•
having a clear understanding of the institution’s duties and a commitment to race equality
•
particularly good sections on
complaints, harassment, reviews and funding.
Recent
actions which were singled out included:
•
creating an alcohol-free dining and social area in one of the key social
centres on campus
•
establishing a wide representation on the race equality steering group
•
making links to useful organisations and information via an equal opportunities website.
"This
is essentially a report on progress so far," said Yvie Holder, director
of the equal opportunities office at the university. "We’re pleased that so much of our strategic thinking and practical
steps have been praised by HEFCE. Now we
need to concentrate on our next steps.
"These
include a detailed analysis of the statistics we collect on staff and student profiles to inform our future policies."
Holder
said the university would also be strengthening its links with minority ethnic
groups and organisations in York,
and implementing the recommendations of a recent working group which looked at
the spiritual and cultural needs of students.
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