DEOLO Update - February 2021

Hello all!

I’d like to take this opportunity introduce myself (Rowan King) as the new Chair of the SRS Inclusion Leads group, covering for Lauren Sandhu who is now on maternity leave.

For any new starters, or staff members unaware of what the Inclusion Leads group does, we aim to be a local resource within SRS who you can come to for information and advice about equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We work closely with Wendy Appleby to ensure equal opportunities are implemented across the department, and provide feedback to her on specific issues, problems and successes within SRS.

We very much work on a grassroots level, and want to identify the issues and successes in our everyday working practices which we can escalate upwards. So, if you have feedback about anything EDI-related, feel free to send me an email or message on Teams.

I hope that over the coming months we can include more introduction profiles for other members of the SRS Inclusion Leads group, so that you can become familiar with those working in your specific local area.

A little about me

I have been working at UCL since October 2019 in Admissions.

I am also currently studying on a part-time Master’s in Education, Power, and Social Change at Birkbeck. Being part of the Inclusion Leads group has been great so far as it has allowed me to put my theoretical knowledge into practice.

I am committed to making UCL a more accessible and diverse institution. I studied my Bachelor’s degree here (in History of Art with Material Studies) and was one of only a few students from a dual heritage/ethnic-minority background on my course. Since completing my degree, I have seen many positive changes made for BAME students, but there is still some distance to cover, and equal opportunities for staff definitely ties into this!

Studying part-time whilst working full-time has been great for keeping me busy during the pandemic. In the little spare time I do have I enjoy yoga (though I have admittedly been bad at committing to this in this third lockdown), I tutor in GCSE Maths, and I support London restaurants by buying meal-kits and unnecessary takeaways.

SRS EDI Updates

UCL’s successful anti-harassment campaign is now focusing on racial harassment. Let's Talk about Race is latest addition to the Full Stop campaign for staff and students at UCL.

 There are three ways to get involved:  

1.  Let's talk about race and racism – advance your race literacy and understanding of racism. This might be through formal education and training or by accessing the vast amount of resources available for self-learning. Talk about what you have learnt using #letstalkaboutrace on social media.
2. Let’s talk about racial harassment – Report racial harassment when you experience or witness it. Report + Support is UCL’s dedicated platform for reporting harassment, where you can also access advice and support information.
3. Let’s talk about being anti-racists – Speak out against racism and develop the skills to intervene when you witness it. Learn how to be a race ally and build your bystander intervention skills.