New film reveals anti-Scottish bias at Edinburgh University

The National

8 hours ago

Flagged, created by students at the Scottish Social Mobility Society (SSMS) and the Edinburgh University's Student Television (EUTV) society at Edinburgh University, is set to premiere later this week.
It highlights the stories of several Scottish students who have experienced prejudice and bias because of where they come from.
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The university has repeatedly been accused of having a culture of anti-Scottish discrimination, leading management to issue guidance to students encouraging them not to be 'snobs'.
Since then, staff have undergone training sessions to tackle "accent bias" when teaching students, led by The 93% Club, a group of students which is named after the percentage of the people in the UK who are state-educated.
The most recent statistics available show around 27% of students at Edinburgh University are Scottish.
This is compared with 24% from the rest of the UK, 41% from overseas, 8% from the EU and less than 1% from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The new documentary looks to challenge some of the stereotypes Scottish students encounter, such as accent and class bias.
While giving students a platform to share their experiences, the documentary also looks into the root cause of discrimination at the university.
In the making of the documentary, the SSMS – which was set up last year as an inclusive environment for Scottish students – gathered testimonies from more than 100 students at Edinburgh University.
When put together, they paint a vivid picture of the types and extent of discrimination Scottish students experience.
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For example, one student said they had been asked "to get a translator" during a conversation, while another reported being told that Gaelic is "nonsense" and "gibberish".
One student's testimony recalls how a non-Scottish student said they couldn't be friends because they were "too Scottish" and "too hard to understand".
And another student recalled: 'During a group discussion, someone asked me to speak slower and clearer three times because they didn't like my accent. It felt demeaning.'
One of the issues discussed in the documentary is discrimination against commuter students – those who don't live in Edinburgh – which the SMSS said is often an under-discussed student group.
One student told the group: "When I told someone I commute to university, their response was 'oh, so I would be stabbed if I went to your town'.
"I hadn't even mentioned where I was from."
As part of the documentary, the SMSS also spoke with Jim Slaven, a local activist for Dumbiedykes – a social housing development in Edinburgh – to show how different forms of discrimination are ultimately connected.
One of those involved in the making of the documentary is Freya Stewart, from South Queensferry, who just finished her second year studying social anthropology at the university.
"I thought I knew Edinburgh, but then it turned out I didn't," she told The National, adding that the university was "a whole different part of the city".
Stewart said that Scottish students "weren't represented" at the university, and that the new documentary hopes to "give them a voice".
When looking at why Scottish students are experiencing discrimination, the documentary focuses on the structuring of the university's Widening Participation programme, which aims to address barriers people from disadvantaged backgrounds face when accessing education.
The Widening Participation classification includes students from the following backgrounds:
Students from under-represented groups, such as those coming from low-income backgrounds, from areas of multiple deprivation, or those who attended schools with low attainment or low progression to higher education
Vulnerable or more marginalised groups, such as young carers, young people in care or care leavers, learners with refugee/asylum seeker status, estranged students
While there have been some discussions between SSMS and university management on improving existing structures, Stewart stressed that more needed to be done to support Scottish students throughout their time at university.
"It's not just about letting Widening Participation students in, but offering continued support," Stewart said.
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"They get in, and then they can feel disoriented and they don't integrate. It's not really Widening Participation at that point, because it's kind of setting them up for failure."
Another student involved in the documentary is John McCrindle, from Bearsden, who just completed his degree in international relations and international law.
He told The National that it was important to have a space at the university where Scottish students can be "authentically themselves".
"Right now I'd say the dominant culture at the university is very upper-class, not necessarily English, but there are a lot of English students," he said.
"Having a space where people who have previously been alienated can be more authentically themselves is very important."
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McCrindle also recalled his own experience of joining the university, where he was told that he "sounded like Shrek" by another student on his second day.
"If the society had existed at that time, I would have immediately known where to go," he said.
"I just hope that people will see the documentary, and it'll make them feel better."
Flagged will premiere in Edinburgh on June 27, at Custom Lane in Leith at 5.30pm.
It will also have an online premiere on June 28, which will be followed by a full-length interview with Professor Colm Harmon, the university's vice principal of students.
A report detailing Scottish students' experiences at Edinburgh University is set to be published on the same day.