Living Black at University 20 Living Black at University 21 In the focus groups and free text comments, students spoke about feeling unable to be themselves, and being self-conscious about the things that they had previously taken for granted. For example, some felt uncomfortable cooking in shared kitchens because their peers had complained about the smells of ‘different’ foods. “Being the only black girl in my house makes it difficult to cook the way I would prefer to or do some other things like hair care how I like.” Some students said that when they socialised with other Black students, White peers would find a reason to complain. “I would have liked to have my friends over more often. When I invited them, my flat mate would complain about noise. I was the only Black person in my accommodation and so went to my friends rather than have them come over to mine.” Where there was a lack of facilities for those with different cultures - for example, a space for Muslim prayers - this could also contribute to a feeling of exclusion. Sometimes feelings of discomfort arose directly from the actions of other students. Focus group participants discussed experiences in which White students said or did things that made students of colour feel uncomfortable. They attributed this to their perception that White students have an attitude of comfort within the environment, and do not feel the need to check their behaviours or think about how their ethnicity affects others. This is an example of what is sometimes termed “White privilege” and is sometimes unconscious. Black students reported that when they mixed with other ethnic groups, in the absence of White students, this discomfort was not present. “We had an Afro-Caribbean Society meetup for Freshers Week and one of the white guys there was like, ‘Oh, is this a gang photo?‘”