Wednesday 24-06-2020 - 11:17

The Student Association is excited to welcome the newly appointed BAME Advocates. Our BAME Advocates provide support and empower Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) students.

 

They provide a significant student voice and have kindly answered questions to give you a broader perspective of what their role entails. They wish to remain anonymous, but please read on with an open heart as they are strongly passionate about the BAME community and are keen to make a difference.

 

Why did you become a BAME Advocate?

• BAME students can face many prejudices both at university and when they reach employment, so I wanted to help tackle this issue as much as possible. I was interested to see what sort of effort the University was trying to put in to help and support their BAME students…. I wanted it to be an education for me so that it would develop me as a person if I understand in detail why I am seen to struggle during university than my white peers.
• The role resonated with me as it provided a network of BAME students across campuses, and we would be able to contribute towards improving the university experience for others.

 

What work have you been involved in so far as a BAME advocate?

• I am currently involved in an employment project where we will be producing sessions on different employment topics with guest speakers.
• What I am currently working on is coming up with suggestions for campus-specific projects that we may be able to introduce, especially in response to the recent Black Lives Matter movement.

 

What have you enjoyed the most?

• I have most enjoyed working alongside the other BAME Advocates. Particularly during lockdown and with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I am sure that many of us have had moments where we have felt isolated or overwhelmed.
• The sharing of thoughts between everyone has been really enlightening for me and has allowed me to learn effectively from others.

 

What challenges have you faced or expect to face?

• Sometimes it is difficult to digest the statistics and experiences of BAME students at universities because they can often be very negative.
• Knowing that there is a problem, but not knowing how to deal with it in the best possible way. However, I would argue that all challenges can be overcome.

 

What do you hope to achieve in your role?

• As I will be at ULaw for several years, I hope to see the system change and for the experiences of BAME students to continually improve through the projects that encompass the various elements of the University.
• I want to adapt and change some aspects of the University, such as developing programmes, evaluating modules and schemes and making sure that tutors are better informed, that would be a great achievement. Even the smallest of improvements to university life could make a massive difference.

 

If you have any questions or would like to share your views on the BAME community, please contact the BAME Advocates team via email BAMEadvocates@law.ac.uk.