St Andrews University apologises for not supporting BAME students and scholars

The apology, given by Principal Professor Sally Mapstone, came a week after an open letter was sent to the university criticising its lack of support for BAME students and staff.

“We know that for decades, St Andrews hasn’t got this right, that we’ve let down our BAME students and staff, and that our university has been, and continues to be, so much the poorer for it,” said Professor Mapstone.

“On behalf of this institution, I apologise for that.

“Acknowledging that injustice, understanding what we are and have been doing to right it, and where we must all play a part in enabling structural change, is an absolutely fundamental step in our reform.”

In a message to staff and students, Prof Mapstone set out a comprehensive list of the actions St Andrews is taking to improve BAME representation, and called on all staff and students to be active participants in driving change.

To support change, the University of St Andrews has also published, for the first time, comprehensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Progress Reports.

These represent the culmination of a year-long project to generate extensive and reliable evidence against which progress can be measured.

The reports also include detailed information on attainment and retention, and provide important context for the actions the university is taking to improve BAME representation.

Actions include an audit of inclusive curriculum initiatives currently active across the university, with a focus on race and ethnicity, and a group working to identify and address issues which disadvantage BAME people at the university.

Prof Mapstone continued: “Every one of the initiatives underway at St Andrews exists because we want to make a real difference to people’s lives.

“These actions are only a start, but I hope they provide a sense of depth and momentum, and the centrality of diversity to what St Andrews, under my leadership, aspires to be.”

Student president Jamie Rodney added: “I echo the principal’s apology – the Students’ Association, just like the university, has fallen short of doing everything it could do for BAME, and particularly black, students.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to support the university’s actions, and uplift the voices of our black students.”