University, for many individuals, is a colossal milestone in their lives. The time spent at university allows for one to further their education and broaden their knowledge. It creates opportunities for people to discover their identity, network for future careers to boost employability, but more importantly, to find out what they truly enjoy doing in their spare time and meet new people.
Though this can be a very exciting time in our lives, it can also be an extremely lonely time. Especially when you feel like you are currently coming to terms with who you are as a person, but with no one to support you. It can often lead to people wanting to reach out and search for a community that may empathise with what they are going through.
Diversity is something universities bank on prioritising, but sometimes the input has no reflection on the outcome. People face challenges as a result of, perhaps, their race, socio-economic background, gender sexual orientation and their disabilities. Universities should provide support for these groups; they need to be held accountable for how they do this, and whether there is possibly more they can do to create a safer and more feasible learning space for every student.
University life can be overwhelming, especially if you attended a sixth form prior to entering university, it can feel like you are in a parallel universe, floating around in space. This is why it's important for universities to create safe spaces for students to socialise and have some fun. This allows for students to discover other people with the same interests and passions as them. Societies can range from varsity sport, to chess club, and even the African Caribbean Society (ACS). The purpose of ACS is to unite students from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds to celebrate their culture, and in some cases, to re-discover their history and connect to their roots as a way of enhancing their chance of growth.
Due to Covid-19, however, connecting with groups like these has been exceedingly difficult; this is due to the high demand in self-isolation, lectures being held online instead of in-situ, and cancellations of activities and clubs as there were not enough people to participate or able to actually attend clubs in person. This has been a particularly pertinent struggle for me. I am still currently getting to know more students who are part of ACS, whilst in the meantime, reaching the penultimate few months of my degree before my graduation in July.
As well as this, I struggled to keep up with some of my work as I wasn’t in any group chats. I missed out on attending many networking events and ended up feeling quite lonely and isolated. Fortunately for me, I am an extremely extroverted character and I am able to handle myself in any situation and forge alliances with anyone. I was living in accommodation with a multitude of other students from the same university I was going to, which allowed me to meet some new faces, and then make mutual friends through them.
As a black student at a predominantly white university, I have never felt uncomfortable or out of place, most of the lecturers and students are quite respectful, but I am aware that this is not the case at other universities.
Systemic racism is a topic that is often not spoken about; it occurs frequently in the UK, with studies that show this happens often with grading in institutions such as schools and universities. It is imperative that I illustrate what is meant by ‘systemic and institutional racism’. Systemic racism involves practices and policies that exist in an organisation or an entire society that is determined by someone’s race, but normally it results to harmful outcomes for the ethnic minority or nepotism for those of the ‘supreme race’. Institutional racism embodies this, but in particular establishments.
In 2019, an article by the Guardian was released, stating that most minority students (African, Asian, and Latino) are less likely to graduate with a 1 st class- upper second-class degree. According to statistics in 2016, 66 percent of BAME students achieved a 1 st -2:1 degree, in comparison to the 79.6 percent of white students. A way to avoid this problem is by speaking to student reps or the Students' Union to implement policies that elevate BAME students, like exclusive internship programs that increase social mobility, networking events and galas held especially for these students so they feel seen and encouraged.
Most importantly though, there needs to be an assessment in place to oversee how lecturers mark their students and whether they focus on the criteria put in place by the university or school. As COVID prevented many students from actually sitting their exams, a lot of the final grades were based on teacher assessments and class work ability, but this also hindered many BAME students, and some missed out on getting into their firm choices for university.
It would also be helpful to try and promote more small black-owned business by sponsoring them as a university, and allowing them to open up stalls and carry out talks and open
days to help students with maintaining themselves like having more black hairdressers in non-diverse areas so people save money on travel expenses.
Another area of diversity in University that should be protected and respected is sexual orientation and gender. Zaphos Brouard is a Philosophy and Psychology student from a UK university; they are also non-binary, polyandrous, autistic and suffer with a disability that affects the muscles in their body.
Zaphos shared that they feel as though their experience as an LGBTQIA + and disabled student has been, somewhat mediocre. They stated that their university has recently enabled software that allows students to add their pronouns, and that most of their lecturers have not ‘messed up’ their name, but have with their pronouns. They went on to say that they have experienced transphobia with students, but this just boils down to ignorance and being uneducated on the LGBTQIA+ community.
It is possibly a good idea to do workshops and PowerPoints on how to approach someone who is transgender for instance, how to ask the right kind of questions, and how to express your opinion without being wholly offensive. Zaph mentioned that the student ID
requirement for assignments has really helped them as well.
Zaph added that as a disabled student, it has also been a mixed experience; he mentioned a
disability fund that helps support disabled students financially, some are even prioritised on waiting lists for accommodation on campus or nearer to most of their classes so they do not have too much of a distance to go to and from their lessons. The university does have an accessibility sector for students who need extra support, and they also extend deadlines with no attendance requirements, making it easier for students like Zaph to carry out their university life without pressure.
As a woman, I do feel there is a lot that universities can do to protect and support us. My experience has not been terrible, however, the mere fact that I am consciously scared of going out because of the high risk of me or my friends getting spiked is unfortunate. It is disappointing that there are others, especially men, that can enjoy a night out whilst women like myself must always be on the lookout, in case someone tries to inject me with a needle or put a sedative in one of my friends drinks. According to the UK parliament page, from September 2021 to September 2022, 5,000 cases of needle and drink spiking incidents had been reported to forces across England and Wales.
An additional issue is the ongoing stigma on periods; period poverty is still currently a challenge. As students, financial struggles come with the territory, it just seems unsolicited and unfair that period pads cost so much more than condoms, when ovulation is such a natural but uncomfortable and often painful experience for most women. If universities could support students with issues like this, by campaigning for period pads to be put in all female toilets, for instance, the problem of diversity will slowly but surely become a ‘no-brainer’ and more individuals will be able to live a comfortable, safe, and happier life as a student.
Edited by Nadia Lincoln.