The advice was issued following complaints from the recently-established Scottish Social Mobility Society (SMSS) that lecturers and students frequently made fun of and imitated people from less-privileged backgrounds.
40% of the students at Edinburgh come from private schools, despite these establishments only being attended by 7% of the UK population.
Atmosphere of elitism
The University acknowledged that discrimination is ‘common’ and continues to be a ‘big problem’.
The guidelines discourage students from privileged backgrounds from acting like ‘snobs’ and instead, advises individuals on how to create a more inclusive setting.
"When you meet new people be curious about their interests and aspirations, rather than their background"
One directive encourages students that “when you meet new people be curious about their interests and aspirations, rather than their background”.
The University acknowledged that discrimination is ‘common’ and continues to be a ‘big problem’.
Another guideline states: “Try to undo some of the unhelpful mythology about the relationship of wealth to intelligence or hard work”.
Some ways individuals can be discriminated against within an ‘atmosphere of elitism’ relates to characteristics such as regional accents, lack of knowledge, and clothing.
Above all, accent bias is one of the biggest issues concerning discrimination at universities.
One current University of Edinburgh medical student said: “Being from ‘up North’ is a rarity and another Northern student told me that hearing my Yorkshire accent was refreshing”.
The University also provides a ‘report and support’ platform on their website that allows students to report any forms of bullying, harassment, or discrimination on campus, in order to combat this issue.
