Ex-students Complain Of Sexism And Racism At UCL Architecture School

A former student of University College London’s (UCL) Bartlett School of Architecture, Eleni Kyriacou, has compiled a dossier of allegations of racism and sexism dating back a decade. The Bartlett, which is the academic centre for the study of the built environment at UCL, has been accused of nurturing a “systemic” culture condoning comments on factors such as appearance and race, which caused female students to cry. Among the evidence provided, testimonials from 21 people were collected which convinced Kyriacou to draw up the report which has been published by the Guardian newspaper.

 

The report comes on the back of an investigation that took place a decade ago, which revealed problems at The Bartlett regarding marks given to female students compared to men. The university was aware of the issue and worked to address it without contacting its alumni. The university claims it has always been “aware of issues” in the Bartlett school and it is currently investigating the complaints of the students. In recent years, there have been several other incidents with anonymous students alleging that the staff is damaging primarily female candidates.

 

One student claimed they made a serious complaint against a unit brief released last year, which was published in both video and text formats, and appeared to connect lack of colour in architecture with race and the Black Lives Matter campaign. The video, containing disturbing images, violated the emotions of many black and ethnic alumni and was subsequently removed from the university’s website. Furthermore, several students have reported seeing female colleagues cry, substantiating claims by Kyriacou that misconduct has affected hundreds of alumni.

 

Kyriacou is calling for the University to thoroughly investigate the conduct of Bartlett staff and offer female alumni grade changes, in addition to being offered their RIBA part 1qualification to aid in becoming architects.

In 2020, the Bartlett faculty of the built environment saw an increase in the attainment of first-class degrees, with 40.5% of female students achieving this distinction compared to 39.5% of their male counterparts. To address the ongoing problem of a lack of diversity in the built environment professions, the Bartlett introduced a scholarship program to encourage students from a diverse range of backgrounds to participate.

In response to these reports, Professor Roseneil expressed a desire to explore the deeper issues behind the data. She explained that a thorough investigation into the cultural and behavioral patterns within the school will be conducted in addition to analyzing historical data.

The Bartlett is well-aware of the existence of sexist and racist behavior within UCL and is committed to addressing these inequalities. The school strives to cultivate an environment in which students and staff can thrive while embracing diversity.