TV PRESENTER Lorraine Kelly has led a public outcry against the University of St Andrews, saying she is both “sad and angry” after a former student accused the institution of having a “culture of anti-Scottish classism”.
The breakfast TV host is among thousands of people who have hit out at the university after scholarship student Sophie Rose Jenkins spoke to The National about how she was treated by the staff at St Andrews.
Jenkins explained she had dropped out after the second year of her Comparative Literature and Classical Studies degree course after being left feeling “isolated” after being excluded by her peers due to her Scottish accent.
She told The National: “I don’t have a very thick Glasgow accent at all.
“But aside from that, these people chose to come to Scotland to study and then refused to listen to our accents or try and understand our accents. It felt so insane.”
Jenkins' story has resonated with scores of Scots who have since shared their own experience of facing “anti-Scottish classism” in universities across the country.
Responding to Jenkins' story, which has gained more than 200,000 views online, Kelly said: “This makes me both sad and angry - I thought things had got better. Sadly not.”
Kelly, who has appeared on national TV since the mid-1980s and grew up in Glasgow before moving to East Kilbride, previously said she was “crushed” when she was told she would not get a job in television due to her “working-class Scottish accent”.
She also said she was mocked for her “offensive” Glaswegian accent when she worked at BBC Scotland in the 1980s and has called on institutions to do more in providing opportunities for people from working-class backgrounds.
Jenkins said she was “paraded around” in front of donors as the face of the university’s philanthropy but behind closed doors was told university staff “didn’t believe in” the disability support she had been receiving since she was 12 years old.
She said university staff not taking her disability seriously resulted in “my worst ever relapse that drove me close to taking my life on several occasions”.
Jenkins also claimed that classist, anti-Scottish attitudes also felt systemic among university staff, with current students at St Andrews also describing feeling similarly dismissed by student services when reaching out for support.
Another Scottish scholarship undergraduate student at St Andrews said: “There have been many times where I’ve been ignored or made fun of in class because of my accent being ‘too strong’ or because the American and international students ‘can’t understand what I’m saying,’ and the tutor just laughs or says nothing.”
Another student from the university shared their experience as they wrote: “Scottish St Andrews alumni here.
“She isn't lying. I felt compelled to write on the subject for one of my essays, and the feedback was, ‘This seems to be a common feeling amongst Scottish students’.”
Meanwhile, another person commented: “Edinburgh uni was also exactly like this. It's insane to be discriminated against in your own city.”
A third added: “As someone from Ayrshire who has come through the system, I think this extends beyond St Andrews.
“In higher university-level education there are many subtle negatives attitudes towards lower-class, and also occasionally Scottish, backgrounds.
“We really need more working class Scots in higher education!”
Last year, it emerged that staff at the University of Edinburgh underwent training sessions to help tackle “accent bias” when teaching students.
It came after the Scottish Social Mobility Society, a student-formed anti-discrimination watchdog, received more than 200 reports of Scots being mocked over their backgrounds since its formation.
Both lecturers and non-Scottish students were accused of ridiculing the Scottish accent and mimicking them, with the University of Edinburgh being forced to issue guidance on tackling “socioeconomic microaggressions” by asking students not to be a “snob”.
A spokesperson for the University of St Andrews said although they wouldn’t comment on the circumstances of any individual student, they were “very concerned and sorry” to read about Jenkins experiences.
They said: “We did reach out to her so we can better understand her experience, and we do wish her every success in the future.
“Inclusivity is really important to us, and is central to our University Strategic Plan. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion information and training for all students – designed by students themselves – addresses both classism and accents. We want everyone who studies and works here to feel that they belong.
“Commenting on someone’s accent or background can amount to bullying, harassment or exclusion, and that sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.
“We’re a Scottish university, Scottish students are our heritage and lifeblood, and every year we take in the maximum number of Scots we’re allowed to under the Scottish government rules. Scottish students make up over 30% of our student community.
“We do have very robust measures in place to support any student who seeks help, particularly with their mental health. Wellbeing advice and mental health coordination is available through Student Services, including help with significant or complex mental health difficulties. Counselling, academic adjustments, pastoral support and student-led support. Students can contact a Wellbeing Adviser and access emergency support.
“Students can report bullying, harassment or discrimination through our online Report and Support tools, and can do so anonymously if they wish.”
