Prestigious university sparks outrage after medical students were forced to take a ‘white privilege’ assessment
- Students took white privilege test
- Most of them failed the assessment
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By Padraig Collins for Daily Mail Australia
published: 01:44 BST, 30 Apr 2023 | Updated: 02:06 BST, 30 Apr 2023
Australia’s third-highest-ranked university has been forced to apologize after requiring students to take a white privilege assessment as part of their courses.
The University of Queensland withdrew the results of the test after students said they believed they would be expelled for failing – which most of them did.
First-year medical students had to write about their ‘white privilege’ and racism in their field in a two-part assignment.
Australia’s third-highest-ranked university has been forced into a humiliating apology after requiring students to take a ‘white privilege’ assessment as part of their courses (stock image)
One student said they thought those who got a pass did so by playing the system and pretending to be racist.
“The people who got it right have frankly lied, they have played on the idea that they are racist even though they are not,” they told the Courier Mail.
The assessment sparked strong backlash prompting the University of Queensland, ranked 53rd in the world, to issue an apology.
The university has also removed the results of the white privilege test from the students’ overall grades.
Several students who failed the controversial test said they feared they could be suspended from their education.
One student, speaking anonymously, said they feared that failing the assignment could affect the jobs they would get after graduation, as it would lower their grades.
They said that while the University of Queensland has a good global reputation, graduates with all A’s are considered better in assignments than those with B’s.
“You could be the best doctor in the world, but you fail this white privilege test,” they said.
The University of Queensland (pictured) threw out the results of the test after students said they thought they could be expelled for failing – which most of them did
The University of Queensland denied that students were expelled for failing the white privilege assignment.
An email sent to students from the dean of the medical school, Professor Stuart Carney, reportedly said that the results had been removed from the final grade.
A University of Queensland spokeswoman said the student’s feedback was taken seriously by the faculty.
“After listening to student feedback on the assignment, we informed students that the results of this assignment will not contribute to their year-end grades,” she said.
One student said they understood the importance of learning about different cultures in the industry, but claimed the assessment went “too far.”
“It should be a skill that is promoted, but not tested,” they said.
Sample questions from the University of Queensland ‘white privilege’ medical school test
For this section, use the following questions to formulate a 750-word entry that speaks to your own process and understanding of developing a culturally safe practice.
As a medical student, you may make this specific to your own work.
What does this scenario evoke for you, perhaps in terms of how it may or may not align with your way of being, doing and knowing in your professional practice?
What cultural missteps (if any) are you concerned about making interactions with First Nations peoples – this may be specific to your professional practice or in everyday life?