UK University Warns Rich Students To Stop Acting Like ‘Snobs’ To Poorer Classmates

Students coming from affluent backgrounds attending the University of Edinburgh have been told to stop acting like snobs and refrain from mocking the accents of their state-educated classmates, according to a report in The Telegraph. Those affected by the ridicule include students admitted to the university under its widening participation programme in which entry requirements are lowered for school leavers from deprived areas. A guidance has been issued to the wealthier students with a list of actions they need to follow to create an inclusive environment by reducing ‘socioeconomic microaggressions”.

The staff members will also be receiving training on accent bias. Meanwhile, the university admitted to having class-related prejudice problems on the campus. Some of the points mentioned in the list are:

• Don’t be a snob!
• Don’t assume that everyone’s life or family is like yours.
• Try to undo some of the unhelpful mythology about the relationship of wealth to intelligence or hard work.
• When you meet new people, be curious about their interests and aspirations rather than their backgrounds.

“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,” a statement by the university noted.

“When we asked our widening participation students, we found they were often unprepared for the experience of being ‘othered’ because of their background, leading to a strong sense that they did not ‘belong’ at the university.”

Notably, more than 70 per cent of students at Edinburgh University are from England while the rest are from the UK or overseas. Those who attended private schools comprise 40 per cent of the student population.

Also read | Oxford University Student Died By Suicide Due To ‘Cancel Culture’, Probe Finds

Cancel culture in UK colleges

Last week, Oxford University came under fire after it was revealed that a student died by suicide due to the cancel culture prevalent on the campus. Alexander Rogers (20), a third-year studying materials science at Corpus Christi College was ostracised by his peers after an unreported allegation was levelled against him.

Following two-day inquest proceedings at Oxford Coroner’s Court, coroner Nicholas Graham concluded that the ostracisation “led him to form an intention to take his own life”.