In a world where crises seem to regularly emerge without warning, it is more important than ever to act quickly and decisively—especially if the safety and wellbeing of our students is impacted.
Our recent experience at Salford reminds us of this reality. When we learned that riots, including those planned to take place in Salford, could endanger our students – particularly those from international and Muslim backgrounds – we knew we had to act fast.
As an officer team we’ve had to learn to respond quickly in the student interest. Leadership, collaboration and swift action matters more than ever when protecting and supporting our diverse student body.
By acting quickly, we not only ensured the safety of our students – but also demonstrated the power of coordinated action, even when facing unexpected and potentially dangerous circumstances.
A diverse student body
At Salford we have a high proportion of international and Muslim students on our campus, who were particularly at risk given the planned riots. These riots presented a clear and present danger, and that meant urgent measures to ensure student safety and wellbeing.
Key actions in our response included:
- Emergency meeting: Despite it being a non-working day, we convened an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss, strategize and implement necessary safety measures.
- Online learning: To protect students during this volatile period, we advocated to the university for online learning options – ensuring that those still on campus, particularly recent June intake students, could continue their studies safely.
- Personal circumstances mitigation (PMC): We pushed for the extension of deadlines for exams and assessments, understanding the stress and disruption the situation caused for affected students.
- Increased security: We requested additional security on campus, particularly around Friday prayers at the Faith Centre, to safeguard both students and staff.
- Clear communication: We worked closely with the university to ensure timely and effective communication with students via emails and social media. The university’s EDI team also played an important role by informing and guiding staff.
- On-ground awareness: Recognising communication challenges, especially with Saudi Arabian summer school students, we engaged campus security to provide on-ground awareness and safety instructions, particularly during the planned riots.
As well as the above, we took personal steps to reach out directly to students through WhatsApp group chats and society channels, advising them on safety measures and promoting available support resources like the Advice Centre, mental health services, and the Report and Support system.
We also issued a statement addressing the situation, emphasising both what we were doing practically and our broader commitment to student safety and inclusion.
The university’s readiness to collaborate, the proactive engagement of our students, and the supportive environment created by both SU and university staff were important. As officers, being part of a minority group ourselves, it was reassuring to see the university’s commitment to inclusivity, especially in the face of anti-Muslim sentiments during the crisis.
But we did face challenges – particularly in terms of the urgency of the situation and the difficulty of ensuring effective communication with all students, especially those new to campus or from international backgrounds.
This experience has reinforced the importance to us of ongoing initiatives that protect and support minority groups on campus. Our Islamophobia initiative, already in place, was crucial in our response – demonstrating that proactive measures can make a significant difference in times of crisis.
Moving forward, the university, in collaboration with the SU and Muslim staff, is working on releasing a comprehensive Islamophobia definition and guidance. This is not just a response to the recent events, but a step towards ensuring that our campus remains a safe and inclusive space for all students.
Our call to action is simple. We encourage other universities and SUs to review their crisis response protocols and to continue working on initiatives that promote inclusivity and safety.
Events in Salford have shown us that preparedness and collaboration are key to protecting our communities. Learning from these experiences and working together to create a safer, more inclusive future for everyone is what our students need and expect.
