Community Focus: Distinguished School Behavior
In the hallowed halls of Oxford University, a significant movement is underway to create a more inclusive and equitable environment for students from all walks of life. The Oxford SU Class Act campaign, led by the Oxford Student Union, is aiming to address and challenge the entrenched class divide and social inequalities within the University community.
The primary aims of the campaign include increasing awareness about how family background and inherited social capital influence university access, student experience, and feelings of belonging. It also provides support and resources for first-generation and working-class students who may lack the "unspoken, untaught knowledge" necessary to navigate the university system effectively.
Recognising that class divisions at Oxford are not just about income but also about access to networks, confidence, and community, the campaign seeks to create a more level playing field through community-building, sharing insider knowledge, and fostering confidence among students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
The campaign has been instrumental in addressing issues that arose during the A Levels results controversy, where many incoming students were unfairly denied their places. To combat this, the University took on more offer holders to ensure a fairer intake. The campaign is also actively working to provide more readily available and dedicated welfare support within colleges, equalise financial situations amongst colleges, and look at postgrad access.
Engaging with the campaign offers students a chance to contribute to a more inclusive university environment that challenges traditional barriers based on class. Students can join the Class Act Society, participate in discussions, workshops, and mentoring schemes designed to share advice, build networks, and empower students from underrepresented backgrounds. They can also support or volunteer for initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between students from different backgrounds, such as peer buddy schemes or outreach programs.
The campaign is led by two co-chairs, Jade, a third-year History student at St Peter's, and Skye, a third-year History and Politics student at St Edmund Hall. Jade, a proud Mancunian, and Skye, originally from Hackney, north-east London, are committed to providing a platform for students from non-traditional Oxford backgrounds where their experiences are valued, and they are well-supported in making change.
The Oxford SU Class Act campaign is part of a broader concern about social mobility and equality in access to highly competitive universities like Oxford and Cambridge, where a significant percentage of students come from families with strong Oxbridge connections. The campaign aims to raise its profile, expand its network, and take on challenges and projects one by one to get closer to its goal.
For more information and support for adjusting into student life at Oxford, visit the Oxford Transition Support page. To share your own experience of student life at Oxford or promote your student society, email [email protected] website.uk. The campaign supports and represents students from working class, low income, first-generation, state comprehensive school backgrounds, care leavers, and estranged students. The pandemic has disrupted academic studies and life for students, and this disruption is often felt more significantly by students who fall under the campaign's remit. The campaign is currently preparing for Class Act Families, a program aimed at supporting freshers with the transition to Oxford and any obstacles it brings.
[1] Source: Oxford SU Class Act campaign website and related news articles.
- The Oxford SU Class Act campaign vigorously promotes education-and-self-development opportunities by addressing the challenges faced by students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, specifically those from working class, low income, first-generation, state comprehensive school backgrounds, care leavers, and estranged students.
- As part of their lifestyle transformation efforts, students involved in the Oxford SU Class Act campaign can engage in a plethora of initiatives, such as discussions, workshops, mentoring schemes, peer buddy schemes, and outreach programs, all aimed at sharing advice, building networks, and empowering underrepresented students to navigate university life effectively.
