So today I stopped fighting the university on a case that has been ongoing for a year. I have wanted to write this post so many times over the last year, spilling my guts on the university and the way it treats students, but I didn’t know if my case was going to end in court, so I was advised by a solicitor to not get social media involved in case that affected my case legally.
Today I stopped fighting and have decided I am just going to
put a complaint in against the university and see what comes of that, so there
will be no solicitors, no newspapers, and no big fight for the next few years.
Instead, I’m writing this, so here goes. Strap yourselves in and get a big
drink of tea (or something stronger if that’s your vibe) and listen to my
HORRIBLE STORY that has been going on in my life since May 2020, thanks to the University
of Leeds. I’m going to start with pasting a drafted email I was going to send
to the VC in January, I didn’t send this email because the case subsequently
got worse that night, which I will get on to later, but at least this email
addresses the first part of the problems.
Dear
Vice-Chancellor,
I am a
student at the University who completed my dissertation on September 1st. I am
not a student, however due to the situation I am in, and thus the reason I am
writing this email, I also have not yet received my classification so I can't
really call myself a graduate yet either. Of course, I understand how busy
things must be for everyone at the University due to the pandemic and
ever-changing laws around the situation with Covid-19. However, I am really
hoping that your assistance can help the process of me receiving my
classification soon, so that I can finally graduate from the University of
Leeds and start looking ahead and preparing for the future.
I will
start by giving you an overview of everything that has happened which has led
me to be in the position I now am. I hope that, once you also can see how
unacceptable the handling of this situation has been, a resolution can be found
quickly and without even more anxiety and hassle being caused for both myself
and the University.
During the
May exam season of 2020, I underwent an exam for a module called (MODULE NAME).
My tutor had previously been asked to provide me with transcripts of the exam
instructions and the lectures on the grounds of my disability (as I am Autistic
and I usually have a note taker, the Disability services contacted my tutor
saying that transcripts will count as a reasonable adjustment to make up for
the fact we were not having face to face lectures and therefore I could not
have my note taker). My lecturer provided me with these transcripts, and I
thought that was the matter settled, until I received feedback on my exam which
showed my mark had been heavily deducted because there were some details
missing in my answer. Upon finding out what these details were, I looked back
over my transcripts and it appeared that those details were not contained
within these documents at all (my lecturer informed me that they were within a
lecture recording, but not on the materials I had been given). I contacted the department
as I did not feel it was fair that my grade had been massively affected by this
information that was essentially withheld from me. If I had been told, before
the exam, that I had to watch the lectures as well as have the transcripts, I
would have spoken to disability services and this would have been discussed and
worked around due to me not being able to have my note taker. I was under the
impression that the transcripts were a replacement for the recordings, as this
is what was agreed upon, and I was never told otherwise. Also, on top of this
issue with the exam, it also showed I had been deducted marks in the first
question for not including specific stylistic choices that were never outlined
in the question nor in the instructions of the exam. As I am Autistic, this
meant that I answered the question to suit the question, but apparently not to
suit what the lecturer wanted, so I also put this to the department to look
into as I felt this was also something out of my control and my grade should
not be jeopardised because of this. After a full investigation was done by the department,
I was informed by a superior that my grade was going to be changed. In June, I was
given precise details as to what grade I was going to receive for that exam and
why, and I thought the matter was resolved.
During
June, July and August, I completed all my outstanding assignments, exams and
then went on to do my dissertation, meeting the deadline of September 1st. It
is to be noted, that my university account had to be extended so I could
graduate in December with the Masters students. I was told my email would be
active until after the graduation date (around the middle of December). I was
also informed, like everybody else who had an extension, that I was to receive
my results via Minerva on the 14th September at noon. At 11:55am on the 14th, I
received an email to say there had been a technical error and that
classifications would not be released at noon, but the university was hoping to
have all grades to us within the next week. We were told to wait, and we would
be contacted. I waited over 2 weeks before contacting the university, ensuring
a little more time given the current situation with new students starting the
term and the pandemic worsening. The response I received informed me that in
fact my classification was being withheld due to the contested grade from my
May exam. This confused me, as I thought the matter was sorted, so I questioned
this and was told that it was an issue due to the fact that the grade was
changing my classification. I was informed that a meeting was going to be held
the following week and I would be contacted after this and told my grade. I
waited over 2 weeks before emailing again (once again to be understanding of
the current situation giving the pandemic disruptions). I was told the meeting
had been put off a week and that's the reason I had not been contacted. I was
told the meeting was taking place the following day and that I would be emailed
the week after. Once again, I waited two weeks before emailing anyone. This
time, it was getting close to the end of October. I received no response for
weeks until, late one night in November, I received an email from my personal
tutor on my personal email. I was told that all the emails staff sent to me
bounced back and that my account had been shut off and my personal tutor could
not find out why. My personal tutor had spent weeks trying to figure out how to
contact me and was using an email they got from my dissertation supervisor (who
only had the email due to me accidentally sending an email from my personal
account on my phone rather than my university one). My personal tutor sounded
worried and panicked as they did not know if the email that they were
contacting was even correct, but they were out of options with regards to how
else to try and contact me. It's to be noted, nobody from the university tried
to get my account back online and the only person who tried to contact me in
this time was my personal tutor, despite me being told the previous month that
they were having the meeting, and somebody would want to contact me ASAP with
regards to my classification. In order to get my email back, I had to use
another students email to contact the head of pastoral care at my school. I was
an absolute mess. Obviously, I have mentioned before that I have a disability
which was greatly impacting my ability to function whilst all this was going
on, specifically because of all the uncertainty and extra stress it was
causing, but I also have very bad anxiety, so my panic was only amplified. The
head of pastoral care called me on my phone number that I had emailed her, and
she managed to get my email back online for 48H. During this time, I spent most
of my days emailing people trying to get the 48H period extended because it was
appearing that I was not going to receive my classification during this time
and I thought it was unacceptable for me to be cut off from the university
again, with nobody able to contact me, and still with no classification or
details as to when I would receive my classification. My email access was
extended. I was told I would be contacted within the next 2 weeks after another
meeting had taken place and then a meeting with me was going to be set up to
explain all that had gone on and to reveal my classification. I was happy and
content with that. By this time it was the middle of November and it seemed
like I was going to get this meeting and my grade before Christmas.
Since
then, nobody has contacted me, despite the emails I have sent. It is now the
end of January and I am no closer to finding out my classification than I was
in September. I was also informed that the May exam grade was in fact not
changing my classification, so I actually have no idea why I have been left
this long without my degree. The case for this exam dispute was opened 9 months
ago and it is still having an impact on my daily life and honestly, I just
cannot believe it. Without my classification, I have been left unable to look
at or apply for post grad courses nor jobs. As a disabled student with bad
mental health, the pandemic was always bound to impact upon me, but the further
stress I have had to endure because of the way the University has handled this
situation is simply unacceptable. I have been left with no way to plan ahead or
look towards a brighter future because I have been left in this limbo for half
a year with no inclination as to when it will improve. So now, with my options
becoming more and more limited, I write to you vice-chancellor, as a
representative of the University of Leeds and I ask you what is going to be
done to resolve this?
I look
forward to hearing from you and will be anxiously yet eagerly waiting for a
resolution and response in the meantime,
Kind
Regards
**My Name**
That very same night I was going to
send an email to the VC, I sent another email to my school, requesting the
meeting I was waiting for. One was set up for the following Friday night at 5.30pm.
A few things happened in that meeting:
1) The school rep started the meeting, at 5.30, which she
had arranged, saying “can we make sure to hurry this up because there is
somewhere I’d like to be at 6”
2) Then the school rep made my personal tutor be the
one to tell me that my appeal had been rejected
3) I was told to “stop it with that attitude and to
let my personal tutor finish speaking” because I took a big breath after
hearing this news
4) Then I was told my two options were as follows:
a. To except the discriminatory grade
b. To resit the exam
5) I was told the grade doesn’t even change my degree classification,
so the resit is a pointless option (so basically? I’m being told to accept the
discrimination???)
6) I was then told that the resit would only change my
grade if I got a super high grade in the exam (so like? One minute they’re saying
the grade doesn’t change my classification? Now they’re saying it could? So so
so so weird and contradictory)
7) They tell me that there’s nothing I can do other
than these two options because “It’s just university policy” (even though the
university clearly didn’t have a policy about it back in May or I wouldn’t have
had to go through all this? So like? Is this a new policy? Are you making a new
policy? Can’t you make a new policy for me not to have to take a discriminatory
grade?)
8) I am told to contact the union because my school
cannot help me anymore considering my complaint was about them
NOTE: In this meeting I tell them that the options
suck and that I can’t accept the discrimination but I also can’t resit because
I have no access to disability services, or my modules resources AND I remember
non of the module because the time, between taking this exam and this moment,
has been THE MOST STRESSFUL IN MY LIFE thanks to the university so there’s literally
no way I can put myself back into the headspace of a year ago.
I then get an email a week later from the
same women who wanted to “hurry up” the meeting and for me to “let my person
tutor finish” (when I wasn’t interrupting, I literally took a breath). This woman
is asking me for another meeting where she and a woman I don’t know can show me
figures and tell me why I should just accept the discriminatory grade and not
resit.
I email back saying I don’t want to
resit but I can’t accept the discriminatory grade because it’s not my grade and
that I only want another meeting with her if she can give me a third, viable
option.
She emails me back wishing me luck on
my resit.
I contact the union. I fill them in on
the case.
I email asking for minutes of the
meeting we had. In the middle of March I am told it was an “informal meeting”
and that minutes were not taken.
A week later I get an email saying that
I will be resitting in 6 WEEKS, the exam has been written and “I should have
access to Minerva now so please can I check”. My access was there. I am
panicking about only having 6 weeks to prepare when I have my small business to
run, a part-time course I’ve paid for to do (I paid for in back December, when
all this was dragging me down and I needed something to occupy myself on whilst
all this was happening so I didn’t keep having a LITERAL MENTAL BREAKDOWN every
day). It is to be noted I was not told I was a student in all of this, and I
have had to somehow provide for myself, pay my bills and FULL COUNCIL TAX even
though I have no degree and therefore no way of applying to a grad job nor a
masters. ALSO I got a letter from the gov to shield so I couldn’t just go out
and do hospitality work either. The university was made aware of all this back
in the Winter, so telling me I have 6 weeks from the middle of March to prep,
when knowing I have all this also going on, is BEYOND ridiculous.
3 weeks later I get access to my
disability mentor again (one month before the exam now).
1 week later (last week) I get access
to my study skills mentor again.
This week I have a breakdown again. I speak to the
union about the fact I physically cannot resit.
Today I decide I’m giving up this part
of the case, accepting the discriminatory grade and just putting in a large
complaint about everything that has happened in the hopes I can get an official
apology or something because this has literally been ruining my life.
And it all started because they didn't put the information on the exam in a thing they called a transcript (which they wrote specifically for me due to a disability adjustment) and then they deducted half of my marks because of it... Honestly unbelievable.
No comments:
Post a Comment