Language and culture

In many western cultures, alcohol is a prominent feature of socialising and celebrating. It often accompanies meals and is served at places where people meet to socialise such as bars, restaurants and nightclubs. In many other cultures and religions, alcohol is less prominent and may even be prohibited by religious laws. Many faiths believe it ‘clouds the mind’ or ‘leads it astray’, and some believe it interferes with the ability to remember God.

For example, Christianity, Hinduism and Judaism do not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, whereas Islam, Buddhism, Rasfatarianism and Sikhism do prohibit alcohol.

It is important to consider different cultures and beliefs around alcohol when planning events. If events are taking place in a venue such as a bar, this can be a barrier for some students. Even if the bar isn’t serving alcohol at the event or there are non-alcoholic options available, the venue itself can prevent some students from attending.

It would be nice if there were different sorts of activities, for example, drinking culture is quite prevalent in White culture. It’s not such a big thing in other cultures, well I say that speaking for myslf…most events are based around or in the venue, which even the fact it’s a bar, even though you’re not doing anything alcoholic, the fact it’s in a bar means that I don’t have any interest in going. (EHU student)

Fasting is practiced in many different cultures and religions around the world. In Christianity for example: meat is not eaten during each Friday of Lent and particularly on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Whereas for Muslims, times of fasting such as during Ramadan involve not eating or drinking at all between sunrise and sunset for 30 days.

It is important to be mindful of when fasting may be happening for students and staff from different cultures and backgrounds as this may affect their work and studies temporarily.

Halal originates from rules set out in the Qur’an and the Hadith (the Prophet Muhammad’s example), which have been followed throughout generations of Islamic practice. Muslims eat halal food because it meets requirements that Muslims believe make it suitable for consumption.

For a meat to be certified “halal,” it cannot be a forbidden cut (such as meat from hindquarters) or animal (such as pork.). The way the animal is slaughtered is very specific, the animal is required to be healthy before slaughter, and is required to be hung and bled dry.

But I think food wise if they need to…if they could cater towards all kinds of people, they could get kosher meat or halal meat, everything on campus, it’s not kosher or halal, so I think it just like, excludes those students, so they have to go elsewhere, so I think that change could be brought in, that would make it more ideal. (EHU student)

The Jewish dietary laws explain the rules for choosing kosher animal products, including the prohibition of what is considered “unclean” animals and the mixing of meat and dairy. The laws also outline what are considered to be “neutral” foods (pareve).

To be considered kosher, animals must fall into one of the following categories, and meet certain requirements.

• Certain animals may not be eaten at all, including pigs, shellfish, rabbits, and reptiles.
• Mammals that have split hooves and chew their cud, (including cows, sheep, goats, bison, and deer) are kosher.
• Fish must have fins and removable scales to be considered kosher.
• Specific kosher bird species are listed in the Torah, but there is more ambiguity about the requirements a bird must meet to be considered kosher. Generally speaking, birds of prey are not kosher.
• Milk and eggs from kosher animals are kosher. Eggs must generally be checked to ensure they do not contain blood, which is not kosher.

Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law, a process known as shechita. Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten. Also, all blood must be drained from the meat or broiled out of it before it is eaten.

It is commonplace in the Middle East, Africa and Asia for people to eat with their hands. Often bread is used as a utensil to scoop up food and eat. It is often considered unholy or unclean to eat with the left hand, so is more often the right hand that is used. Cleanliness and hand hygiene are important rituals prior to meals where hands are used for eating.

A bit of variation would be better, and it’s not even that because I’m Asian, that I want Asian food, I just want something different” (EHU student)

Chop sticks are commonly used in East Asia such as China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Japan. Forks and spoons are used together in Thailand rather than using chopsticks as in other parts of eastern Asia. The spoon is used to scoop food into the mouth rather than the fork, contrary to Western eating habits, and the fork is used to cut food, no knife is used for meals.

In western culture, it is more common to use knife, fork and spoons to eat meals.

Food such as Naan bread, flat bread, Tortilla and Oysters are used as utensils in some cultures for eating food.

You know the food stalls they have on a Wednesday, you could have different foods from around the world so people can try it” (EHU student)

It is important that students and staff are made to feel comfortable and included, and so offering a diverse range of cuisines and utensils to enable all staff and students to experience food from around the world is a really positive and inclusive approach.

Chinese New Year marks the end of the coldest days of winter and the start of spring and new beginnings so is sometimes referred to as Spring Festival. The date of this festival and celebration changes each year as it is calculated based on the Lunar calendar. The end of the festival is usually marked by the Lantern festival.

It is celebrated in China but also in other countries such as North and South Korea and Vietnam. It is a festival that is also celebrated around the world.

Chinese dumplings a traditional cuisine is usually eaten during this festival particularly on the eve of the New Year.

Hogmanay is the celebration of the New Year in Scotland celebrated across 3 days from 31 December to 2 January. As part of the traditions there will usually be family and friends gathering to welcome the New Year together. Auld Lang Syne is a song that is usually sung at midnight on 31st December.

Another part of the tradition and celebration is the first footing. This means family and friends visit each other at midnight to be the first person to step foot in each other’s homes. Traditionally the first footing should be a tall dark-haired male, and they should bring a piece of coal, shortbread, a black bun, and whiskey to represent warmth, food, prosperity and good cheer.

Rituals for mourning and remembrance are often a way to help people process their grief, and support each other. They provide structure and focus at a time when people can feel confused, lost and chaotic as a result of their loss. Different cultures have different traditions, rituals and customs to mourn, and grieve. It is important to be aware when students or staff suffer a bereavement, that the way they grieve and mourn may be influenced by cultural customs and rituals.

Rituals and customs may focus on:

How people care for people as they approach death.

This includes who is present and what ceremonies are performed at the moments before and after death. For example, Christians may request The Last Rites to be read by a priest or vicar to the person who is dying.

How a person’s body is handled after death.

This includes how the person’s body is cleansed and dressed, who handles the body, and whether the body is buried or cremated. This may also determine how soon the body is buried or cremated, as some cultures require the body of the deceased to be buried within 24 hours of death, other cultures may have rituals that involve the body being displayed in an open casket for family to pay their respects before the funeral.

Whether grief is expressed quietly and privately or loudly and publicly.

This includes whether public crying or wailing is appropriate. For example, in many African cultures, grief is expressed loudly and publicly through rituals, music and vocal sounds.

Whether people of different genders or ages grieve differently.

Different cultures have different beliefs and customs relating to how people of different ages should mourn and grieve. For example, some cultures may include children in mourning whereas others may not.

What rituals people perform after death and who is included in these rituals.

This may include how long family members are expected to grieve, and how they dress and behave during the mourning period. For example, in many Eastern cultures white is worn rather dark colours as is more traditional in Western cultures. In Judaism, the immediate family of the deceased observe a seven day mourning period called Shiva.

How the deceased are honoured over the lifetime of the family.

This includes ongoing rituals to celebrate or talk with the deceased.

Everyone experiences grief differently, and it is important to note that although staff and students may identify with a particular religion or culture, the customs and beliefs around mourning and grief may not necessarily be the way the individual wishes to grieve and mourn, and this can cause some internal conflict and additional stress.

If a student suffers a bereavement, it is important that if they are talking to you that you try to talk to them about how they are doing. There could be cultural rituals and practices around mourning that they wish to observe, or they may be conflicted about how they wish to grieve emotionally compared to cultural expectations. This can impact student wellbeing and so a conversation about this can be useful, and if you feel they need more support you can offer to refer them to the Wellbeing team.

Based in Catalyst, the Careers team are here to help students and graduates find and achieve their success – through careers information/support/advice, and with opportunities to make them stand out from the crowd.

Careers have a dedicated member of staff in post to support students from Widening Participation groups, including students who identify as Black and Minority Ethnic. They will regularly be in touch with these students to promote positive action events and opportunities relevant to them, as well as offering in-depth one-to-one support. This support can be careers guidance, assistance with finding opportunities, intensive application support and interview preparation. When students from WP groups contact Careers, they can ‘Ask Alex’.

Students coming to university may experience loneliness and isolation when they arrive. Students may feel isolated for many reasons but in particular if they do not know other students, if they have moved away from home to attend university here, and if they do not feel they have anything in common with other students they have met in halls or on their course. There are a range of organised groups and societies available for students to join and access to promote opportunities for developing new friendships and social opportunities. Students can be signposted to Students’ Union, That Thursday Thing, Multicultural Society and Chaplaincy where they can find out about faith specific groups that some students may prefer to join.

If you are concerned about a student’s wellbeing if they are feeling particularly isolated and lonely, you can discuss referring them to the Wellbeing team for further support. You can also access the Mental Health Toolkit for advice and guidance on how to support students who may be struggling with their wellbeing.

I guess, it’s more than just diversity training… It’s the responsiveness part of it. It’s knowing how to respond and interact with somebody who you are in a power dynamic with, with there being that instructor and student relationship. But knowing how to support that person based on their different cultural identity.

The Money Advice team (MAT) can provide students with advice, guidance and support in applying for student finance where they meet the eligibility criteria. Student finance that may be available can include student loans, grants, bursaries and scholarships. There is different eligibility for finance depending on how old the student is, whether they are studying full-time or part-time and whether they have had student finance for other courses. There are potential funding opportunities for students with disabilities and medical conditions who meet the eligibility criteria and for students who may have dependants such as children.

It is important to signpost all students to Money Advice team, particularly if they are experiencing financial difficulty or hardship. It is important to be aware that different cultures approach finance and credit differently, and in some cases loans and borrowing are not permitted. This may be a barrier for some students accessing financial support even if they are eligible. It is important to be sensitive to this, but to make students aware that this support is available and signpost them to the team who can advise and support.