News: Racism and Hate

I’m sure, like me, you will have been appalled by the shocking and tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May and the subsequent protests around the world are unsettling and may make some of us feel scared and anxious about the way in which the world is developing.

We understand that some staff and students may have attended the protests in Nottingham over the weekend. If you do decide to attend public gatherings, please do so peacefully and respectfully and remember to stay safe and legal within social distancing guidelines.

I want to reassure you that Racism or any form of hate is not, and will never be, tolerated here, at Nottingham College.

I believe that every student and colleague has the right to enjoy their time at College free from any sort of systematic physical or psychological abuse. I want all of you to be and feel safe.

If at any point you don’t then tell someone. Students can find information about who to talk to on StudentNet and colleagues can refer to StaffNet for more details.

All reported cases of racism and repeated hurtful behaviour will be investigated, being sensitive to all parties. If found to be serious and/​or prolonged then all concerned will be interviewed, an account of the incident recorded and action will be taken, following the Student Disciplinary process. A safe place and support will be offered to students who feel vulnerable. 

There are also some local and national resources which you can use too, 

• https://​www​.not​ting​hamshire​.police​.uk/​h​a​t​e​c​r​i​m​e​s​u​pport
• https://​www​.stopha​teuk​.org/​2​0​1​9​/​0​7​/​0​7​/​c​a​l​l​-​h​a​t​e​-out/

And some specific resources of particular relevance to our BAME students at this time are: 

• https://​www​.run​nymede​trust​.org/​e​n​d​-​r​a​c​i​s​m​/​a​b​o​u​t​-​t​h​e​-​c​a​m​p​a​i​g​n​/​r​e​s​o​u​rces/
• https://​www​.self​help​.org​.uk/​p​r​o​j​e​c​t​s​/​b​a​m​e​-​h​e​a​l​t​h​-​o​u​t​r​e​a​c​h​-​p​r​oject
• https://​www​.not​ting​ham​coun​selling​cen​tre​.org​.uk/​b​l​a​c​k​-​a​s​i​a​n​-​a​n​d​-​m​i​n​o​r​i​t​y​-​e​t​h​n​i​c​-​b​a​m​e​-​c​o​u​n​s​e​l​l​i​n​g-hub
• https://​www​.awaaznot​ting​ham​.org​.uk/

I can’t say it strongly or often enough, here at Nottingham College we are one team and racism or any form of hate is not tolerated here. 

John van de Laarschot
Chief Executive Officer