Any advice re dd, transferring uni, 2nd year.

[HighlandCowbag]

This is a long and sorry saga and I feel so sorry for dd who has had such a struggle.

She started uni 2 years ago at a prestigious uni, doing History. We are as working class as they come, uni not oxbridge but one of the alternatives.

1st year was incredibly difficult for her. Her mental and physical health were shocking. Depressed and anxious, struggling with workload. Had a referral for assessment re learning difficulties but due to timescales this didn't happen until the January of 2nd year. Her uni were less than supportive at this point. What we should have done is encourage her to leave then and reapply for the local uni which is commuting distance so we could support her.

Anyway, she was adamant 2nd yr would be better. Went back, appointment for diagnosis booked in January. She struggled through the first term, handed work in etc. Still v depressed, anxiety, physically struggling with nausea, dizziness, fatigue.

Diagnosis with educational psychologist was severe auditory processing disorder, dyslexia dyspraxia, probable ADD, probable autism.

Learning support plan agreed with uni on back of diagnosis, sent to all lecturers. Out of the 3 modules she had that term only 1 lecturer stuck to the plan. She was asked to read aloud in seminars (a suicide note from a student in the 80s), told she must complete all reading for that week (300+ page book), must work in a group and she was generally really, really struggling. I think she assumed support plan would take the pressure off a bit. She was getting mid 60s in essays despite being so ill so academically able.

Then she was seriously sexually assaulted, probably raped by another student. Police taking it extremely seriously. Police attended within minutes of it happening, dd was drugged and unconscious, her housemates called the police. Full rape suite, horrific experience for her.

Uni insisted on a 6 week grace period, but did not suspend other student for 2 months. She understandably doesn't want to go back to that uni.

She has now applied to the local uni to start in 2nd year doing a different humanities degree. She has an unconditional offer but for 1st year entry. But this leaves her without funding for the final year, assuming student finance will allow her to repeat yr 2 based on her circumstances.

My question is do student finance ever allow for starting again after 2 years?

And how likely is it that we can appeal to local uni to allow a 2nd yr entry in a different degree subject? So she wants to do eng lit and lang now rather than history?

It is all such a mess. She has also recently been diagnosed with EDS and POTs which at least explains some of the illness and also the decline in her mental health, as EDS is linked with anxiety etc.

Should add she is doing well now at home, despite what has happened. And the original uni have approved her retaking yr 2, but she doesn't want to go back and I 100% agree with her.

I've literally just finished a degree at local uni, and doing an MA next year. I know our uni very well and it will be a much more supportive environment for her. I didn't quite believe how unsupported she was at her uni, but have checked through her emails with the support team and can see dd raising issue after issue and nothing changing for her. She's been massively let down. And I know students at my uni with similar diagnoses and needs and they have been supported throughout their degree.

In brief, yes SLC do give an extra year of funds for 'compelling person reasons'. She will have to apply, and give evidence (GP note, police report/crime number - not exactly sure what), but the bar to approval is generally pretty low so she won't have a problem. But she should apply now - it used to be the case that they wouldn't fund the first year, rather than the final year.

And I should have added I'm so sorry to hear what she has gone through.

What an unspeakable experience your DD has been through. If this is not an exceptional circumstance for Student Finance I cannot imagine what would be. Great advice from @titchy

Very best wishes to your DD

Thank you both. It has been horrific. I can't fathom how vile her uni has been. She came home February a shell of the girl I dropped off.

But she's doing amazingly well considering everything. Has a part time job she loves, has friends dotted around the country all mainly back home for the summer and she is seeing them regularly and even a potential boyfriend on the scene.

We spoke to student finance this afternoon and the guy seemed fairly confident it wouldn't be a problem so fingers crossed everything works out.

Once she has her finance in place she can start to get excited. She is considering student accommodation again, although she can commute. Which I think is a positive thing. I'm doing an MA next year at the same uni so will be around to keep an eye out and she is close enough to come home whenever she wants.

I am going to submit a massive complaint to the uni.

Very glad you are submitting that complaint.

Nothing to add other than I’m so sorry your dd has had such a terrible time, and happy to hear she’s improving. Good luck to her and hope she enjoys a new course and the support from home.

And how likely is it that we can appeal to local uni to allow a 2nd yr entry in a different degree subject? So she wants to do eng lit and lang now rather than history?

Whatever the shortcomings of her current university’s treatment of your DD ( and they are serious ) what you’re asking for is not possible.

First year is not a nothing year. A degree is designed over 3 years and 1st Year is a really fundamental starting point.

I hope that Student Finance and her current university recognise the impact of the terrible treatment of her as a victim of sexual crime? I do t often recommend students make wholesale complaints to their university but in this case, it’s entirely justified.

But I doubt that she’ll be accepted into a 2nd year of a discipline in which she has NOT done a first year, wherever she studied that.

If student finance don't come through there are two other options.

Sue the first uni for disability discrimination.

Approach charitable trusts.

I did both of these so if you want details PM me.

I hope she thrives at her new uni and on her new course.

I'm so sorry for what your DD has been through and have nothing constructive to contribute.

But I will say that DD1 had challenging circumstances that prevented her from doing her year abroad and the way she dealt with her situation and recovering from all the difficulties that perused has really grown her as a person.

The way she coped and emerged from it was a real learning experience that has made her stronger and the lessons she learnt about herself have been invaluable.

I hope this is the case with your DD.

It will make her stronger and more resilient than she ever thought possible

Thank you, I wasn't sure it would be possible because of the compulsory modules and she would prefer to do the full three year course anyway.

We will definitely be complaining to the university for the way they have mistreated her. First for discrimination because of her illnesses/learning disabilities. And secondly for the way they have dealt with her sexual assault. The uni said they could not do their own investigation until the police had concluded theirs. Well, rape cases are taking up to 5 years to make it through the courts so that is simply not acceptable.

They did eventually suspend him, 7 weeks after it was reported in full to the uni, including the reference numbers from the police, the fact he had been charged and was on bail and 3 other students, her housemates who reported it, had all emailed an account of the event the day it happened.

They had more than enough compelling evidence to suspend him immediately. Instead, they allowed him to continue and sent dd home on a grace period. The 6 week grace period meant she missed lectures and seminars, and with her learning difficulties she needed to be there. We even asked if they could either record seminars or allow online access from here and were told no.

We think that the eventual suspension was because either the police had sent them a report or another student has made an allegation. It came out of the blue, with an emergency safeguarding meeting that concluded he should be suspended, after previously telling us the uni wouldn't investigate until police concluded their investigations.

I think the way this was handled is enough to warrant a complaint. Also the information published by the uni relating to sexual assault has 2 massive paragraphs on the 2nd page of a 9 page document warning of the consequences of false reporting, which includes losing your place, academic penalties, suspension. The 2nd fucking page. As if someone looking at that document isn't probably already fucking traumatised.

And the way her disabilities have been handled is appalling. Luckily because she is generally quite timid, I've drilled it into her to always do anything worrying by email so she has a record and doesn't get dismissed/ignored/gaslighted. We are going to go through them and get a timeliness together and submit something. Family holiday from tomorrow though so it can wait.

Am sorry your dd has had difficulties as well. I am hoping this at least improves her resilience. We use a lot of dark humour which makes it easier for her to talk about it.

Thank you for the info. I looked at the regulator for educational places last night and dd certainly has a case to answer I think. She will leave with nearly 100k of debt for a standard honours degree which seems so unfair. And the original uni have basically made it impossible for her to succeed there.

To be fair to the university it generally is policy that if there’s a police investigation that takes precedence.

And someone is innocent till proven guilty but there are still safeguarding steps which can be taken to allow both students to continue. I’ve had to be involved in such arrangements as a staff member (v similar issue of sexual assault student on student). It’s very difficult but it can be done!

Absolutely someone is innocent until proven guilty. But this was a pretty obvious case of serious sexual assault, possibly rape that was witnessed by 3 other people, the police attended minutes after the call and dd was unconscious and he admitted he had been sexually intimate with her to the police, under caution so it wasn't a case of proving consent. It took until 1pm the next day for the police doctor to deem her capable of consenting to the rape suite.

All this was explained to the uni by us, her housemates and most importantly the police. So it was obviously a very serious incident without the usual consent issue muddying the waters. I just think in a situation like this they should have suspended him immediately. To protect not only dd from being scared to be at uni, but also other students. And the fact they insisted on dd taking a grace period when what they should have done is supported her at least being able to continue her studies at home. She was told to not even submit work, which then meant she had to submit essays late, which then overlapped the period she should have been revising for the exams they had to sit the 3rd term which made it even more difficult. And then they told her she would be capped at 40 for any work submitted late AND declined a SAC form for one essay.

It just seems like they shunted her out of the way and off campus rather than support her to continue her studies, while he carried on until all his assignments were in. We've heard rumours that tho he was suspended from uni, was still allowed to do his exams as they are open book and online.

I have a ds as well as dd. I fully understand the implications of a false allegation and do understand the uni has an obligation to provide him with the course he is paying for. But dd is paying the same and has not been able to attend or access her course at all.

Sounds like you have a strong basis for a very serious complaint.

I'm just trying to explain the probable/possible thinking of her university to help you understand what might have happened. Understanding university thinking & procedures might help you frame a powerful complaint.

It might be worth looking at her university regulations on student misconduct, and also university safeguarding policies. Use those to frame a complaint.

I know and I'm sorry if I came across as stroppy or arsey, I am grateful honestly.

Just so very, very angry x

Good luck. 🤞🏻