Falmouth University statement on racism

We are proud of our inclusive, caring community and recognise our institution's responsibility in supporting everyone within it.

Both Falmouth University and our Students' Union are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, are included, belong and can flourish. We know that everyone's experiences are different, but that everyone needs an equal chance.

Falmouth University abhors racism, harassment and discrimination and we recognise that we cannot be complacent about attitudes and behaviours in our community and in the inequalities and injustices that exist in society.

We also recognise that it is not enough, not to be racist, but that we must take a proactive role in being anti-racist. We have a duty to educate not only ourselves, but others around us and everyone at Falmouth has a role to play. We care deeply about this and have been working on some important projects and re-examining our practices and procedures. All at Falmouth recognise that we can and must do more.

Firstly, we must support the Black, Asian, and minority ethnic members of our campus community by listening to and learning from our students and staff.

We have recently been working with the Student Union to improve our harassment reporting tool, which will be relaunched soon, so that we can better understand what's going on and how we can improve our response to it. We would encourage all our students to use this tool to report any incidents of racism, or harassment, either experienced or witnessed.

Secondly, as educators, we also have a responsibility to engage with the moral and ethical issues that are integral to our practice, our industry and the fabric of our society.

Last year, we enshrined in our academic approach, the requirement that our curriculum "acknowledges and values diversity and cultures of difference across different demographic groups of students, so that students' diverse identities can be shared and stories told."

We have been listening to the student voice and in response, we will be launching a new student and staff working group that will be exploring ways that this work can be accelerated. Anyone who would like to participate can let us know by email: vcoffice@falmouth.ac.uk

Third, we believe in, and are committed to, widening access to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups. Earlier this year we became a member of the Brightside social mobility charity which mentors young people so they can make informed decisions about their future. This is about equality of opportunity and ensuring that talent from all backgrounds should have the chance to succeed. It's also about recognising the power and strength of diversity.

We strongly urge those that have experienced harassment, abuse or hate to speak up and report these incidents to the University as soon as you can. Support is available to all staff and students affected by recent events via the following support networks:

• Speak Out
• Multifaith Chaplaincy team
• Wellbeing support
• Tell Me
• The Students' Union