University of Edinburgh Addresses Class Prejudice Among Students

Edinburgh University has issued a caution to students from affluent backgrounds, advising them against displaying “snobbish” attitudes towards their peers from Scottish and working-class origins. The institution acknowledged the presence of class-related prejudice on campus, stating that individuals from less privileged backgrounds were being “inadvertently or deliberately shamed by more privileged students.” This directive followed complaints from the newly-formed Scottish Social Mobility Society, which reported instances of lecturers and students regularly ridiculing and imitating individuals from north of the border. The society stated, “At the University of Edinburgh students who come from middle to lower socioeconomic backgrounds are in a minority. However, in wider UK society they are the majority.” Instances of such shaming encompassed comments about “clothing and lack of knowledge or regional accents.” Approximately 26% of Edinburgh’s student body originates from Scotland, while over 70% are from England, the remainder of the UK, or overseas. Students who attended private schools constitute 40% of the intake from UK institutions. A student cited in the university’s guidance recounted being told by peers, “you can’t be working class because you’re at university.” The student added, “We were discussing inheritance tax in class and people have explicitly said that they have more money because they ‘just work harder’.” Olivia Gallosi, from Inverness, a third-year student at Edinburgh University, informed BBC Scotland News that she had encountered discrimination. She stated, “A lot of people turn their nose up at you if you didn’t go to private school.” Gallosi continued, “I’ve got a slight English accent because I was born there so people are nice and then they find out I’m actually Scottish and then their opinion changes.” She added, “I’ve got friends who refused to come to Edinburgh because they didn’t want to put up with the treatment of Scottish students so they went to surrounding unis because it is way worse here than anywhere else.” Roni Sharp indicated she recognized the issue “straight away” upon moving into halls of residence. She commented, “When I was in first year I had a job and people were very judgemental about it.” Sharp further explained, “They were like why are you working you’re supposed to be having fun and I was like ‘I’ve got rent to pay’.” She observed, “Scottish students find that a lot here at Edinburgh University. There needs to be more awareness of embracing everyone’s pasts and cultures.” Shanley Breese, a law student and founder of the Scottish Social Mobility Society, stated that upon her arrival at the university, she was unfamiliar with private schools. She established the organization to provide a space for her Scottish peers to feel a sense of belonging. She recalled that it began during Freshers week when she was repeatedly asked about her school. Breese explained, “And I would say you won’t know the school, it’s in Dumfries and what they were actually referring to was what private school did you go to.” Consequently, she found it challenging to form friendships and comprehend the university’s culture. She described it as, “It was a really isolating experience and there was no community to turn to.” Shanley noted the difficulty in connecting with other Scottish students, many of whom commuted due to being priced out of local accommodation. She explained that establishing the society offered a forum for Scottish students to share their experiences. She said, “I felt so stupid and out of place for not knowing private schools existed and so it affected my academic ability.” “There is an atmosphere at the university of elitism,” Shanley added. She also mentioned experiencing ridicule. “My accent has changed so much since starting at uni because I was getting comments if I said a word like ‘canny’. They liked to point it out.” Furthermore, she stated that tutors would request Scottish students to reiterate their statements or articulate more distinctly. She asserted, “Accent bias is one of the biggest issues. And they made assumptions from our accents on our intelligence levels and whether we would be friends or not.” A spokesperson for the University of Edinburgh commented: “We are incredibly proud of our diverse community and work hard to create an environment that eliminates discrimination and allows all of our students to have the best experience possible during their studies.” The spokesperson continued, “Our Dignity and Respect policy sets out clear expectations of behaviour, including recognising when comments or behaviour may be harmful or upsetting to others and acting accordingly.” They added, “We have a well-established equality, diversity and inclusion committee which brings together staff and student representatives from across the university to provide oversight on our progress around EDI activities.” The spokesperson concluded, “After listening to students, we have also introduced and continue to evolve a new support model that provides more dedicated pastoral and academic guidance throughout their studies.” Copyright 2024 BBC. 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