Cardiff Uni releases statement calling for ‘real change’ in support of BAME students

Today, Cardiff University have released a statement further commenting on the Black Lives Matter protests, that were spiked by the murder of George Floyd. This statement comes after their initial statement was criticised by students as “vague” and “not good enough”, despite being a university that prides itself on inclusivity.

The statement was written by Claire Morgan, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Students. While it doesn’t comment on the BLM protests specifically, it does describe the last few weeks as a “painful reminder” of “the injustices and systematic discrimination” faced by both staff and students.

Claire further states that ‘it is my strong desire that we as a University use this to bring about real change, and to actively support our students during these challenging times’.

She does this by providing specific support services for BAME students who are struggling at the moment. These services include the Student Support and Wellbeing Team who are still available remotely, and the Disclosure Response Team who deal specifically with students experiencing abuse and/or violence, including racial abuse.

The statement also highlights Talk Campus as a resource which “allows you to connect with others anonymously” and provides a space to talk about issues affecting you with other students from across the globe.

As the University moves forward, they will soon “issue a joint statement with the Students’ Union, outlining further race equality initiatives and support” as they want to ensure that the “curriculum, as well as our teaching environments are inclusive” and  “disadvantage no student”, which is inline with the  Strategic Equality Plan 2020-2024.

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