30th October, 2017

LSBU awarded £49k HEFCE grant to boost ‘Stop the hate trait’ campaign

A £49K grant has this month been awarded to London South Bank University (LSBU) by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), to boost the University’s ‘Stop the hate trait’ campaign against hate crime and online harassment.

LSBU’s grant is part of a second round of HEFCE catalyst funding this year totalling £1.8million, distributed to 60 projects in UK universities and colleges, including 64 institutions nationwide and seven in London.

This grant was awarded following a report by the Universities UK Harassment Task force in 2016, which explored the nature and scale of the issue in higher education, and highlighted a need for institutions to respond more effectively.

The funds will be used to support a range of projects designed to encourage greater student engagement and collaboration.

These projects have been developed with students, who will have pivotal roles in their delivery. They cover a wide range of activity, including: training and awareness-raising, digital innovation, and new approaches to prevention and reporting.

Professor Shan Wareing, LSBU’s representative for student experience said: “Student wellbeing is a priority at London South Bank University and we are constantly working to create innovative solutions to maintain and improve the wellbeing of our students on and off campus.

“We are already raising awareness of the role of bystander interventions in tackling and preventing unacceptable behaviour, with particular reference to sexual harassment and assault and we are now looking at hate crimes.

“In this unique project we are working with our students’ union, local organisations, businesses and higher education providers to create safe avenues for hate crimes to be reported and then developing initiatives to reduce their incidence in our local community.”

HEFCE Chief Executive, Professor Madeleine Atkins, said: “All students should feel safe and supported during their time in higher education. Universities and colleges are making progress in tackling the issues of hate crime and online harassment on campus, but there is more to be done.

“We are delighted to be supporting a range of innovative projects, and we will be looking to share good practice and evidence of successful outcomes over the coming months.”