The University of Birmingham is currently in the process of making its only ethnic minority member of permanent academic staff in Sociology redundant, at the same time as pledging to only provide temporary staff to teach core Ethnicities programmes at the University. This is a shameful failure to consider the importance of ethnic diversity – both in terms of staffing and teaching provision – which is particularly shocking for a university based in a city such as Birmingham.

There are also a number of issues related to the selection of the member of staff to be made redundant – who has found himself in a pool of 1 candidates for redundancy, with no clear rationale for that decision.

BUCU is calling for a halt to this redundancy, and for a more serious attitude to be taken towards ethnic diversity and equality of opportunities. We have already raised this as an issue with the Head of College of Social Sciences – but have thus far failed to have the decision reversed.

See also the Open Letter sent by concerned students.