It can in fact be difficult to determine when something becomes an internal complaint. Does an informal verbal discussion with a lecturer about problems, issues, complaints constitute a potential complaint? Or, what if you start to appeal a decision and then become influenced by others to abandon the appeal? Or, you are time barred from […]
Do the Annual Letters of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator Provide Transparency for Students about Internal University Complaints
In 2012 the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) introduced the Annual Letters. The Annual Letters are open letters to each Higher Education Institution (HEI) detailing the number of student complaints received by the OIA in respect of that HEI. The purpose of the introduction of the Annual Letters was to create transparency in respect […]
Student Run Lectures
The other week I was out at Warwick University recording yet another radio show, this time for the student run radio station RaW 1251AM. During my visit I discovered, to my horror, that some students were running their own lectures and being taught by fellow students. For those of you who do not know, a […]
University Bias
At the end of last year five students were suspended from Sussex University for their part in various student protests campaigning against the privatisation of universities. Sussex University is not the only university involved in these protests, more recently a further six students have been suspended from the University of Birmingham for similar protests. Sussex […]
TALKING ON THE RADIO…
I had the pleasure of being able to do a radio show on student’s rights for the University of Bedfordshire’s student radio (LaB 97.1FM) and what a welcoming and enjoyable experience it was! Firstly, not only did I get to talk at length about a subject close to my heart (student rights, student rights, student […]
SUSPENDING STUDENTS
The recent suspension of the Sussex Five (five students from Sussex University) has highlighted that, when a university decides to discipline students in accordance with their Disciplinary Regulations, two fundamentals are important – 1. The university follow their own Regulations, which should be clear and fair 2. Their Regulations provide a sufficient mechanism for unilateral […]
ACCUSED OF PLAGIARISM???
Let’s take the example the student accused of plagiarism. I should say at this point that plagiarism can occur in so many forms and on occasion without the student even knowing, but that’s a different topic altogether…Back to the student, they were brought in for an “informal” chat with their tutor. Told that the university […]
