At the end of 2019, we asked students to take part in the Student Diversity Survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views with us.
The survey’s aim was to capture the experience and opinions of students in relation to their ethnicity, as well as seeking to learn about students’ motivations for coming to Southampton and their experience now that they are here.
The University and the Students’ Union stand firmly against racism towards members of our community both at the University and across the globe. We are committed to embedding fairness and equality across all aspects of society and we strive to understand and correct inequality where we find it. Through our Race Equality Charter, we will continue to collaborate with our community to challenge and proactively address racism.
All of us have a role to play in creating a university where every person feels included and able to thrive. To help us continue to shape this work, further consultations are planned for early 2021 with specific student groups. Students eligible for the consultations will be contacted directly about these sessions with information on how to take part in January.
If you’d like to share any feedback now or in the future, you can use the Students’ Union You Make Change tool, or email [email protected].
Student Diversity Survey
The responses from the survey have now been analysed and we have shared some of the headlines below.
- Students surveyed said that the course content matches their expectation, but improvements can be made on the diversity of the range of options reflected in their course content.
- Most students enjoy the way their course is taught and are comfortable contributing to group discussions. Those surveyed felt they can approach course tutors with any questions or queries.
- We need to enable our teaching colleagues to be able to confidently and competently facilitate discussion about race and ethnicity.
- 33% of Black students, 19% of Asian students, 21% of Chinese students and 6% of White students, who completed the survey, have either witnessed or been a victim of racial discrimination on the University campus.
- Most students are happy with the way the course is assessed and know where to go to get additional academic support.
- 77% of students consider themselves to be progressing well in their course and 81% would recommend the University of Southampton to others, with the exception from students who are Black or Chinese where the response score was lower.
- 74% of Black students considered themselves to be progressing well, and 73% would recommend the University of Southampton to others, whereas 64% of Chinese students considered themselves to be progressing well, and 74% would recommend the University of Southampton to others.
When asked what one thing we should change, students said it is important to ensure that minority groups are better represented across the University and are involved in shaping what we do. Students also told us that we need to be better in communication about the work we do around race equality and how we deal with racist incidents.
The complete set of results can be found here.
We will continue to work hard making changes so that students of all backgrounds enjoy a positive and enriching experience studying with us. We will continue to keep our community informed of these initiatives via SUSSED.
Moving forward, both the University and the Students’ Union will develop new Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategies, including how our students can influence what we do now, and what we should be doing in the future.
If you’re feeling any impact on your health or wellbeing you can get information about support below. All our services provide a safe and confidential space where you can discuss any issues that concern or affect you.
