Anti-racism campaign and response to anti-Chinese hate crimes
Published: 7 October 2022
The University is launching a new anti-racism campaign in coming weeks
Content Advice: This article includes news of current racist incidents which took place on campus and the wider city of Glasgow, and may be distressing to read for those of you who may have experienced racism. Please visit our Support and Resources section for internal and external resources.
In the coming weeks, the University is launching a new anti-racism campaign on microaggressions and overt racism.
Our campaign has been developed in partnership with students and colleagues and is based on the real and lived experiences of members of our community. For a University which prides itself on being an inclusive community, these experiences are totally unacceptable.
The campaign is part of a wider plan to drive collective action across the University. At its core, is a commitment to build trust in our reporting systems so that the community feels confident when raising issues of racism and racial injustice.
The campaign will also be linked to a new website which will highlight reporting tools, educational resources, how we are addressing structural inequalities at UofG and how you can be a good ally. We must all stand together against racism at UofG.
Only very recently, we saw completely unacceptable hate crime incidents against our Chinese community in Glasgow, and we want to reiterate that racism has no place at UofG or in Glasgow.
We understand that these incidents have caused understandable hurt and distress for our Chinese community, and the security and wellbeing of our community is always our number one priority.
We want to reassure you that we treat all such incidents seriously and we have been in close discussions with the Glasgow Chinese Students and Scholars Association, and our security team is working hard to support our Chinese students with measures to ensure everyone’s safety and welfare. The University is also liaising closely with Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council to investigate these incidents and help ensure action is taken against those responsible.
If you or anyone close to you needs help or support, we have a number of resources available via our new Colleague Wellbeing Hub and for our students.
As part of our support and safety resources, we would like to remind you to download our Safe Zone app which allows you to contact our security colleagues urgently.
We look forward to sharing our anti-racism campaign with you soon. This campaign has been a direct result of work being undertaken on the back of UofG’s Understanding Racism and Transforming University Cultures Report and Action Plan, which underline our commitment to becoming the anti-racist institution we aspire to be.
We want to ensure our community feels UofG and our campuses are safe and inclusive spaces for all, and one which fully celebrates diversity.
First published: 7 October 2022