Culture of racism amongst white students at Bristol

These factors include BME students being ‘excluded’ from classroom discussions, as well as receiving ‘explicitly racist comments’. The report added: “Non-white students were comparatively less likely than their peers to be able to access the advantages of cultural familiarity with their tutor.” One student commented: “I find it hard to tell a white teacher my problems.”

A growing concern among students has been that ‘old white lecturers’ are unable to teach BME students, but this has been met with significant criticism. Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of Buckingham University argued that this claim is “unfair and untrue, and disrespectful to universities and members of staff. We are human beings, first, second, third, fourth, fifth.”

This is based on a "study" by SOAS and this article is just hilarious:



Do underachieving BME (mainly Black, in practice) students really think that if they had BME lecturers they would suddenly witness a significant improvement in their intellectual capabilities (and thus academic performance)?

Instead of feeling "excluded" because they cannot tell their tutors their personal problems (because they do not share the same skin colour), I would suggest they instead adopt a more introspective approach to identifying the causes of their failures.

Is anyone going to comment on the actual issue in the OP which is black students facing racism or are we just going to repeat a discussion we already had in another thread because it's easier to not acknowledge that the actions of some students might be what fuels this victim complex?

Oh and inb4 'it's fake'

I'm not in the business of taking these people at their word. Even if I waved my magic wand and removed all racism from university campuses, we'd still be hearing about racism on university campuses.

This is based on a "study" by SOAS and this article is just hilarious:



Do underachieving BME (mainly Black, in practice) students really think that if they had BME lecturers they would suddenly witness a significant improvement in their intellectual capabilities (and thus academic performance)?

Instead of feeling "excluded" because they cannot tell their tutors their personal problems (because they do not share the same skin colour), I would suggest they instead adopt a more introspective approach to identifying the causes of their failures.

Delusional people are always going to deny the existence of racism and you cannot help them.

I am black. I have experienced racism numerous times, even when still at the university.

It happens everyday.

Many times I would just walk away because to fight back (even with words) would lead to a further stereotype of "the angry black woman." It is exhausting, it is humiliating, it is archaic, it is sad!

I have had racist questions directed at me in the disguise of "trying to find out more."

I have had racist stereotypes thrown at me. The kind of "how did you a black person find yourself in this class that only has white people"

I have had the usual "do you live in trees?" "Can you speak to monkeys?" etc

I have sat on a train, only for neighbor to stand and walk away to another seat.

Interestingly, most of these racists are usually miserable people who are not anywhere near my status in life so I choose to ignore. I just cannot associate with them. I wont afford them the dignity of a conversation because they do not deserve it.

Delusional people are always going to deny the existence of racism and you cannot help them.

I am black. I have experienced racism numerous times, even when still at the university.

It happens everyday.

Many times I would just walk away because to fight back (even with words) would lead to a further stereotype of "the angry black woman." It is exhausting, it is humiliating, it is archaic, it is sad!

I have had racist questions directed at me in the disguise of "trying to find out more."

I have had racist stereotypes thrown at me. The kind of "how did you a black person find yourself in this class that only has white people"

I have had the usual "do you live in trees?" "Can you speak to monkeys?" etc

I have sat on a train, only for neighbor to stand and walk away to another seat.

Interestingly, most of these racists are usually miserable people who are not anywhere near my status in life so I choose to ignore. I just cannot associate with them. I wont afford them the dignity of a conversation because they do not deserve it.

We have received no complaints about racist behaviour by our students through our formal Unacceptable Behaviour procedure

If they don't report it how do they expect anything to change?

When there is talk of division and prejudice in the UK’s university campuses it is often of a classist nature. Talk of background and state vs private schools dominates discussions about problems within higher education. But there is little attention to the racism that plagues our campuses, and white students and staff are being racist without even knowing it.

But now three Bristol students have come forward with stories of their experiences at the hands of other students. They’ve called it “racism pure and simple”, telling us how they are abused with monkey chants in the street and subjected to racist mocking on Facebook and WhatsApp.

All three students agree that the university should be doing more.

We hope that by bringing their stories to light there can be increased discussion on the subject and steps can be made by the university and by other students to help prevent such events from occurring again.

Names have been changed for legal reasons.

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Kelly
It was on a Friday night with my friend, waiting to be let in to another friend’s place for pre-drinks. A bunch of young white guys who were walking towards us started making monkey noises. They continued to do so as they walked past us, laughing their heads off.

I’m black, and my friend is also black. This was racism pure and simple. I unequivocally believe that these men were University of Bristol students and I just wish I could have filmed them or got some names and student numbers.

The worst part of it all was the one white guy lagging behind who laughingly apologised on behalf of his friends. Like he wasn’t as racist as them all? If anything he is the worst kind of racists, at least the other guys were comfortable and open in their racism. He’s the type you’d talk to and get on with in lectures, but really, he thinks less of you just because of your skin colour.

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Timi
It was during the summer exam season of second year that the racial attacks started. Henry* (another Bristol student) ganged up with two other people from my old school and decided to relentlessly torment me.

I was called a series of monkey related names on twitter by the group such as Bobo, Bubbles and ‘Shit Flinger’. The group added me to a WhatsApp conversation and sent me pictures of a monkey based Pokémon that they had just acquired on Pokémon Go.

Not wanting to be restricted to just a few social media platforms, the three of them then sent me snapchats where I was compared to a horse.

Upon writing something about Black Lives Matter on Facebook, one of the group posted hateful comments on the status.

The cherry on top of the cake was being sent this video where the group chant “Timi Ariyo, he swings where he wants” followed by loud gorilla chants.

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Dami
Things started happening really early into my Uni experience. In freshers’ week after I had introduced myself to my flatmates one of them asked if he could call me “Danny” instead of Dami. A few weeks later a club picture of me looking really happy on a night out in Bunker was quickly captioned by one of my Uni sport teammates with “Is that watermelon next to the fried chicken?!”

On a separate occasion one of my flatmate friends was introducing me to her friend from home and said: “This is Dami, he’s black but he’s really cool.”

On another night out at a Bristol club when I was the only black person in a group of 15, the bouncers let everyone else through apart from me. They then searched me for ages and used a handheld metal detector before finally letting me through.

I’ve lost count of the number of times that UOB students have asked me for drugs while in the smoking area of Motion.

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These stories reveal a worrying trend and should not be taken lightly. Can black students really feel at home in Bristol if this is the way that some white students behave?

However, a spokesman for the University of Bristol denied that there was a big problem saying: “We have no reason to believe there is a wider problem at the University. We have received no complaints about racist behaviour by our students through our formal Unacceptable Behaviour procedure in the past three years and we have only disciplined one student for misconduct involving racism during this time.

http://thetab.com/uk/bristol/2017/01/17/started-making-monkey-noises-three-bristol-students-racially-abused-uni-28016?utm_source=studentxpost&utm_medium=university&utm_campaign=xpost

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It is very worrying how racist incidents are still being carried out in our universities, despite programs to educate people on diversity and tolerance. This is at least as serious as the rape epidemic in UK universities. What should be done about this?

i wont consider the first case terrible case of racism tho.

Making monkey noises isn't a terrible case of racism?

Yeah I totally get you. I feel even more isolated as a Black Muslim at uni, people expect so little of you, grade you down when you do well ("oh she forgot to do her citations correctly" ), make assumptions about your home life. Its rubbish and I can't escape it.

its being nasty, nasty people are everywhere.

it isnt terrible because it doesnt cause actual lost , other than hurt feelings.