A shambles of sensationalism
The front-page headline in the last edition of York Vision might appear to the casual observer to represent yet another in a long line of exposed failings in University management. However, closer examination of the University’s actions reveals that for once the smoke conceals no fire. York is not being swamped by bogus international students intent on defrauding the British taxpayer; to suggest that such a phenomenon is widespread not only flies in the face of all common sense, it also obscures the real challenges posed by the increasing numbers of students coming to York from abroad.
The real problem is not students from abroad who have fallen off the radar, but rather those who were never really on it in the first place. That York is a relatively tiny, highly parochial institution makes it very easy to forget that the visibility of non-British students here is minimal, and that sometimes they can be effectively segregated from University society. This segregation takes many forms, but has no singular, identifiable, blameable source. Instead, it is the product of a culture where international students, particularly those who do not speak English as a first language, find it difficult to become involved in campus life. The survey Nouse has conducted provides plentiful evidence to suggest that this need not be the case. Most international students are keen to get involved in student societies and enjoy their academic courses, but, crucially, many admit that they do not always feel all that welcome at York. Whatever the reasons for such a situation, the need to rectify it is pressing.
Ensuring that racist and xenophobic attitudes are not tolerated on campus is an important part of the solution, and students and staff alike ought to be applauded for their efforts to make sure this remains to be the case. However, effort must be directed not only at the expressions of poor relations between different groups, but also at their root causes. It is often suggested that the high fees paid by international students mark them out as something of a commodity, valued not for their contribution to student life but their contribution to the University’s coffers. Anyone subscribing to this view needs to think very carefully about the basic assumptions that underpin such an exploitative standpoint.
More importantly, two temptations must be avoided. The first is to assume that decrying racism and voting against the BNP is all we should be doing as people concerned to live in a society where all feel welcome. The second, opposite but equally pernicious, is to think that sensationalising such a complex and subtle issue comes anywhere close to confronting it.
