The experience of commuting and living at home: how does it affect the engagement of BME students with the university and their learning

The reasons for the black and minority ethnic (BME) student degree attainment gap are complex and multifactorial. However, it appears that increasing numbers of all students are commuting to campus from the parental and family home and this is now disproportionately represented by BME students at one large post-92 university. This paper outlines findings from a small, qualitative, local study of commuting BME undergraduates and explores how their issues and needs have been addressed through a range of cultural, infrastructural and curricular interventions. The main issue of concern which supports the recent report (Thomas and Jones, 2017) is that many commuting BME students will prioritise academic engagement but are unaware of the wider social and cultural capital that can be gained from participating in extracurricular activities. It is clear that some issues faced by BME commuting students are identical to those faced by all commuting students (stress, impractical timetabling and assessment deadlines, “invisibility”).The fundamental issue is that BME students (commuting and non-commuting) are already often coping with a less-adequate student learning experience, poorer degree attainment (Richardson, 2008a & b, Newbold et al, 2011) and reduced employability (Guardian, 2016) and this may be compounded for those disproportionately high numbers of BME students who also commute. University action must be situated within a broader framework of inclusive academic practice, drawing on a “holistic engagement vision” (Pickford, 2016, p.31) of infrastructural support and partnership working between students and staff.