In a recent article published by The Times, the University of Edinburgh’s Principal Sir Peter Mathieson said that Scottish students continue to face discrimination and the university still has a problem with “snobs.”
Since issues around classism and attitudes towards Scottish students were amplified at the university last semester, Edinburgh University and societies such as The Scottish Social Mobility Society (SSMS) have been trying to help students feel equal and discriminated against.
The University of Edinburgh released guidance for students on how to act so classism can be reduced, including suggestions like “instead of asking someone if they ski, ask them what their hobbies are instead.”
In a meeting with the university’s General Council on Saturday 15 February, Mathieson said:
Many students disagree with this specific statement.
The Student spoke to a number of Scottish students who stated that their experience had deterred them from recommending others to apply and made them rethink their enrolment.
One student specifically stated they had experienced a lot of assumptions that they were less intelligent, or had people making fun of their accent simply due to their nationality, leading to a lack of confidence to speak up during tutorials and feeling annoyed and unhappy with their time at the university.
Mathieson added that Edinburgh does not receive enough funding from the Scottish government to cover the cost of Scottish students’ university education. In response, some students questioned if classism was found just in the student body, or also within the faculty.
SSMS was created in November following multiple Scottish students wanting a place to air complaints and share their experiences. The society has hosted socials to let students interact with their peers and state they will act as a liaison from student to faculty for any negative experiences one may have.
“University of Edinburgh: New College” by Jorge Franganillo is licensed under CC BY 2.0.