Tuesday 10-04-2018 - 13:45

How diverse is Manchester Met really?

The student body, undoubtedly, represents diversity as MMU has students from all over the world. What about the staff, the curriculum, the campus or The Union?

These are questions Diversity & Inclusion ambassadors asked themselves. Having a large proportion of international students seems to satisfy the criteria of being diverse, however it is recognised that the environment at university should be just as diverse and inclusive as its students.

Therefore, The Union started the Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador project. This project is led in cooperation with the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham. HEFCE-funded, this project focuses on tackling the attainment gap between Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) and white students. Between 2015-2016, the Equality Challenge Unit undertook a study, ascertaining that there is a significant gap of 25.3% between white and black students who graduate with a first or 2:1 degree

 

The aim of the project is to improve BAME and BTEC students’ experience at university and their academic outcome.

To identify key issues BAME and BTEC students face, we, ambassadors, led focus groups in the Business and Law and Science and Engineering faculties. The students interviewed reported different issues relating to discrimination and exclusion on campus, the lack of diversity and representation in the curriculum and the academic obstacles they face based on being BAME or having progressed to university from BTEC. We also attended conferences at other universities, where we heard talks about how these universities address this issue.

I, myself, attended a conference in London where the University College London represented their BME project on addressing the gap. This experience enabled me to develop my ideas on how to help students at Manchester Met.

In the following weeks, and especially in the next academic year, BAME and BTEC students will have the opportunity to attend the events we organise. We are planning on making a real difference at Manchester Met; whether it is requesting diverse curricula, more staff awareness on BAME issues, organising cultural events and employability opportunities — you will hear from us.

All Diversity & Inclusion ambassadors are current students at Manchester Met who have a passion on improving sense of belonging, equality and ensuring every student can be as successful as possible.