Derry's perception as a deeply divided city must change if it is to develop properly, a top academic warned today. Findings in a new report by the University of Ulster show that its Magee campus is still not as integrated as the university's three other sites.
The report - Equality Impact Assessment on the Student Recruitment and Admissions Policy - states that only one in five students at Magee is Protestant.
However, on the positive side, that number is double the figure of ten years ago when only 10% of the students were Protestant.
At the other sites, there is greater equality in terms of numbers with Jordanstown having a split of 60% Catholic, 40% Protestant, while Belfast and Coleraine are 50-50.
Professor Jim Allen, pro-vice chancellor and provost at Magee campus, was speaking after this week's Exodus programme on BBC1 about the migration of Protestants from the cityside of Derry.
He believes the city has to work harder at bringing down the barriers that make people think the city is divided.
People should see it as one city with a river that runs through it rather than two camps, he said.
Professor Allen said: "There is a perception that the city is divided but I don't think that Protestant students who have been to Magee have felt excluded. Without exception I think they have had an excellent time here.
"It is an image, but I don't think students feel it or see it. The process of integration has begun but we have to work hard to finish the job.
"The university is doing its best, we're committed to an integrated education system on this bank of the Foyle and we are committed to expanding on this side.
"The question is why at the Coleraine campus is there a 50-50 split? Why do Roman Catholic students have no problem going there but Protestant students are not going to Magee?
"The city has to help promote itself to students of all classes and creeds and all sections of the community.
"The perception that this city is divided is not helpful.
"The city has to work hard to get rid of this perception that the west bank is for Catholic nationalists alone.
"Ten years ago 10% of the students were Protestant and now the figure is 20% so that is clearly an improvement.
"The city has to help remove the perception that the city is divided."
Mr Allen stressed that the University of Ulster is committed to the Magee campus staying on the west bank and expanding around its current location.
Other sites have been mooted for the campus to expand into, such as the former Ebrington Barracks and St Columb's Park, but Mr Allen said that the campus would not be further sub-dividing.
He said: "The university is a multi-campus university with 24,000 students across four sites expensive to run. Every site has to be duplicated with facilities like libraries, security staff, catering, sports facilities - it is expensive and complicated so why complicate matters further with a second site in Derry?
"Secondly, we as a university don't get anymore money for operating as a multi-campus university. Queen's University in Belfast gets the same amount of money per student as we do, but we have to have four times the facilities so to add to the financial burden with another site wouldn't make sense.
"We do not want to add to the divide in the city but to the reintegration of the communities.
"I want to see the day at Magee where we are more worried about the integration of Spanish, French, American, Polish students rather than the integration of Protestant and Catholic students.
"That is what we should be aiming for."
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