Welcome to Exeter -Black students

Hiya! I was an undergraduate student at Exeter from 2017-2020. I'm not Black myself, but I'm of mixed heritage, Muslim and from a working-class background. I also went to the university simultaneously as my two best friends from school, who are Black and Asian. I remember when a few of the things you mentioned came out, and it was horrific at the time.

Honestly, I found it quite a shock when I first went there (although I didn't expect much diversity from Exeter, I mainly wanted to go as it was the best university I could get into). I grew up with people of all backgrounds and found that there were very few students who were BAME or not from middle-class/upper-middle-class backgrounds—both the diversity in terms of race and class sucked at the university. I came across many extremely privileged people who would come out with some quite ignorant comments, such as referring to working-class people as "homeless", playing drinking games where they rated how much money they thought each of our family's had etc. When certain horrific events occurred like the ones you mentioned, I felt that the university took some action to condemn them, but it didn't seem like enough.

I would say that overall, myself and other BAME friends did not experience targeted harassment. Still, the lack of diversity was alienating at times, and I'm sure, is felt by many students. I'm not sure where you are from (I'm from near London), but the lack of diversity was a bit of a shock, and I wouldn't say I ever fully adjusted to it. I'd overall say that it's a great university in terms of academics and there are plenty of nice people there. It was just a culture shock for me. I totally empathise with your concerns about the university, having seen all of the news about it, and it's a very valid concern.

If you have any specific questions, please tag me x

Hello,
Disclaimer: I am merely sharing my personal experiences thus far at the University of Exeter.
Prior to arriving at the University, students were asked to introduce themselves and state where they are from as part of the orientation process. I found that this only encouraged people to stay within their bubbles. Generally, students were only drawn to others from the same county within the UK or, for international students, those from the same country. Students generally did not step outside of their comfort zones to interact with someone different from them. Students tend to be very clannish and stick within their own bubbles (nationalities).
If students aren't quite sure what ethnic background you are from, they may ostracise you. It is especially challenging when colorism comes into play i.e. being a fair-skinned black person. It is clear that despite attempts to improve EDI, classism and racism is still very much an issue, and it was exacerbated through the selection of orientation activities in Week 1.
The very shallow activities used at the orientation were not the best options to encourage people to interact with one another. Students were actually segregated based on whether they were international or from the UK, and those within the UK were asked to organise themselves from North to South by county. We were also required to find a person in the room with the same "fashion-sense" i.e. style of shoe and interact with them. This only encouraged people to judge others based on appearance alone.
If you don't sound British, then that may prove to be problematic when socialising. I have experienced blatant racism and snobbery, such that people will go as far as turn their back on you when you try to have a simple conversation, rather than engage with you. They don't want to interact in person, let alone connect with you on social media.
When you're of mixed heritage, you're not exactly accepted within the African, Indian, or white circles unless they want you to be. Since they aren't used to stepping outside of their bubbles (from my experience), they aren't very welcoming.
The school is definitely majority white, and certain accommodations may have a SPRINKLE of black/coloured students throughout the accommodation blocks. I'm not saying every accommodation is like this, but in my accommodation, I was never invited to any of their social events held in the kitchen. In fact, those whom my flatmates DID invite, from other accommodations, would give me a look as I entered the kitchen as if to say 'What are you doing here?'. They wouldn't say a word if I spoke to them. However, they didn't hesitate to talk about and laugh at you after you exited the room. They look at you as if YOU don't belong in the flat to which you were assigned. They create the lukewarm atmosphere, and when you decide to treat them accordingly (based on that initial interaction), you are viewed as the problem and they ask each other, ‘why is that person so angry?’.