Students to graduate without degree class
York University last week announced plans to award students’ degrees that are incomplete as a result of work not being marked or set, after the Association of University Teachers (AUT) assessment boycott continued into its third month.
The announcement comes as concerns heighten in universities throughout the UK over the chances of examinations being marked in time for final-year students to graduate this summer, with the University of York admitting this week that 10% of its students will be affected by the dispute.
The contingency plans, which were passed by York University Senate on Tuesday 16th May, promise to “safeguard academic standards while giving priority to students interests” by ensuring students graduate even when they cannot sit their exams or have them marked.
This will involve students who have work missing as a result of examinations not being set or marked still being able to receive their degree on their scheduled graduation day if at least 7/8ths of the work is already marked. Students who have less than the required amount will be forced to wait until the end of industrial action before their work can be marked or they can sit exams.
However Brian Cantor, York Vice-Chancellor, said he expected scheduled exams to go ahead as advertised. “Students will be informed by their departmental offices if there are any changes to scheduled examinations and assessments and planning for graduation ceremonies is proceeding as normal.
“I deeply regret any anxiety which students experience as a result of the action. My primary objective during this period is to ensure that all students can complete examinations and assessments, that final years can graduate and others can progress on to the next phase of their studies.”
However, AUT members have reacted angrily to the decision, and voted unanimously on Thursday to continue the boycott. Dr John Thornton of the Department of Electronics called the verdict a “disgrace”, adding that he thought there was a “much better solution” from achieving a proper pay deal. Other members thought that by allowing students to graduate without completing their degree would mean the “dumbing down” of degrees and would be “very bad for the university”.
In a recent press statement, Simon Parker, Vice-President of the York AUT called the decision “concerning”, adding “it is a sad day when the University of York, which justly enjoys a reputation for the quality of its degrees, is prepared to harm the reputation and devalue the currency of its students.” However Sue Hardman, University Academic Registrar, has said that the University is “safeguarding academic standards and its excellent reputation”.
The move has been supported by YUSU, which became one of several SU’s nationwide to criticise the AUT’s methods in negotiations with employers. SU President Micky Armstrong called the decision “the best of a bad situation.
“The University is in a very awkward position which is the result of the AUT’s actions. Students are kicking off big style.”
The decision made by the Senate on Tuesday means that it is following universities such as Keele in awarding incomplete degrees to their students. A published document, which outlined the plans for how degrees will be awarded, stated that the situation was “deeply regrettable.”
“The situation has become more acute and there is a significant risk that some assessments will not be completed and/or marked”. 10% of York undergraduates are set to be affected if the industrial action continues.
An email from the Politics department to its students emphasised the concerns of several departments within the university and stated that there is a possibility of exams being postponed until next academic year if the dispute is to continue throughout the summer term. A second-year Politics undergraduate, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was “deeply worried” by having to sit even more exams in his final year, adding “this is just added pressure which we don’t need, the dispute needs to be resolved immediately.”
Meanwhile at Manchester University some students are being forced to attend exams even though exam papers have not been set as a requirement for them to pass the module.
Nationally the likelihood of a settlement was reduced last week with the University and Colleges Employers Association’s (UCEA) new offer of 12.6% being rejected unanimously by national AUT representatives who called the offer “unacceptable” and said that “only a credible offer would be put to the full membership for acceptance.”
Margaret Crawford
As someone with a relative who is supposed to be graduating in July I would like to offer an external perspective. Salaries for university teachers throughout the world seem disproportionately low compared with many professions who benefit greatly from the output of such teachers in the form of the contribution from their students and their research. As such I can certainly appreciate the concerns and demands of the teaching staff.
I must question however whether the point of leverage that is being used here is either morally defensible or indeed in the long-term interests of the teaching staff themselves. The impact of a pay dispute no matter how acrimonious will be transitory. The non-award of a degree will almost certainly have repercussions for the potential graduate that may well last throughout that person’s professional life. It is not reasonable to damage the lives of young people in this way, especially when they can have no impact on the outcome.
As a university graduate myself I am indebted to my teaching staff. I am sure that this sentiment is echoed by many graduates. To the teaching staff of York I would say that we support you in your claim for better pay but please don’t demean everything that we respect you for by harming directly the very people for whom you have chosen your vocation. The price to them will indeed be very great but the real price to you in terms of your self-respect, your reputation and the fundamental basis of your own careers may be even greater. Your claims are just but the weapon for achieving them is inappropriate and does you a disservice.
Gary
Me, Me, Me.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/390
Dispute over, and higher education is undermined further still. I’m thoroughly ashamed of how SUs have behaved through out this. I hope the next time university fees are on the agenda, that the AUT will remember how they were repaid for supporting the NUS in the past.
Furthermore, when the issue of pay arises again (and I’ve no doubt it will) I hope the SU doesn’t decide to repeat the run of posters asking lecturers if they are acting for the students or the pay. Second time round I think the question will have answered itself; money looks a whole lot better than students right now. A knife in the back is sure to be remembered, and I’d certainly not teach having watch this pan out.