Uni offering cash compensation for marking strike disruption

[trakehner]

DD is about to start final year of degree course and still awaiting marking of some of her assessments for modules taken last year (which are supposed to count towards her final degree grade). Uni have emailed her offering a cash sum as compensation to recognise the "inconvenience and distress" this extended wait for grades and transcript may have caused.

Email gives a short time frame in which to accept the offer and that if accepted it will be "full and final settlement of the impact on you of the marking and assessment boycott".

Has anyone else heard of students being made a similar offer or have any advice about whether she should accept or not? DD obviously tempted by the easy cash but I'm urging caution and a bit of research, however after a bit of googling I can't find anywhere online where this has been discussed yet. I'm just not sure she should be agreeing to settlement at this stage when we don't even yet know how far the impact go (ie if strike continues to next August, will she even be able to graduate with potentially several modules unmarked?!).

I would be so grateful for any thoughts...

Which uni?
Ds1 heard nothing

Durham and Manchester have both offered cash to finalists for the disruption in receiving/maybe never receiving their degree results.

I would ask for clarification as to whether the sum offered is for disruption up to date of accepting the settlement (ie for disruption to her second year only) .

If it’s open ended (ie is stated to or may cover future disruptions) I wouldn’t personally be happy to sign as then you can’t hold their feet to the fire going forward.

If any of my student children had been offered this, I'd be counselling them not to accept it. The university teachers' strikes are a disgrace, and the universities can't get away from this by bribing students to shut up.

Legal person here.

Do not accept the offer until and if they give a clear breakdown of what the offer covers.

Please tell your DD to read any accompanying documents (terms) carefully. The University are trying to absolve themselves of any existing or future liability.

Think very, very carefully, as she may see it as easy cash now, but who knows how her future or her final classification will be impacted by these issues moving forward.

Students are being treated appallingly, no other service providers would get away with treating their customers like this but because it's students it is somehow ok. Universities are breaking their contract with students and the government should intervene and make a no strings write off of at least part of the fees.

No cash compensation at DDs uni but you could apply for up to £350 for additional learning opportunities. Not sure how well they checked this as DDs friend spent her £350 on flights to ibiza to attend a language school.

This is an admission of their failure isn’t it.

I know one recent grad without his classification who might now lose or delay his well paid job with a consultancy. What compensation for that?

the unis have really let young people down this past 3 years.

Unis should receive no further fees until they resolve this.

Agree with pp
Whole thing is a total disgrace

Thank you everyone who replied and apologies for the delayed update! DD has been away and not very forthcoming on the details. I was able to get her to clarify that the payment is "full and final" compensation for disruption for her experience in Y2 only and would not affect potential compensation for future years. After further questioning DD thinks she "might" have complained about the stress of not receiving her full results but apparently has complained about so many things she "can't remember". At least this would
explain why only she has received such an offer out of all the course mates/friends she has asked.

I am still very anxious about her accepting the offer and have made that clear but she is very independent minded impulsive person and had already decided to accept it before I had a chance to discuss it with her fully. She says it was her decision to make and if it turns out to be the wrong one in hindsight then so be it. Not much more I can do except 🤞 she doesn't live to regret it!