St Andrews University apologises for 'decades of letting down' BAME students and staff

St Andrews University has apologised over "decades of letting down" people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

A list of actions have been drawn up by the institution to improve representation of BAME students and scholars.

Professor Sally Mapstone is calling on all students and staff to play an active role in making change happen.

The university has also published, for the first time, comprehensive reports on equality, diversity and inclusion.

Just less than 7% of staff at St Andrews university identify as BAME, and a fifth of the current student population.

But representation among students in St Andrews is still higher than across Scotland - which is below 9%.

Actions to make things better include the institution's Race, Ethnicity, Religion and Belief Equality Group working to identify and address issues which cause disadvantage to people from a BAME background.

There is also the examination of all evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of name-blind applications by the Name Blind Working Group.

The university says that since 2016, is staff have been supported to participate in the Advance HE Diversifying Leadership (BAME) programme.

Professor Maptsone said: "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.

"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.

"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 said: "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."