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The University of Sussex welcomed key figures in higher education and equality, Professor Nicola Dandridge and Dr Omar Khan, to our recent ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with’ event on 28 February.

After a career as an equalities lawyer and as Chief Executive of the HE sector’s Equality Challenge Unit, Nicola was Chief Executive of Universities UK. She then became the first Chief Executive of the OfS (Office for Students). Nicola is now Professor of Practice in HE Policy at Bristol University. Omar was formerly Director of the Runneymede Trust, Britain's oldest race equality organisation, and is now Chief Executive of TASO (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education).

Together with a panel of Sussex staff and student voices, Nicola and Omar explored intersectionality and generational difference in the way we think about society. They discussed race, ethnicity and regionality, the role of policy and regulation, and equality of access to university before taking questions and comments from the audience of staff, students and our wider community.

Nicola and Omar were joined by Professor David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion). Completing the panel were voices from the School of Education and Social Work, Dr Emily Danvers (Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Pedagogies), Professor Janet Boddy (Professor of Child, Youth and Family Studies), and Matt Johnson (postgraduate researcher and Head of Research at the Runnymede Trust).

David Ruebain said:

“It was fantastic to welcome Nicola and Omar to our panel to talk about the structural nature of some of the challenges young people face, and how justice and equality are viewed differently across generations. Young people often face more uncertainty and precarity than ever before. Policymakers and universities may be able to play a role in reducing inequality but societal understanding on the importance of equality across generations will be one of the biggest drivers for change."

View photos from the event and watch the replay.

Exploring generational differences in the way we think about society  

The panel reflected on perceptions of how freedom of speech impacts equality. Younger people are more likely to feel that free speech cannot be achieved without equality, because those marginalised are likely to feel constrained. The group discussed how feeling unsafe is closely correlated with loneliness and anxiety and it remains the case that around one in five students say that they feel lonely every day.

Janet said: "Young adults are now the largest group out of the workforce because of mental health. It's very convenient to individualise that and to blame that on wokeness and concerns about safety rather than recognising intergenerational injustice. If young people feel unsafe and precarious then they're probably fairly accurately judging situations that are produced in the interests of older generations."

Nicola added: "For the first time, younger people are not looking to the future in a positive way and they think that their economic and social circumstance is likely to regress, not progress. And that's a huge shift... and I think this is quite worrying in terms of fragmentation of society."

Inequality of access to university 

The panel talked about whether universities are increasingly for the elite, with 55% of students now having to work to fund or to partially fund their degree.

Speaking of the challenges some students face, Emily said: "Circumstances mean some students are having much more fragmented relationships to their study which can be a good thing in the sense that you're learning to manage multiple things and have really flexible engagements with work and study in life… but at the same time there will be others that have a completely different experience that are able to capitalise or take opportunities, and therefore when it comes to the labour market they’re one step ahead of you."

The power of policy and regulation  

Seeing increasing levels of precarity, anxiety and uncertainty, the panel considered whether the government is addressing the challenges. They discussed the importance of voter base and election turnout, which no doubt impacts policymaking.

Omar commented: "It's fine to say we should ensure that older people don't live in poverty, but you're not seeing similar kinds of policy commitments by either party about what they're going to do about the cost-of-living crisis for young people."

Matt added: "It's important in a democracy for policymakers not to be tone deaf and misunderstand what the needs of the population are outside of elections. And I think that that is something that arguably is going to become more prominent… there are opportunities locally and regionally, through having local decision makers and feeling a sense that I can influence the economy when more power’s decentralised."

Following the event, Emily said: "It was a privilege to represent the School of Education and Social Work at the event. While my research is primarily around higher education inequalities, the conversation went much broader than this to draw on topics such as the rapid increase in UK child poverty, worsening student wellbeing and mental health, as well as links to international injustices that have ripple effects on our sector and community. Education cannot be a panacea for social inclusion and it is important that we engage in these expansive and interdisciplinary definitions if we want to think seriously about inclusion."

About the event series 

Our ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ event series supports our Inclusive Sussex strategy by exploring issues of liberation, equality, diversity and justice with voices from all walks of life, bringing their expertise and lived experiences to the fore.

Sussex has a proud history of welcoming staff and students from the widest range of backgrounds and from all over the world, and in working to create a truly inclusive community that values diversity of identity, background, belief, thought, discipline and method. We continue to strive for Sussex to be a leading example of good practice in advancing equality, diversity and inclusion and a place which welcomes rigorous discussion and debate and where everyone can thrive.

Upcoming ‘Inclusive Sussex: In Conversation with...’ events will be available soon on the Staff Hub.