The University of Reading has captured the attention and hearts of the Twittersphere?with its defence of a refugee scholarship and public display of an unapologetically pugnacious attitude.
We've had feedback over the last week that some people are unhappy with our plan to offer up to 14 scholarships to refugees living in the local area. To these people, we would like to say: Tough. Jog on.
— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading)
At a time when universities have found themselves in the middle of a culture war, managing public opinion about their purpose and international activity has become more crucial than ever. Adopting a no-nonsense tone on a public platform might seem a risky?strategy, but the tweet, posted on 2?July, has received the type of engagement that most university communications teams only dream of. It has so far garnered 24,000 retweets, 72,000 likes and?more than?1,000 comments.
Love it!
— Dr Samantha Pugh (@SamLP)
Quite possibly the best tweet from any university ever. EVER.
— Ibrar Khan (@K_Ibrar)
Give your Social Media Officer a pay rise!
You are LEGENDS! So much love for this! These refugees will pay this back to you and society in more ways than you can imagine - believe it! You are legends. Thank you x
— Nazira (@NaziraBibi)
It’s?boosted pride?among the university’s alumni, and it’s even caught the interest of prospective students.
Going to donate to my alma mater on the back of this - speaks louder than endless alumni magazines
— David Petts (@DavidPetts1)
Good work! Proud to be a graduate from
— Dr Halit Hulusi (@drhalithulusi)
You'd be welcome to visit any time!
— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading)
Oh you’re charming me into thinking perhaps my PhD should be with you? Distance no object? Loving your ethos and awesome social media x
— Hazel McPhillips (@hazeyfantasy6)
Beyond the praise for the post’s tenacity and tone, more importantly the tweet has spurred people to support the refugee scholarship scheme or to contribute in some way.
Just donated to support this. Well done for your scholarship programme and response.
— Holly Peterson (@hpetersonlondon)
To be honest, the scholarships team are probably in bed at the moment and we're just the AI which runs the twitter account. Can we get back to you in the morning?
— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading)
Would love to chip in towards books etc, how about a go fund me or similar ?
— Gavin Smith (@peanutbr1ttle)
And it’s raised awareness of programmes that other universities in the UK have developed to aid refugees in their studies.
Nope:
— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading)
Hi Ekaterina, we have a Sanctuary Scholarship scheme. You can find out more about the scholarships on our website:
— University of Exeter (@UniofExeter)
Hi there, we do offer support to refugees and asylum seekers and last year we spoke to Economics student Henry from Ghana about his experiences:
— Loughborough University (@lborouniversity)
We are, you can see our scholarships for refugee, humanitarian protection and asylum-seeking students in the UK here:
— University of Warwick (@warwickuni)
The post received criticism, of course –?this was?Twitter after all – but the university managed to respond to disapproving messages in a timely and appropriate way. Or, more often, fans of the tweet did it for them.
Absolutely:
— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading)
Mmm, whatever the rights and wrongs of this debate I don’t feel this is a suitable tweet from a professional institution!
— Lisa (@LisaTulips)
You’re missing the point! I’ve clearly stated it’s not about the content, it’s the crass language used. “Jog on” - lovely! I am a parent of a student at the U o R and neither she nor any of her friends speak like that.
— Lisa (@LisaTulips)
Respectfully, I don't think you've been around any University students lol - if 'jog on' was mayonnaise, I can assure you that university students always eat their food with spicy masala.
— Mielad (@Afghangster)
Victoria Pearson, head of corporate communications at the university, said that the institution tailors its messages to?suit the platforms they’ll be communicated on.
“It is no secret that a less formal tone often works better on social media, and the more conversational style the corporate communications team adopts on channels like Twitter is a deliberate method of broadening our reach,” she told Times Higher Education. “In the case of this tweet, the language reflected that we are proud and unapologetic about our refugee scholarship scheme, which adds to similar schemes offered by universities around the country.”
The tweet’s engagement, she said, has also helped to remind people who might not otherwise interact with the university what?Reading?is doing to serve the community while still acting globally. “We are really encouraged by the number of people who have expressed their support for this scheme, as well as our other scholarships and bursaries supporting students from a range of backgrounds,” she said. For one follower, it was evidence of the university’s mission to do social good, suggesting that more institutions should consider telling the haters?to “jog on”.
Good for you. For the University and those who suggested it, supported it and made it possible. This country needs more people like you. Thank you for reminding people that good things are still being done and that good people can stand behind their convictions.
— Tim Butler #FBPE (@butl55314456)