Pilgrim Tucker v Open University

[Signalbox]

Another GC discrimination case against Open University.

Pilgrim Tucker is a community organiser and campaigner who supported the Grenfell Tower Residents campaign, the Grenfell Action Group. Her PhD with the OU is based on her activism.

If you google Pilgrim Tucker Crowdjustice you will find her page with the relevant information.

My name is Pilgrim Tucker. I am taking legal action against the Open University for breach of contract, discrimination on the basis of my disabilites and gender critical beliefs, and bullying, harassment and victimisation, which has made it impossible for me to continue my PhD research at the OU, and I need your support.
My Story
In 2017 I was invited to study for a PhD at the Open University by OU academic staff Professor Steve Tombs and Dr Vickie Cooper following my campaigning work with residents of Grenfell Tower and the wider Lancaster West Estate before and after the 2017 fire.
I began my PhD at the OU in October 2018, researching the history of housing in North Kensington prior to the Grenfell Tower fire.
However Dr Chris Williams the OU historian that had committed to providing input on the research project was a leading transgender advocate within the university. On realising I was gender critical he blocked me on social media, and then withdrew from working on my project. Although I was promised his expertise would be replaced no history supervision input was provided.
From the time I started attempting to secure history supervision provision OU staff began to construct a false narrative about my application, claiming I had never been promised history supervision input on my PhD, and that I was being unreasonable in expecting the university to provide it.
Subsequently, other administrative and pastoral aspects of my PhD provision began to go very wrong, and I started to become increasingly stressed and anxious, and requested reasonable adjustments to accommodate my increasing mental health and menopause symptoms.
However rather than acknowledge and rectify any service provision failures, or put in place any adjustments to support my studies, the university attempted to conceal they had promised me history supervision and started to claim, falsely, that I had been rude to staff members, stating that the reason I had received a poor standard of provision at the university was due to illness and purported ‘problematic behavioural traits’ on my part.
OU failures included:

• Informing me, wrongly, that I had no entitlement to sick pay or sick leave during periods of ill health, although ESRC funding rules obliged the OU to provide it, and instead advising me to take unpaid leave and claim state benefits while unwell.
• Failure to provide counselling support during the period I was undertaking interviews with victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, despite this being specified as a necessary ethical requirement on my research ethics application and OU staff promising me counselling would be provided.
• Being incorrectly advised by the head of faculty and other OU staff responsible for my PhD that the only way to change supervision arrangements was by making a formal complaint.
• Failing to provide any reasonable adjustments for my disabilities.
• Wrongly informing OU staff that I was dyslexic.
• Failing to reimburse expenses claims amounting to hundreds of pounds for almost 2 years.
• Removing funding for book purchases and falsely claiming I had not had book purchase funding provided from the time I started my PhD.
• Failure to apply the university’s covid tracked extension system to my PhD to cover time lost due to covid lockdowns.
• Failing to provide accurate or reliable information about thesis submission deadlines, study break allowance, and extensions, and providing constantly changing and inaccurate information regarding this.
• Insisting I accept a trans rights activist academic in a pastoral support role.
• Seeking to take punitive action against me, based on false and unsubstantiated allegations about my conduct, following the submission of my complaint about the standard of service provided to me by the university.

Although following my complaint the Open University accepted that I had been wrongly advised by senior OU staff members, and that I had experienced shortfalls in administrative provision, they minimised these, denying the majority of their failings. They have made no apology, and offered no remedy or compensation. The claims have been put to the Open University in a pre-action letter, which they have not responded to. The next step is for my barrister to draft particulars of the case in preparation for a legal hearing. I am currently seeking to raise £11,000, this is made up of £5230 in solicitors fees and £5670 – the cost of Barrister Alice De Coverley drafting the particulars of the case. Thank you for any contribution you can make.

What is the GC aspect?

Cross posted, thanks.

i have also heard that the OU can be problematic. A friend is studying with them, and this involves residentials, sometimes with shared rooms. You are guaranteed same-gender room mates, but not same-sex. So this attitude is affecting academic rigour (Jo Phoenix as well as Pilgrim) and also basic admin. Well and truly captured, despite biology modules teaching clearly that all mammals are dimorphic 🤦‍♀️

This is so out of order because most people probably just book imagining that it means same sex and then they turn up and find themselves in a room with a man and can't say anything through fear of being called a bigot or worse. The whole thing relies on trickery and fear at every turn.

I've noticed an increase lately in shared rooms on any residential course. No doubt the organisers would say it's about keeping costs down, but I wonder. Adults should not be expected to share a room. If they choose to with a friend, that's another matter - but a stranger?

There was a post on Mumsnet recently about a team-building exercise involving camping and apparently you could end up in a tent with any colleague(s). I'm glad I'm old now.

When I did an ou course about 20 years back we all had our own rooms. It was a given.

Gender politics should not be impacting education - after years of fighting for having the same options for males\females\furries whatever it should not be brought into the classroom. The same goes for the workplace. If it is not relevant to what you are working on all this should be left at the door.

and adults should not be sharing with others.

The supervisor she's talking about is also a Green Party member.

FFS! You'd think with the Jo Phoenix tribunal coming up the OU might have learned something, but apparently not. Will try to do some gardening next week.

I hope Pilgrim meets her target. Her research sounded really interesting and important so it would be great pity if she couldn't continue. As a previous poster has said, gender identity politics should not be impacting on education. I'm so disappointed with the Open University over this case and that of Jo Phoenix.

Just bumping. Pilgrim could use some support.

Thanks for putting this up. Frustrating that we’re in the position where fundraising is needed to secure basic rights but here we are.

Pilgrim Tucker has just been given Schrodinger's disciplinary warning by Open University https://twitter.com/PilgrimTucker/status/1704843592928235790

Shocking incompetence.

For anyone not on Twitter…

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1704843592928235790.html

Everyday you think to yourself, this is as bad as it gets, it can't get worse. Everyday you realise you thought wrongly.

What was it Einstein said ‐
The Difference Between Stupidity and Genius Is That Genius Has Its Limits

Just bumping this. There was an update on Pilgrim’s crowdfund page (crowdjustice) yesterday…

Dear supporters,

Firstly, I’d like to thank you very much for your contributions which have been crucial to the progress of my case. I will be honouring your support by continuing my work to shine a light on discriminatory practices at the Open University, and to ensure that it is held accountable for the unlawful conduct documented in my claim.

Following the launch of my crowd-funder the OU subjected me to disciplinary proceedings, claiming I had boiught the university into disrepute, and it’s only now that process is concluded that I can update you. Apologies for being unable to do this sooner.

I now need to ask for your support again, to help raise the money needed to cover legal costs.

Understanding the gender critical aspects of my claim:

There are strict time limits for initiating legal action following an act of discrimination. I did not take legal advice within that period so was unable to make a claim under discrimination law for the unfair and bullying treatment that occurred due to my GC beliefs.

However, the longer periods allowed in contract law mean I can act on it within the breach of contract claim.

I did manage to lodge the disability discrimination case in time, so that aspect can be addressed under discrimination law.

However, my GC beliefs played a fundamental role in my treatment at the OU, so I’ve made a short video explaining this:

The process:

Over the next few weeks I need to instruct my barrister to draft the particulars of the case.

The Information Commissioners Office upheld my complaint, made after the OU failed to fulfil my data subject access request (DSAR) within the 3-month maximum permitted deadline (only providing documents over 8 months after I made the request).

You will see in the video that the documents I belatedly received from the OU were heavily redacted in key places. Nor did the OU include important emails, regarding me, that had been exchanged between staff.

The OU has now failed to respond, both to my request for a review and to my request for an explanation of which GDPR provisions they used to justify redacting certain information.
Their poor practice in this area has caused difficulties and delays, leaving me lacking crucial information in time for procedural deadlines and this has further added to my legal costs.

Costs:

I need to raise £9000 within the next 6 weeks if I am to take the case to court and I must again ask for your help to do this.

Donate if you can.

Share the video, and my crowd-funder, as widely as possible.

Follow me on twitter
@ PilgrimTucker

Thank you once again for your support.

Video referred to in Pilgrim’s update…

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFwGqNC70Y/EPTOLVtSmKg1RKV9ju9dKw/watch?utm_content=DAFwGqNC70Y&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

You have to reach the threshold, all or nothing?

Thanks for posting about this. Have done a little gardening 🌻

I think that only applies to the initial target. She's onto the stretch target now.

So, every penny really counts? I wandered around the garden centre and payed for a Jo Phoenix special edition ceramic pot, which is currently in use in Watford.

I'm wondering whether I should purchase a Pilgrim Tucker garden rake, was just concerned that she appears shorter of her target than Jo was at this time left to go.

Just pledged.

And on the back of that other thread linking the recent New Yorker article, I cant believe that anyone looking at Pilgrim Tucker's history of community organising and activism with marginalised communities could think that she is a Trojan horse for conservative values, funded by American right wing fundamentalist Christians.

They should offer 3-packs on Open University plants.

The old adage that only two things are certain in life, death and taxes, needs to be amended to three, adding legal fights against TRA.