I've found St Andrews to be a racist university

It's hands down the most racist campus town in the UK!! I'm a mid brown coloured asian.Not only did I get racially abused by students in some of the campus areas but by members of my own class.We even got really bad abuse regularly from the local hick boys in town. One guy a year lower than me got his jaw busted and was days in hospital.I was a medical student there but after years of abuse there I decided to finish ASAP and then went onto to a big metropolitan located university and did a different degree and guess what - no abuse.Now that obviously doesn't mean that racism didn't exist but it was a breath of fresh air to experience such a less toxic atmosphere to put it that way.The racist abuse at St.Andrews ranged from not keeping the (library) door open for the person behind or in front of me and them calling me a "black b**d" to meeting some random student's glance while walking down the street and being called the same nine times out of ten that this happened. Sometimes two of us Asians walked into a coffee shop and there would be a noticeable quietening down in the general dim before rising again once they noticed we were kind of normal human beings.The worst case of racial abuse was from a female student in my own cohort. As lecture class finished I walked out of the building and was met out of the blue with such continuous and zealous racial abuse that I was shocked and that's saying something coming from someone who'd suffered racial abuse all his life growing up in West of Scotland and I was born and raised in the UK.The worst part of the incident was that she got off scot-free as she said to the Dean of faculty that it never happened and her friends who were next to her during her racist tirade who also were in my cohort said they couldn't recall the incident. The instances of racial abuse - excluding from the hick townies and that instance from the student in my same class described above - all emanated from the (white English) arts faculty students.I could tell the departments they're at as after a while of being a student there and due to the small place it's rather easy to identify as such.I could go on with the catalogue of occurrences but I think anyone reading this gets the picture of what kind of place it is.Even though I was a student there a while back I don't think the attitudes and behaviours of a number of the student population have changed a lot. It comes down to two factors I think: the small geographical size of the place itself,and the disproportionate representation of white upper/ upper middle class students. Unfortunately even in this day and age quite a few of these said people hold an almost Victorian arrogance and perception of people who aren't white looking and they assume they can treat said people in their own way.In all instances of racism I experienced , it was from members of the English upper/upper middle class white student populace.Interestingly I never experienced racism from any native Scottish student whilst there👍🤘. Heck, I reckon (although it may seem absurd) that some of those said English students had probably never met or talked to a non-white person before.(I'm sure those independent and public schools have other students from other races and cultures in them or maybe not ???) In any case I finished my studies ASAP there and went to an altogether different large metropolitan centre based university and to a different degree altogether as I got overalled disillusioned following my whole experience there.But guess what - at that new uni - no abuse whey🙂. Now that doesn't mean to say that there wasn't any racism, it's just that I didn't receive any abuse from any other student and maybe because the student population was from mainly across the other social strata their attitudes were different as well as being around non-white people was way more normal. I'm sad to have written the above about my experiences at this Scottish university but I can tell you it is localised to only St.Andrews university.I had been around other universities and had friends and relatives at other Scottish universities at that time and racial abuse was virtually nonexistent so that speaks volumes about St.Andrews.In fact at that time when entering St.Andrews it was called "Scotland's only English University" but I thought really nothing if it at the time, but on hindsight the adage was strikingly correct as it's Scottish in name only. My advice to anyone possessing skin of hue in the brown to black spectrum is to avoid this institution if possible. If you're already a student at the university and you've experienced verbal racism then make sure to get a large memory phone (if you don't have one already) and when you're out and about anywhere in that campus which may include inside the lecture rooms make sure you have it on continuous recording so that you have visible proof so that you can take action against whoever doled out the abuse.You should not have to take racist cr*p lying down.The abuser should face the consequences! Peace to everyone - over and out.

Reply 1

username6014877

4

I am white but this is very good of you to spread the word so that people don’t make the same mistake you did! I am so sorry for what happened to you! I hope you are doing well now and that all those awful racist people burn in hell xxx

Reply 2

mainer

8

I sorry you had a poor experience at St Andrews.

Although I am not sure you actually were at St.Andrews by your description of the town and hierarchy at the university. For example the library has automatic doors, how were you holding them open? I am unsure why you would take your complaint to the dean of faculty... that's not how the procedure for these types incidents are handled.
Also how on earth were you able to tell anyones degree just by looking there over 9000 students. This seems like a strange tirade against English people and the local "hicks" as you put it ( I am scottish btw ).

I am having a hard time believing that much in the story is true. Which begs the question are you looking for attention ( did st andrews reject you and this is revenge?) either way you are very much ******** on the real victims of this sort of abuse.

Reply 3

NeuroAnnie

3

Original post by mainer

I sorry you had a poor experience at St Andrews.

Although I am not sure you actually were at St.Andrews by your description of the town and hierarchy at the university. For example the library has automatic doors, how were you holding them open? I am unsure why you would take your complaint to the dean of faculty... that's not how the procedure for these types incidents are handled.
Also how on earth were you able to tell anyones degree just by looking there over 9000 students. This seems like a strange tirade against English people and the local "hicks" as you put it ( I am scottish btw ).

I am having a hard time believing that much in the story is true. Which begs the question are you looking for attention ( did st andrews reject you and this is revenge?) either way you are very much ******** on the real victims of this sort of abuse.

When someone shares their experience, listen.

If you can't relate, or have nothing valuable to add to the conversation, please move on. You won't burst into flames if the world doesn't hear your opinion. I promise.

As someone who has experienced racism, the only thing worse is the part where I have told people, and they have called me a liar.

May you should ask yourself why your impulse is to disprove or dismiss someone's experience.

Reply 4

mainer

8

(Original post by NeuroAnnie)When someone shares their experience, listen.

If you can't relate, or have nothing valuable to add to the conversation, please move on. You won't burst into flames if the world doesn't hear your opinion. I promise.

As someone who has experienced racism, the only thing worse is the part where I have told people, and they have called me a liar.

May you should ask yourself why your impulse is to disprove or dismiss someone's experience.

Racism is disgusting it has no place in our society or the university. People lying about it happening to them, belittles people who have been true victims of racist abuse. Everyone should believe victims in the first instance I completely agree however when someone is calling out abuse at an institution but the clearly is making up said experiences then this needs to stop. (The same can be said for those who have lied about being raped, as someone who had been raped, the liers make it harder for rape victims to be believed)

I called this person out at a student at the university would know the protocols on how to report racist abuse. Saying they took it dean of faculty makes no sense- it would be like reporting a crime to a dinner lady- there are steps and protocols in place at the uni but the dean of faculty is not nor has ever been one of those steps.
The person in question also has no idea about the layout nor the size of the university as I mentioned in my previous post.
I am also surprised that you would also support the person for their bigoted opinion of the locals who they calls hicks and townies not to mention the interesting reaction to blaming English students/people.
I am also still unsure how anyone can tell if someone is an arts or stem student by looking at them.

Maybe you should stop and ask yourself why would someone lie about these experiences and why you would automatically think someone calling it out with proof is wrong. What value did YOU add to the conversation?

I am not saying that the uni hasn't had racist incidents it has and I fully support the university bame society who are working tirelessly to make st andrews a more welcoming and diverse place. For those interested in the BAME society they have a great Facebook page and run loads of great events, everyone's welcome!

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

The story has more holes in it than swiss cheese,anyone who has studied at STA will spot them right away.

Reply 6

NeuroAnnie

3

You win.

Original post by mainer

(Original post by NeuroAnnie)When someone shares their experience, listen.

If you can't relate, or have nothing valuable to add to the conversation, please move on. You won't burst into flames if the world doesn't hear your opinion. I promise.

As someone who has experienced racism, the only thing worse is the part where I have told people, and they have called me a liar.

May you should ask yourself why your impulse is to disprove or dismiss someone's experience.

Racism is disgusting it has no place in our society or the university. People lying about it happening to them, belittles people who have been true victims of racist abuse. Everyone should believe victims in the first instance I completely agree however when someone is calling out abuse at an institution but the clearly is making up said experiences then this needs to stop. (The same can be said for those who have lied about being raped, as someone who had been raped, the liers make it harder for rape victims to be believed)

I called this person out at a student at the university would know the protocols on how to report racist abuse. Saying they took it dean of faculty makes no sense- it would be like reporting a crime to a dinner lady- there are steps and protocols in place at the uni but the dean of faculty is not nor has ever been one of those steps.
The person in question also has no idea about the layout nor the size of the university as I mentioned in my previous post.
I am also surprised that you would also support the person for their bigoted opinion of the locals who they calls hicks and townies not to mention the interesting reaction to blaming English students/people.
I am also still unsure how anyone can tell if someone is an arts or stem student by looking at them.

Maybe you should stop and ask yourself why would someone lie about these experiences and why you would automatically think someone calling it out with proof is wrong. What value did YOU add to the conversation?

I am not saying that the uni hasn't had racist incidents it has and I fully support the university bame society who are working tirelessly to make st andrews a more welcoming and diverse place. For those interested in the BAME society they have a great Facebook page and run loads of great events, everyone's welcome!