Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 FOREWORD When Unite Students approached me last year with an invitation And when it comes to the consequences, we can point That is why we ran the Living Black at University to chair the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at to mental health impacts, a lower sense of safety and Conference in March 2023, and why I am delighted that University (LBU), it took me back a few decades, to the time even the Black awarding gap. We know that providing the Commission is being taken forward by the wider when I was considering where to go for university. a supportive living environment for children positively sector through Unite Students’ collaboration with CUBO. impacts their development, so why don't we consider It’s so important that we collaborate if we’re to create Whilst I chose to stay in London, the city of my birth, I did move that a student’s living environment can impact their lasting change. We must ensure that our work in student away from home. Yet my own experience in student halls was success in tertiary education? accommodation contributes to wider diversity, equity so alienating that I considered dropping out of university in the As a sector we must make progress on this issue, and and inclusion (DEI) work by individual institutions and the 昀椀rst term. Thankfully I didn’t; had I done so, I would not now be student accommodation has an important role to play. whole sector. a Professor of Law at the University of Oxford. So, what do we do? When I read the results of the Living Black at University research, And what about the 昀椀nal recommendation? This states: Professor Iyiola Solanke Over the last year it has been a privilege to chair the “Accommodation providers [both university accommodation Jacques Delors Professor of EU Law I was sad – how could it be that the current generation of Black Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University. at University of Oxford students living in university accommodation are still experiencing The Commission was born of a sense of determination teams and private providers] should work to build a the same issues faced by Black students in the past? to lay the foundations for change. We wanted to do this relationship of trust with Black students.” collaboratively, drawing on existing research, expertise The Commission was committed to ensuring this would not be Trust is perhaps di昀케cult to de昀椀ne – but you know if it’s and networks so that this change had many owners. the case for students in the future. not there. It is both valuable and vulnerable; built slowly Over the last year, the members of the Commission have over time, it can be broken in an instant. Student accommodation is a very important part of going to worked through 8 of the 10 recommendations made in the According to the research team from Halpin, trust also: university. For the majority of students, it is the 昀椀rst time they’ve report, looking for ways in which we can help you take action. “…involves demonstrating that we trust Black students by lived away from the people, places and things that they grew up listening to them, believing them and taking their concerns with. What happens in student accommodation can make or break We drew on other research and direct evidence to drill seriously through meaningful and sustainable action.” down into the issues, and discussed what to do about the whole university experience – it makes a di昀昀erence to that sense them. We’ve broken down some of the recommendations of belonging that we hear so much about in higher education today, We as a Commission are thankful to all the students that is widely recognised as the foundation of a good experience and into smaller and more manageable pieces through our who took part in the research and who shared their has been linked to retention, success and wellbeing. sector notes. We’ve run workshops at conferences. experiences at the conference. We have listened to We’ve produced toolkits. We’ve written to Professor you, we believe you and we take you seriously. Through Feeling like you belong at university, that you’re meant to be there Edward Peck, the Government’s Student Support the work of the Commission to date, and through the – this is something that every student should be able to take for Champion. And we have started the process of changing incredible work of the pioneering universities published granted. But sadly, many Black students still do not feel this way: the national codes for student accommodation. in this report, we have taken action. the Living Black at University research showed a belonging gap In this report you will have an opportunity to hear from Ultimately, we must make student accommodation a safe of 18 percentage points between Black and White students. the Commissioners themselves, sharing their learnings and comfortable place for all Black students – so that at While developing a sense of belonging is not a straightforward and guidance on how to embed the recommendations, university they have a home where they can feel they as well as case studies from those organisations and belong, that can serve as a foundation for their long-term thing, this 昀椀nding must be taken seriously. What is behind this Higher Education institutions (HEIs) that have already academic success. This is my vision for the future, and belonging gap? Which experiences – big and small – contribute begun to take action inspired by the original research. one I know is shared by the rest of the Commission, who to it? What are its implications? Recommendation 1 states: will continue to take action and honour the di昀케cult truth that they have shared with us. Things that may drive it include: racial homogeneity amongst sta昀昀 “Universities and accommodation providers should collaborate to eliminate racism from all areas of the student across campus and housing; a lack of clear processes to deal with experience, including student accommodation.” racist incidents; perhaps even something as simple as not knowing where to get your hair done. 4 5