The results of TEK’s Student Survey are encouraging in many respects. Students feel a strong sense of belonging, and student culture is seen as promoting a shared identity. However, the survey also shows that more work is still needed to increase inclusiveness. These two findings are not mutually contradictory but demonstrate that progress has been made and that there is a will to keep improving.
Traditions play a big role in student culture, from May Day initiation rites for first-year students to informal academic dinners and local singing heritage. On the other hand, the continuous turnover of student generations means that change can happen fast.
I witnessed just how quickly culture can change during my own time at university. Debates and actions promoting equality became more common, traditions were being reassessed from new perspectives and new clubs and associations were formed. These changes were the direct result of the student community’s shared will to become more inclusive. The efforts to align activities with values often tick along quietly in the background, but their impact can be felt tangibly in safer events, a more open atmosphere and a stronger sense of community, as the latest Student Survey now demonstrates.
Many students’ spirits are also affected by, for example, uncertainty over summer jobs and more general concerns about their own future. According to the recently published Youth Barometer, young people’s satisfaction with their lives has declined and they now feel more pessimistic about the future. Community and a sense of belonging become all the more important in such a climate.
At its best, student activism provides meaning, and having a purpose in clubs and associations builds hope. The fact that more and more students from different backgrounds feel welcome and accepted in the community is hugely significant.
I take my hat off to the people running today’s student unions and societies, as these important reforms would not have happened without you. It takes dedication and guts to plan, develop and implement activities that help to shape the university experience of an entire generation of students, whether in terms of advocacy or events and culture. Although your daily toil may feel thankless or exhausting at times, it is these activities that take place outside the lecture theatres that ultimately make university a meaningful and socially rich experience.
I would therefore like to extend my huge thanks for your hard work in making student life more inclusive and equal. <3
