Student's View

The news that a white undergraduate is almost twice as likely to be accepted to our University than his or her black counterpart is an appalling statistic, but it’s not a surprising one. 

The news that a white undergraduate is almost twice as likely to be accepted to our University than his or her black counterpart is an appalling statistic, but it’s not a surprising one.  Walking around Edinburgh, almost every student must have noticed that both the city and the university are decidedly undiversified. However, while figures such as these scream of inequality – they also raise important questions about universities position in tackling wider social injustice. Do higher education institutions have a moral imperative to implement change or should they continue to educate those who have the best academic records; those who on paper are the high achievers? 

Last week, Alison Richard, the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University firmly placed her support behind the second of these two schools of thought.

At the Universities UK conference she criticised government diversification plans, arguing that it is universities sole job to educate and not to act as ‘engines for promoting social justice.’  Continuing her speech by stating that ‘neither family poverty, nor misplaced ideas about not fitting in should discourage students from applying to University’ Richard’s views illustrate a dangerous air of complacency. In her battle against Labour’s wider participation plans, she seems to argue that inequality is a myth constructed by the socialist left. After all, cream always rises to the top doesn’t it? This is an irresponsible view which is disappointing from the leader of such a prestigious university. However, it also exposes an elitism which may backfire against institutions which subscribe to Richard’s view. Universities must be responsible for the ethnic and social backgrounds of their students. Yes, it’s not their fault that there’s inequality at the grass-roots level – in schools and society in general but that doesn’t mean social injustice should automatically transfer into higher education. At some level the established order has to be challenged and Universities – the traditional beacons of forward and enlightened thought should hold the front line. The student body of Universities should be representative of the population at large. It’s as simple as that, black and white.