A society has been set up by Scottish students at The University of Edinburgh after reports of classism on campus.
The need for the group was formed after a distinct divide involving class and discrimination emerged at the University of Edinburgh.
The Scottish Social Mobility Society was founded a few weeks ago following instances of discrimination towards Scottish students at the university.
This appears to be a response to the backlash faced by the popular student tabloid, ‘The Edinburgh Tab’, which has been accused of having an anti-Scottish bias.
They have made posts and comments on social media that appear to mock Scottish students.
Viewers also noticed that no Scottish people were interviewed for their videos.
Katie Munro, a fourth year Edinburgh University student from Inverness has said: “There is a divide at Edinburgh University which has left students feeling isolated and alienated in a place they call home!”
Students who run the Tab recently made videos where they were located at The University of Edinburgh’s main campus, asking fellow students what they were wearing.
One commenter wrote there was “not a scot in sight” to which The Tab responded that this is “as god intended”.
The Scottish Social Mobility Society’s social media coordinator Ian McLean, who is a Scottish student at the University of Edinburgh says the group was set up to “put a face to the Scottish student voice and create a safe space for those who feel isolated by this issue.”
He says he does not blame the Tab for classicism at the university, however “they are in a position of social influence and haven’t been representative of the student body”.
A student from fife, 20-year-old Harry Durant has experienced first hand the isolation Scottish students are facing.
“I sometimes feel myself changing my accent, in lectures I have been told I sound rough, which has put me off speaking in classes,” Durant said.
McLean agreed: “In first year I was asked to repeat myself countlessly and I don’t even have a strong accent”.
As Scottish residents are entitled to free tuition, the number admitted per year is capped, so universities have a financial incentive to prioritise tuition paying students.
Additionally, the rising cost of accommodations in Edinburgh makes it harder for Scottish students, especially those from a working-class background, to live on campus.
“The campus is dominated by non-Scottish students and recent posts by the Edinburgh Tab have escalated this with mocking comments,” Munro said. “These are not jokes, they intensify deep rooted issues of classism”.
The Tab denied having an anti-Scottish bias, however in response to the situation they turned off their comments on social media.
Ava Traquair, a member of the Scottish Social Mobility Society’s committee, said they weren’t happy about how the Tab handled the issue.
“We are happy to work with them in the future if they want more Scottish representation, that is more than four people,” Traquair said.
Students who created the Scottish Social Mobility Society are creating a pressure group in hope of bringing these issues to the forefront of student discourse.
“We hope to forge a community at the University of Edinburgh through socials so that Scottish people can meet other Scottish people who share their same experiences,” they said.
Commenters on social media noticed that no Scottish students appear in the videos.
