Email to the Vice-Chancellor

Here's the Email I've sent to the Vice-Chancellor, pending response. It outlines the issues with the situation more succinctly and hopefully gets across what many of us are feeling:

Dear Vice-Chancellor, 

I am a second year Mathematics student at the University of Nottingham. I am extremely dissatisfied with the contingencies put in place to attempt to mitigate the impact of the marking boycott. 

I would have liked to have all my papers marked in the first place and not the option of having them marked later. However, the University’s statement concerning non-progression is forcing students into accepting the inaccurate “derived” or “part for full” marks. The University has stated that they are giving students a choice whether to have their papers marked or not. In reality this is not a choice due to the statements made, threatening students and pressuring them to accept the marks given. It would be impractical to think that students would be willing to put their lives on hold for a year. 

The University’s actions have made the exam’s results inherently unfair. Were a student to face the risks and have their papers marked the mark could not be fairly compared to other student’s retaining a potentially inflated, or deflated, “derived” or “part for whole” mark. 

“Derived” marks are inherently unfair. During a year of education and study a student would like to think they have improved and progressed. “Derived” marks based on historic work do not reflect this. It is also insulting to students and ignores all the hard work conducted prior to exams. It should be remembered that these “derived” marks form a part of a student’s final degree and effect the result. 

When starting a degree at Nottingham University, students rightly expect to be provided with various classes and lectures as well as to have their work marked and fairly assessed. The University’s decision to not arrange alternative marking processes prior to the boycott has resulted in its failure to meet these very basic expectations. To quote the Head of the School of Mathematical Sciences “Maintaining the integrity of your degree awards and supporting you to achieve the assessment outcome you have worked for continue to be our absolute priorities.” It cannot be clearer that the University has failed in their “absolute priorities”.  

In my individual case, four of six examinations this summer were not marked. This initially put me in a position of great uncertainty about what to do and what is best for my degree, however the threat of non-progression and lack of funding left me with no option other than to accept these highly unfair “derived” marks. This could easily affect my final result having huge impacts on my future prospects. I know for a fact that I am not alone in this. There appear to be many cases where the situation is presently hindering student’s prospects, where students have had the majority of their papers not marked or where they feel as if their degree is illegitimate. 

I believe that all the papers should be marked, without threats of non-progression or being unable to have a complete graduation ceremony. In the absence of this, all effected students should be adequately financially compensated for the University failing to deliver the basic expected service. 

I look forward to your response, 

Kind regards, 

William Thomas