On 8 October 2024 accommodation professionals from universities and private PBSA gathered at the University of Kent for the second Living Black at University conference, ‘Engaging with Equity’. The conference aimed to support continued trust-building with Black students, with a focus on developing more equitable practices in accommodation through cultural competency, inclusive leadership, strategic development and creating more opportunities to cultivate honest communication.
Inspiring case studies showcased innovative best practice in supporting Black students to thrive at university; engaging workshops helped delegates build on inclusivity skills; and powerful keynotes reminded us all why this work is so important.
Read the welcome address from CUBO’s EDI Lead and Chair of the LBU Commission Carol Thomas here.
Our key takeaways include:
Working closely with students
- The University of Kent's BAME staff network are part of the new student welcome programme
- Video content leading with student voices is most effective, as shown by the assets created by University of Southampton in collaboration with CampusLife
- Cost can be a barrier to Sport (including kit and memberships) and the culture (e.g. initiations) can be off-putting to Black students
- We should seek feedback directly from students on the resources made for them, as the University of Kent have done with their Living Black at Kent booklet
Inclusive Leadership
- A brave space is where people feel encouraged to safely speak up and share their perspectives, even when they might be uncomfortable or challenging.
- The 5 C’s Framework can help to build inclusivity in your institution : Core principles, Cultural Competence, Commitment, Communication and Courage
- Inclusive leaders are open minded, and listen to all members of their team –actively bringing in those who are less forthcoming
- Leaders should actively seek feedback from a variety of people to improve their leadership and organisational inclusivity
Culture and collaboration in services
- The importance of cultural humility: a “self-first” approach to sociocultural differences involving learning about your biases and thereby becoming more accepting of others
- It’s okay to be curious – showing curiosity is part of being considerate of other cultures
- We should adapt our communication and behaviour to suit different cultural contexts
- Student Minds have launched ‘Life as a Black student’ on Student Space – a bank of resources specifically for Black students
- Universities should involve local PBSA in activity for cohesive support across accommodation
- We should leverage internal partnerships, bringing departments together to create consistent support (e.g. careers, student unions)
EDI Data Maturity
How to make your research purposeful and meaningful:
- Don’t ask about what you can’t affect, and ensure you test all questions against the original themes you set.
- Use UTM tracking and optimise channels. Find out which are most effective in getting survey participants e.g. QR code sticker on parcels are currently effective
- Get stakeholder engagement
- Use AI tools for your qualitative free text analysis e.g. Google Gemini or Vertex AI on
- One recommended platform is Typeform, and Looker Studio is recommended for reporting: turn your data into compelling stories of data visualization art. Quickly build interactive reports and dashboards with Looker Studio's web-based reporting.
DEIB Strategic Development
- Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 21% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability
- Companies with inclusive cultures are 1.8 times more likely to be change-ready and 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders
- 67% of job seekers consider diversity an important factor when evaluating potential employers
- Companies with diverse leadership are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability
- Non-compliance with diversity standards can result in reputational damage and financial penalties, making inclusion not just a business imperative but a legal one as well.
Marketing and Communications
- The University of Kent included Living Black at University questions in their end of year survey
- Use Vevox surveys to easily conduct live polls, quizzes and surveys with students.
There are lots of resources now available, including the conference presentation slides and tried and tested toolkits shared by institutions who are making real progress on implementing the report recommendations.
Unite Students have produced an insightful blog exploring the case studies in more detail.
Thank you to the University of Kent, Unite Students, and Sam Kingsley for their work in making this an unforgettable event.
