"...Northern and Southern students are often hostile, with prejudices and stereotypes going both ways between those from the North and South."
The university allows students to meet people from a multitude of backgrounds, becoming a melting pot for cultural exchange. Although it doesn’t always feel like this, interactions between Northern and Southern students are often hostile, with prejudices and stereotypes going both ways between those from the North and South.
My experience:
As my Geordie friends often remind me, Newcastle is very much ‘The North’, you can’t get any more northern! It was therefore surprising, and disheartening, that when I arrived at the (not so) pearly gates of Castle Leazes to begin the first semester of my new life, I didn’t encounter a single northerner!
The impact of the ritual humiliation that most northerners face at university by asking us to pronounce certain words or phrases (such as my least favourite “say chicken and a can of coke”) for the amusement of our southern colleagues cannot be understated.
Being mocked for your accent, being asked “how many girls have you got pregnant” or overhearing others ‘joke’ to “stay away from [me], he’ll rob you” just for being Northern (and in my experience because I'm Scouse) are deeply discriminatory behaviours that must be challenged.
"The feeling of imposter syndrome, feeling like an outsider, in a northern city, as a northerner, is outstanding! "
The entitlement of these individuals immediately sours the experience of university for us northerners. The feeling of imposter syndrome, feeling like an outsider, in a northern city, as a northerner, is outstanding!
As a straight, white, cisgender man, I am fortunate to have faced little discrimination back home. Yet in University I immediately suffered discrimination because of how I talk, my assumed class status and perceived intelligence.
A great source of spiteful pride is knowing that, despite how I may be viewed, I attend the same university as them, and we’ve ended up in the same place. And my parents didn’t need to spend thousands of pounds on my education!
Is the stereotype of a southerner, someone who asks ‘where you went’ instead of where you’re from, who can afford to buy a new costume every Wednesday night and who claims they ‘live near London’ whilst actually deriving from somewhere with a name that wouldn't look out of place on a map of Middle Earth, a fair representation? Or just a lazy stereotype?
"The posh commune of Jesmond provides many southern students with a ‘safe space’ away from the reality that faces many in the North."
The subcultural groups of some southerners may provide the origins of this oversimplified stereotype. The idea that Jesmond is a ‘southern exclave’ is a popular joke amongst northern students at Newcastle. The Rugby Lads and Jesmond Rah’s are popular subcultures within the university. The posh commune of Jesmond provides many southern students with a ‘safe space’ away from the reality that faces many in the North.
However, viewing the North/South divide within universities as a clash of personalities and subculture does not paint the whole picture. The more accurate description is one of class-bias, which due to the inherent divide of the nation, generally falls along north/south lines.
"Newcastle University ranks for social inclusion in the Times university ranking at 104th."
The class divide within our university is clear. Newcastle University is dominated by middle-class, privately educated individuals. Around 25% of Newcastle University students are privately educated, compared to just 7% of the population. Newcastle University ranks for social inclusion in the Times university ranking at 104th.
Around 87% of students that attend private schools are from families who own businesses or have managerial occupations. This overwhelming majority indicates that privately educated students are from so called “upper-middle class” backgrounds. Additionally, the vast majority of independent schools are based in London and the Southeast.
Working-class students clearly face institutional discrimination within the university, and Northern students frequently face discrimination based on unfounded stereotypes. This discrimination does little to foster the cohesion and cultural exchange that Newcastle University should be built around.
"Whether you’re state-educated, working-class or northern, Newcastle University must ensure its campus is an inclusive and welcoming space for you."
The North-South division within the university will only be resolved by the university tackling the institutional discrimination faced by many of its students. Whether you’re state-educated, working-class or northern, Newcastle University must ensure its campus is an inclusive and welcoming space for you.