Studying at university as a person of colour (POC)
For most people, being a university student typically comes with a set of challenges and concerns. Specifically, however, we see that people of colour who have migrated to commence their studies, overtake an array of different issues that come with being foreign in a new place. Whilst many university campuses advertise a plethora of open and welcoming spaces for students to feel safe and heard, they may not be as inclusive or sympathetic to the experience of someone foreign or marginalized in the country.
The Annual diversity report for Scotland has demonstrated that 95% of the population identify as ‘white’, leaving 5% of the population to come from ethnic minority backgrounds.
When discussing race in relation to population, it is important to define corresponding terms like ‘people of colour’ and ‘ethnic minorities’. Typically, the phrase ‘person of colour’ is used as an umbrella term to describe individuals that don’t identify as white. Nadia Al-Yagout explored such terms in her article “Who is a ‘Person of colour’” and expressed how when a term like this is used, descriptions fall short in specificity and often disregard a large proportion of non-white races.
Racial discrimination among Scottish citizens
People of colour have been minorities in western countries for hundreds of years and so have experienced life quite differently to the average white citizen. This topic of discussion is important when considering the experiences of university students who are ethnic minorities in the UK as the conditions surrounding the way they are treated outside of university are indeed reflected around British campuses.
These conditions include discrimination, marginalisation and other subtle forms of social exclusion and micro aggressions. It is no secret that people of colour are subjected to racism in their everyday lives though some believe that this fact is refutable. This article is not about proving those people wrong. That said the highest prevalence of victims of violent crime, are found in young people aged 16-24.
Between 2021/22 the Scottish police recorded 6,927 hate crimes, 62% of which being racially motivated.
This means that university students of colour are even more likely to experience some kind of violent crime. We must also acknowledge the high prevalence of individuals who may have experienced such crimes but have refused to report this out of fear or feelings of pointlessness.
How this affects mental health
The truth is, regardless of race, every student deserves to feel accepted. For many white students their race has not mitigated feelings of comfortability on campus as most spaces are generally populated and run by white identifying individuals. Leaving behind one’s own country/culture and being submerged into entirely new one with different standards and expectations, can take an understandable mental toll.
For white students, this adaptation isn’t necessary and so extracurricular and recreational communities on campus are better catered towards them. In an experiment conducted by Gwayi-Chore et al, researchers found that the students and staff of colour identified their university climate as “somewhat uncomfortable” and “very uncomfortable” more than white students and staff.
Moreover, these students attributed this discomfort to:
- Lack of social, academic and physiological support
- The inability of faculty to connect with them when identifying as a different race
- Faculty rejecting their responsibility to respond/acknowledge racial bias, microaggressions and racism in classroom settings
These findings suggest how not experiencing racial aggression can translate to a lack of empathy for those that do, leaving campus spaces ignorant of this context.
Further evidence of this comes from an experiment I conducted myself with 30 mix gendered university students of colour who had either migrated to Scotland for university or were minorities at their institutions of study. 80% of participants had experienced racial discrimination. Similarly, 80% of participants had also known someone who had also been victim of this.
This goes to show that even without the conditions of immigration, POC students have found that their racial identification alone is enough to isolate them during their time at university.
Whilst the majority of participants had experienced discrimination, only half of them had been exposed to a validating and accepting environment. 85% of participants said that a racially targeted situation that they had been subjected to, had been the cause of mental health struggles. Two-thirds of this cohort expressed difficulty finding resources on campus to help with these issues. This could be explained by the lack of inclusivity amongst available resources that may not acknowledge or show understanding of the ordeals a person of colour may face.
In terms of mental health, participants in my experience expressed extreme distress when considering the psychological effects of these constraints. Participants in my experiment described their problems as “tiresome”, “scary” and “isolating”. One participant explained that “…the hyper surveillance that is constantly aimed at me have led to feelings of severe paranoia when on campus.”
Why is this important?
Moving away from a place you once called home is accompanied by its own pressures. Students are expected to stay on top of their workload whilst also maintaining positive mental health. This has proven to be difficult when dealing with racial judgment from the very people who are supposed to support and guide your journey.
This results in a lack of social spaces for students of colour, leading to the inhibition of consequential social development. For the non-white student, social groups are important as psychologists have determined that these can increase a sense of purpose and belonging for an individual. These social relationships have also been found to curate stress-reducing spaces.
As for the white identifying students, research has increasingly shown that understanding communities from a range of ethnic backgrounds may lead to better integration into future diverse workforces.
Enrolment in diversity courses positively influences students’ commitment to act in their communities to end social injustices. These courses also teach students important negotiation and communication skills, showing us the importance in understanding the experiences of those from different social (and ethnic) backgrounds.
The available research has illustrated the negative biases and discrimination that accompany the student experience of a person of colour. This being said, it is crucial that both the institutions and general university population make active attempts to reduce these conditions in making spaces more inclusive and accepting.
The truth is whilst I’m sure this article has been informative for some people who identify as POC, this article isn’t for them. More likely than not, students of colour have themselves been victim of the unfortunate circumstances that have been explored here. The purpose of this piece of work is to raise awareness of these struggles so that they cannot be ignored, to remind non-ethnic groups of the issues people of colour face on top of the daily struggles of life. When more and more people become aware of these issues, we can work together as a society to make the student transition easier.
References
- Al-Yagout, N. (2017). Who is a “Person of Color?” Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 1(39), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.55671/0160-4341.1027
- Gwayi-Chore, M.-C. et al. (2021). “Being a Person of Color in This Institution Is Exhausting”: Defining and Optimizing the Learning Climate to Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.642477
- Laird, T. F. N., Engberg, M. E., & Hurtado, S. (2005). Modeling Accentuation Effects: Enrolling in a Diversity Course and the Importance of Social Action Engagement. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(4), 448–476. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2005.0028
- Friedlander, L. J. et al (2007). Social Support, Self-Esteem, and Stress as Predictors of Adjustment to University Among First-Year Undergraduates. Journal of College Student Development, 48(3), 259–274. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2007.0024
- Umberson, D., & Karas Montez, J. (2010). Social relationships and health: A flashpoint for health policy. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 51(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383501
Young Scot supports young people to share their own voices, views and opinions and works with partner organisations and professionals who are experts in different topics. The views expressed in this blog are those of the young people, organisations and/or individuals who have taken part in the blog, not necessarily the views of Young Scot.