-ONLINE STUDY

During this hard times of level 3 lockdown, we as AUT students experienced the online study last semester the outcome of which was disappointing ( because of change in assignments / low grades, lack and delay of communication, stress, depression, not being able to use university resources such as quite space of libraries and 3D Labs).

We are asking for improvement of online teaching, and small groups of student that can access uni and labs minding the distance and less people on site, for example 10 students can attend a day and they can access labs with following the health and safety procedures.

Also asking to be considerate of students' mental health during semester lockdown, to be mindful of university work/ assignment tests ( to not over complicate the assignments and the study load) - to have more easily accessible online access to lecturers.

-REFUND FOR THE YEAR

Due to sudden job losses, there was fewer income sources for students which includes international students who are away from home during these hard times. Also,  spending  less than 2 months on campus studies, we did not get to experience the full benefits of AUT (no site accessibility, no on-site research and not using uni labs.) We are expecting  to receive a partial refund for domestic and international students. ( Or offer scholarships for next academic year or an extra course)

-PASS THE YEAR

More importantly is the students are struggling through stress during the lockdown leading to students wanting to drop out or achieve low grades. We are expecting Aut to be mindful when it comes to grading especially during these trying times of covid 19, a solution can be a grade higher.

-Financial support due to loss of part time jobs, to support all university students.

Some of the student feedbacks are as follows-

“I believe we all deserve not to go through uni struggling, without any motivation at home. Not many students have the space or equipment at home to keep up with what is needed to complete the semester. We did not get enough time to prepare for a lockdown therefore belongings for our project are kept at Uni without any access to take home. Miscommunication and feeling alone at home through the projects is not pleasant, which is quite depressing.” Tim Zenebe. 3rd year in Spatial Design.

“I have paid full fees and I don’t see any worth. All I studied was online and I don’t remember anything from last semester and now this semester again is  online. When I pass out I actually wouldn't know much from my course. Also there are hardly any jobs in the market . It’s just wastage of money.” Damanjeet Kaur.

“Yes it is hard time and got low grade in some subjects, as its online study how come AUT can charge same amount of fees for different pattern of studies?” Rajiv Vashisht.

NZherald: "Covid 19 coronavirus: Uni students dropping out to go on the dole after one week in lockdown"

I am writing this to seek support from AUT and request to compensate for our losses, to reach students' expectations and better reach a solution that benefits both the the students and AUT.