Complaints of racism

Request 

To whom it may concern,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, or the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, please provide me with the following information about complaints of racism, including racial harassment, assault and discrimination, at the university.

N.B. I would like data for the following five academic years:

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19 (to date, if figures are available)

If you only have information for some of the above years please provide what you have and explain the gaps in your data.

Student-on-staff complaints

1.A Over the past five academic years, how many staff have made formal complaints of racial harassment by students?

1.B If recorded, please break down how many complaints were made by academic staff and non-academic staff?

1.C How many of these complaints were upheld?

1.D How many students were suspended or expelled following these complaints?

Student compensation

2. What is the total value of compensation paid to students who suffered racism, including racial harassment, assault or discrimination, by staff or other students over the past five years?

Staff compensation 

3. What is the total value of compensation paid to staff who suffered racism, including racial harassment, assault or discrimination, by other staff or students over the past five years?

Islamophobia

4.A Does the university centrally record complaints of Islamophobia by staff and students?

4.B If so, are these complaints recorded as racism, i.e. were they included in your response to my previous FOI about complaints about racism?

4.C If not, how are these complaints classified?

4.D When did the university start recording complaints of Islamophobia?

Antisemitism

5.A Does the university centrally record complaints of antisemitism by staff and students?

5.B If so, are these complaints recorded as racism, i.e. were they included in your response to my previous FOI about complaints about racism?

5.C If not, how are these complaints classified?

5.D When did the university start recording complaints of antisemitism?

*          *          *
Please send the requested information via email, preferably in a Word document, to ...

N.B. If you require any clarification, please contact me under your Section 16 duty, or Section 15 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, to provide assistance well before providing your response. Similarly, if you intend to invoke an exemption to the relevant FOIA I request that you let me know well before the deadline to provide your response, so I can clarify this with you and, if appropriate, modify my request. 

If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in the Data Protection Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request, and I look forward to receiving the information within 20 working days. 

Yours faithfully,
 
 
 

Response

 
Dear Mr ...,
 
I write further to your request for information dated 4 April 2019.  This request has been handled by the University in accordance with its duties and obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("FOIA"). 
 
You requested details of:
 

For the following five academic years:

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19 (to date, if figures are available)

If you only have information for some of the above years please provide what you have and explain the gaps in your data.

Student-on-staff complaints

1.A Over the past five academic years, how many staff have made formal complaints of racial harassment by students?

1.B If recorded, please break down how many complaints were made by academic staff and non-academic staff?

1.C How many of these complaints were upheld?

1.D How many students were suspended or expelled following these complaints?

Student compensation

2. What is the total value of compensation paid to students who suffered racism, including racial harassment, assault or discrimination, by staff or other students over the past five years?

Staff compensation

3. What is the total value of compensation paid to staff who suffered racism, including racial harassment, assault or discrimination, by other staff or students over the past five years?

Islamophobia

4.A Does the university centrally record complaints of Islamophobia by staff and students?

4.B If so, are these complaints recorded as racism, i.e. were they included in your response to my previous FOI about complaints about racism?

4.C If not, how are these complaints classified?

4.D When did the university start recording complaints of Islamophobia?

Antisemitism

5.A Does the university centrally record complaints of antisemitism by staff and students?

5.B If so, are these complaints recorded as racism, i.e. were they included in your response to my previous FOI about complaints about racism?

5.C If not, how are these complaints classified?

5.D When did the university start recording complaints of antisemitism?

 
The University's response is FOIA response - ref.33/1406
 
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you may request an internal review.  Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter by writing to:

Chris Ince
University Secretary
London Metropolitan University
166-220 Holloway Road
London
N7 8DB
 
Email: c.ince@londonmet.ac.uk
 
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
 
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
 
Telephone:  0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745
Website:  www.ico.org.uk
 
There is no charge for making an appeal.
 
Kind regards,

Tracy Brathwaite
Information Compliance Officer
University Secretary's Office
London Metropolitan University
166-220 Holloway Road
London N7 8DB
Switchboard: 020 7423 0000