Kent Uni bullying

[BlueTube]

Apologies for the DM link www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7863961/University-Kent-student-hanged-taunted-bullies.html#comments but this shocked and saddened me so much.

It is reported that a very talented PHD student who received a highly prestigious scholarship has been bullied by peers in the lab where she was conducting her research. Allegedly the other researchers taunted her for not being posh enough and for being state educated.

I have heard of other University labs and that bullying is not uncommon among supervisors and research staff especially in the life sciences.

Is the bullying of bright but state educated students a widespread problem? If yes, what can be done to prevent such tragic situations in academia in the future?

That is so sad, her poor family. How are these bullies brought up? And able to sleep at night.
I don’t know enough about the things that universities are implementing to combat it but just wanted to acknowledge it really.

That is desperately sad. I did my PhD at Kent uni, although in a different department. I also did my undergraduate degree there- i was a mature student and went to the local comprehensive. There was an extremely diverse range of students from all backgrounds and I never experienced any prejudice based on school background.

It really saddens me to read about this.

Perhaps a bit off-topic, but if you can find out much about UK universities' staff surveys (unlikely unless amalgamated data in an overarching report), you will probably find that this is an issue that comes up as a problem within staff/team relationships in a number of universities as well. There is certainly a sense of a divide between how academics regard themselves against those with non-academic posts (even if those post holders also have degrees, advanced qualifications, or senior roles, which is pretty common). It's as if 'real' university posts mean always proving your academic superiority, as if it's the only skill set that counts at all. It's not really challenged in many cases and behavioural policies are worded very carefully, and nitpicked over before they are released on the workforce.

Currently at Kent Uni, the support system is shite, whatever people say about it being one of the best. The whole thing is far too complicated, it's not clear who's talking to who or when, the people who are half decent can't do anything because it's not in their power and the people who have the power are generally either so far removed or frankly so untrustworthy as to be useless.
I can't talk specifically about bullying, I wouldn't say it's something I have much experience with, but a (now former) flatmate made a very serious (and completely false) accusation about me, and though I managed to clear my name, there were no repercussions for her, so what's being said about bullying on campus and in labs wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

I read this earlier. It’s very sad.

I went to a different university (at undergraduate level) that seemed to have a very large independent school contingent. Of a halls of about 30, I would say 2/3 were privately educated. I was state educated and I did find the divide quite difficult. It was The first time I had encountered anyone caring where I went to school and was the first question I got asked by many. It was a learning curve! I found the girls the worst and so gravated more towards the men and did make some good friends (and did meet my husband there).

In fact, I actually think I got treated more favourably than some girls who were state educated because my husband and I got together early on and he was privately educated.

What happened with this young woman is just so awful.

Sometimes the brightest / most talented people are not the most competitive or assertive. As a consequence, they might suffer the effects of sharp elbows and envy from their peers and not easily find a comfortable place in the social hierarchies of academia.

I wonder how young people can learn how to defend themselves against vicious people who seek to undermine their work in any workplace or academia and to learn how to look after their mental health.

That's appalling Festivecheeseandcrackers. So is this quite common then?

How can those privately educated students be so snobbish? It doesn't at all reflect well on them.

Makes me wonder that despite bright state educated children working hard and succeeding academically, they might not belong, no matter how successful they are. Or worse, they may be bullied.