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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Uni strikes mess: DD can't do exams and is panicking

40 replies

BansheeofInisherin · 06/05/2023 11:37

DD is in a uni very affected by strikes. All the staff and admin are on strike and refuse to answer any mails or phones. Her year end exams begin on Tuesday and she doesn't have her exam registration number yet, without which she cannot do the exams. Is there anything I can do? She may now need to do resits in August and is in tears as she has had a hard time in uni anyway with the pandemic.

I don't really want to get into a debate over the validity of the strikes. Just what we should do now.

OP posts:
DistrictCommissioner · 06/05/2023 11:38

are her peers all in the same situation?

arethereanyleftatall · 06/05/2023 11:43

Is there anything different about her situation to the others in her class? Will they all have to take resits?

00100001 · 06/05/2023 11:44

Presumably the university student support services will be able to advise? She can just go there and ask?

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 06/05/2023 11:48

Uni support services has been shut for a while now and exams begin on on Tuesday. She was told she would receive her number by now. Information has been supplied in a trickle.

Some of the other students also appear to be in a similar situation.

OP posts:
Hintofreality · 06/05/2023 11:49

Turn up for the exam and let whoever is invigilating sort it.

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 06/05/2023 11:52

It's an online exam. Apparently just told now that it's online. She is going to uni anyway on the day prepared to do the exam online, offline, or whatever.

OP posts:
GCAcademic · 06/05/2023 12:27

The department admin can’t all be on strike. Most of them will not be members of UCU as another union represents them.

LIZS · 06/05/2023 12:28

It might be auto generated and sent through before Tuesday even over a bh weekend.

QuintanaRoo · 06/05/2023 12:36

I didn’t think academics were striking….it’s supposed to be a marking and assessment boycott. So they should still be answering emails and if they’re not then your Dd needs to complain.

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 06/05/2023 12:42

LIZS · 06/05/2023 12:28

It might be auto generated and sent through before Tuesday even over a bh weekend.

Well let's hope so. She will be certainly complaining. She is ringing around all her friends now.

I have kept my beak out of it until now, to let her sort it out...

OP posts:
BattingDown · 06/05/2023 12:46

Admin staff aren’t on strike. They’re in a different union and no strike days at the minute. I expect the marking and assessment boycott will cover responding to emails about that by academic staff, but admin staff will answer phones and their emails. I wouldn’t be too worried about getting the number, if the academic staff involved are involved in the boycott, who will set and mark the exam? There may well not be an exam.

look on her university’s website and see what they’ve said about their approach to the marking and assessment boycott.

purplepandas · 06/05/2023 12:49

Agree, check the uni website. Ours has an FAQ for students and staff. We also have a generic email for MAB and strike related queries (in the FAQ), does your DD's? Staff are indeed not striking right now so her tutor and admin staff should be responding (not on the BH weekend of course). I hope she gets sorted, it is indeed an unholy mess atm and so horrible for students.

lastdayatschool · 06/05/2023 12:53

If they're sending the exam registration number by email, worth checking the spam folder - DS has found quite a few emails from universities in there

titchy · 06/05/2023 13:47

BattingDown · 06/05/2023 12:46

Admin staff aren’t on strike. They’re in a different union and no strike days at the minute. I expect the marking and assessment boycott will cover responding to emails about that by academic staff, but admin staff will answer phones and their emails. I wouldn’t be too worried about getting the number, if the academic staff involved are involved in the boycott, who will set and mark the exam? There may well not be an exam.

look on her university’s website and see what they’ve said about their approach to the marking and assessment boycott.

Plenty of admin staff are in UCU, and many will not be doing any assessment or marking activity.

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 06/05/2023 14:33

Don't want to say which uni, as I have been outed on here before, but it's part of the Uni of London. Other unis have info on their website, but hers is particularly chaotic. One of her teachers has got in touch to say they all should have got their numbers yesterday, but of course they haven't, so now the teacher is trying to sort it. There are several of them in the same position so the uni will have to do something. Nothing in spam mail; that was the first thing she checked!

All the admin staff appear to be in UCU and not responding to anything.

Anyway, DD has calmed down and is studying, hoping for the best and for more info. Nothing to be done but wait. I just feel sad for young students these days: the pandemic, strikes, it's neverending....

Thanks all.

OP posts:
Revengeofthepangolins · 07/05/2023 08:04

And it is all very well saying "go to the admin sept" but quite a lot of physical uninoffices never came back after covid. DS's uni used to have a large careers department and an accommodation office but both have "gone online" now ie have become an email address.

All a total farce

JKisrolling · 10/05/2023 13:07

I’m a Goldsmiths student and this sounds like classic Goldsmiths shenanigans (I could be wrong though). I really hope it gets sorted soon - exams are stressful enough as it is!

Xenia · 10/05/2023 13:20

They should all get a £9250 refund taken from the pension fund or wages of the strikers!

Anyway we are where we are. I would start by tweeting online to the university account, the vice chancellor and all public social media for answers, email your MP too as an email from an MP can magically result in something being done right away. They need these numbers now, not 2 hours before the exam or otherwise at last minute. It is not good enough.

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 11/05/2023 06:37

Update: DD went to her uni an hour early on Tuesday, got her registration number about 10 minutes before the exam by kicking up a fuss, and is now in the midst of exams. Phew! I aged about 10 years. Such a chaotic mess.

It's not Goldsmiths but might as well be. She doesn't want me to make a fuss; just wants to get on with her exams now as she has worked hard for them.

OP posts:
InaMuddle2 · 11/05/2023 06:56

Good luck to your DD, OP!

00100001 · 11/05/2023 07:56

Why would you be able to make a fuss about it? Why would they pay any attention? When the adult attending the university is the student paying to be there?

00100001 · 11/05/2023 07:57

Xenia · 10/05/2023 13:20

They should all get a £9250 refund taken from the pension fund or wages of the strikers!

Anyway we are where we are. I would start by tweeting online to the university account, the vice chancellor and all public social media for answers, email your MP too as an email from an MP can magically result in something being done right away. They need these numbers now, not 2 hours before the exam or otherwise at last minute. It is not good enough.

Jeepers, why do people always suggest that strikers should get docked pay??

Original poster
BansheeofInisherin · 11/05/2023 07:59

00100001 · 11/05/2023 07:56

Why would you be able to make a fuss about it? Why would they pay any attention? When the adult attending the university is the student paying to be there?

True. I do have a Twitter account with over 25 k followers though. So I thought I might tweet if nothing else worked. However, the adult in question has sorted it.

OP posts:
Plexie · 11/05/2023 08:10

Jeepers, why do people always suggest that strikers should get docked pay??

Seriously? For withholding their labour - don't work, don't get paid.

I know of one university that donates money withheld for strike action to the student hardship fund. Presumably they don't want to be seen as 'profiting' from the strike.

GrumpyPanda · 11/05/2023 08:24

Plexie · 11/05/2023 08:10

Jeepers, why do people always suggest that strikers should get docked pay??

Seriously? For withholding their labour - don't work, don't get paid.

I know of one university that donates money withheld for strike action to the student hardship fund. Presumably they don't want to be seen as 'profiting' from the strike.

Just wait for academics to implement work to order instead. You'll be screwed.

Sheesh, what world do some people think they live in?