Scots students’ roll of shame from indecency to dirty f lats
MORE than 1,000 students were disciplined over incidents that included harassment, indecency and fighting in only two years.
They were reprimanded for behaviour ranging from setting off fire alarms to indecent exposure, according to figures released by Scotland’s academic institutions.
One student was disciplined for damaging an art installation and two received a warning over the squalid condition of their flat.
A total of 1,048 students faced disciplinary proceedings during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years at 12 Scottish universities.
The majority faced action such as verbal or written warnings, but some were fined or even expelled from their university for the more serious incidents.
Documents show that students have been disciplined over matters including ‘indecent behaviour’, sending ‘unsolicited and suggestive’ text messages to others and alleged assaults.
The number of cases rose over the two years by around 10 per cent, from 501 to 547.
The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, have sparked calls for universities to ensure harassment and violence on campus is stamped out.
Scottish Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘It’s worrying to see an increase in these disciplinary cases. But we must remember this represents a tiny minority of Scotland’s student population.
‘It’s important, for the sake of staff and fellow students, that things such as harassment and dangerous behaviour are treated extremely seriously.’
Among the institutions asked, Edinburgh University recorded the most disciplinary cases, with 539 over the two years.
Of those, 19 were over instances of ‘violent, indecent, disorderly, threatening or offensive behaviour or language including harassment while engaged in any university work, study or activity’.
Aberdeen University fined one student for ‘erratic and dangerous driving on site’, another for ‘exposing genitals to staff’ and issued a warning to a student who climbed on the roof of a building.
Two were warned for allowing their flat to become so messy it was deemed to be a health hazard and a fine was issued in relation to six noise complaints against one flat.
The University of Abertay expelled one person for ‘using offensive language and behaving in an indecent manner, harassing another member of the university community’, while another was cautioned for ‘damaging an art installation while intoxicated’.
An Edinburgh University spokesman said: ‘We are the largest university in Scotland with more than 39,000 students and almost 10,000 full-time equivalent staff.
‘The university is committed to creating a culture where all staff and students are treated with respect and feel safe and fulfilled within our community.’
A spokesman for representative body Universities Scotland said: ‘There is a lot of work under way in higher education across the UK to improve the processes for reporting and recording of instances of staff and student misconduct. If this is successful, it is bound to produce a spike in the number of recorded instances of misconduct.
‘This has to be understood in the wider context of trying to address this issue more systematically.’
‘Worrying to see increase in cases’