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Inclusion and support

Supporting and connecting our students

Hughes Hall students are encouraged to speak with their tutor if they have any concerns or questions about equality and inclusion matters. And there is a range of support provided at College including individual equality champions amongst our Fellowship, student equality officers, networks, societies, events, initiatives and resources.

There is further information on support at Hughes Hall in our Student Welfare section, including how to contact our Head of Welfare, College Nurse and Counsellor, and how to report problems. We encourage reporting of discrimination and harassment by those who witness it as well as those who suffer it.

Our tutors who lead on support for specific groups can be contacted if you are encountering specific difficulties or have things you would like to see in terms of tailored support. Their names, specialisms, and contact details can be found in our welfare pages. Our College Equality Champions include Disability, Race, Gender, LGBTQ+, Parents/Caregivers and Harassment Support.

2023 saw a more colourful flag than usual flying from our pole in celebration of LGBT+ History Month; the Progress Pride flag – including colours for transgender and intersex people, and queer people of colour.

There are MCR Welfare and Equality Officers (including a Female and Non-binary Welfare Officer, Male and Non-binary Welfare Officer, BAME Equality Officer, and an Equality and LGBTQ+ Officer) whose roles include student support and promotion of inclusion and equality at College.

And Dr Tori McKee, Senior Tutor, is always available to discuss all welfare matters with students: senior.tutor@hughes.cam.ac.uk. Contact details for all our tutors and the Tutorial Office are available on our Tutors page.

The University has also established Equality Champions to support the progression of equality for all protected groups, advocate on equality and diversity matters, and work with staff and student networks. The University’s current Equality Champions are listed here and include LGBTQ+, Gender, Race and Disability: University EDI Champions.

If you have further questions about inclusion at Hughes Hall or at the University, would like support or further information, or would like to report something that has happened, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our Welfare pages provide comprehensive information on the resources, people and networks available to you.

Race equality

The University and its Colleges aim to improve racial equality through cultural and organisational change while creating an environment conducive to openly discussing race-related issues and challenging racism.

Hughes Hall is proud to mark Black History Month in October with our student body. We have a Race Equality Champion amongst our Fellowship and a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Equality Officer is elected to our student body – the MCR Committee – each year to support our students of Black, Asian and minority ethnicities, and to help represent the interests of these individuals across the College.

The collegiate University marks Black History Month each year with events, lectures, exhibitions and a range of cultural, academic and social opportunities.

For further information on our tutors who lead on support for specific subjects, please see our tutors page. And for the details of Hughes Hall’s MCR Committee, please see the MCR website.

For broader information on race equality at Cambridge, see the University’s Race equality pages and Black Advisory Hub.

Further information and support is also available from the SU Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Campaign which represents, supports, and advocates for all BME students at the University of Cambridge, and the Race Equality Network which is a community for staff members from racial minority ethnic backgrounds.

Race equality networks and support

Some of the organisations, groups and societies below may be of interest to Black, Asian and minority ethnic students, staff, fellows and alumni. For a fuller list, see www.blackadvisory.hub.cam.ac.uk/black-students-societies.

  • African Caribbean Society (ACS): The Cambridge University African Caribbean Society (CUACS) is a thriving community open to all of African and Caribbean descent and, more generally, those interested in learning about African and Caribbean culture.
  • BME Campaign: The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Campaign represents supports and advocates for all BME students at the University of Cambridge.
  • African Society of Cambridge University (ASCU): ASCU is a student organisation with a mission to be a focal point for people who share an interest in and commitment to Africa.
  • The Black Cantabs Research Society: A counter-history project created by students at the University of Cambridge in 2015.
  • FLY: FLY is a student network for women and non-binary people of colour within the University. They host regular discussion forums where students can share and discuss their experiences.
  • FUSE: FUSE is a society that caters to queer students of colour at the University of Cambridge.
  • Cambridge Black Postgraduate Society: exists to provide a welcoming space for postgraduate, mature, and clinical year medical students from the black diaspora to connect with others, build their communities, and feel at home.

Plus

LGBTQ+

We are proud to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month and Transgender Awareness Week at Hughes by flying flags and working with MCR Committee, our student body, to hold a themed Formal Hall for each, alongside other events and initiatives each year.

Hughes Hall MCR Committee includes an Equality and LGBTQ+ Officer to help support and promote inclusion and equality for the College’s LGBTQ+ community and the College has an LGBTQ+ Champion in our Senior Membership if students have specific concerns, issues or difficulties to discuss, or have ideas for tailored support.

LGBTQ+ History Month

The collegiate University celebrates LGBT+ History Month annually in February to help promote equality and diversity by increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, their history, lives and experiences. Many institutions fly the rainbow or Pride flag and organise events throughout the month. Keep an eye out for LGBT+ History Month 2024 events.

The UK LGBTQ+ History Month 2023 theme was ‘Behind the Lens’.

At a time when LGBT+ lives are in the media we are encouraged to look ‘Behind the Lens’ in 2023 and listen to LGBT+ peoples’ lived experiences.

Details of varied activities going on across the University are collated on their website: 2023’s LGBT+ History Month programme is here; and specific Hughes Hall events are included on our events page as they are confirmed each year. 2023 saw a mix of LGBT+ movie nights, pub quizzes, formal dining and informal socials, as well as a great display in our library.

Transgender Awareness Week

Hughes Hall marks Transgender Awareness Week annually, 13-19th November, to help raise the visibility of transgender people and issues faced by members of the community in the lead up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on 20th November, an observance that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. We are proud to fly the transgender awareness flag at this time and also organise a themed Formal Hall for the community and allies – typically one of the best events in the College calendar!

For our 2021 Formal Hall, our MCR Equality and LGBTQ+ Officer shared a College information sheet on transgender. Cambridge Students Union produces a comprehensive inclusion guide and please note that our MCR has recently established a Gender Expression Fund, with further details available on the MCR website.

LGBTQ+ Networks and support

The following organisations and initiatives may be of interest to LGBTQ+ individuals throughout our community:

  • lgbtQ+@cam is an initiative launched in 2018 to promote interdisciplinary research, outreach and network building related to queer, trans and sexuality studies at the University of Cambridge
  • Q+STEM network provides a forum for sharing information for people working in this area at Cambridge
  • Queer Cambridge is a thriving, welcoming LGBTQ+ community both at the university and in the wider town, offering links to much more.
  • The Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) LGBT+ committeehas represented and supported students with events and welfare-related resources for several years, in addition to representatives in Colleges’ own student unions. It also runs specific campaigns, publishes the magazine Get Real, and holds the Harry Harris LGBT+ library.
  • LGBT+ Cambridge Alumni, aims to provide a personal and professional network for LGBT+ alumni, to promote awareness around LGBT+ issues, to champion LGBT+ inclusive policies and to forge links with other LGBT+ networks.
  • The LGBT+ Staff Network is open to staff from the University, Colleges and related institutions.
  • This Queer Cambridgepage provides a great summary of the University networks mentioned above and those in the city, including Cambridge Pride, Encompass Network and Dhiverse.

Further equality and inclusion information and links

In this section