37 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 36 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 4.3 RECOMMENDATION 9 Accommodation providers should routinely collect, analyse and publish relevant data on the racial diversity of their residents and employees, as well as outcomes of reporting and investigation of complaints. Identified issues • Systems for collecting ethnicity data in a student accommodation context are often poor, and there is limited interoperability with other organisational data – meaning that time-consuming manual processes need to be used • University DEI data strategies are at different levels of maturity, and there is no current consensus on what a mature strategy looks like • There is a reluctance among students about sharing data on their protected characteristics with accommodation teams • Ethnicity data is not routinely collected in relation to accommodation complaints Commission actions • Create and share a DEI data maturity framework • Meet with Global Student Living to explore possibility of including diversity and inclusion data, questions and awards in the Global Student Living Index • Create a toolkit pack that enables universities to replicate the Living Black at University research with their own students Good practice tips Sammy Li, Assistant Director of Student Affairs at the University of Birmingham and Executive Member of AMOSSHE : • Include clear information about data collection as part of the student induction to explain how it can be used to support the student experience • Reassure students that the data will be held safely and used appropriately • Illustrate how the data can be used to create useful insights – for example, showing a breakdown of demographics within the student body Andy Owusu, Office for Students Mental Health Project Officer at London South Bank University : • Establish one person involved in data collection as the ‘familiar face’ of a project, and introduce them to students in advance with a headshot and short message to create familiarity • Have a physical presence on campus – for example, enlisting students to explain the purpose of your work, organising drop-ins led by the ‘familiar face’ • Include a front page on the survey explaining the purpose, what data you are collecting, why you are collecting it, how it will be used – for example, what changes you’re hoping to make within your organisation Self-assessment questions Are students at your institution/organisation happy to share their diversity data? Can you easily access diversity data on students within the accommodation service, from application through to leaving? Do you have access to ethnicity data for students raising complaints or involved in conduct processes within accommodation? Do you have access to ethnicity data for students leaving their accommodation early, including reasons for leaving? Is there a process within your organisation to signpost complainants to student support services? Does your university work with neighbouring universities to resolve complaints involving students from different institutions?