This is a forum for STUDENTS at Edinburgh University to express their extreme frustration with the University. If you are a PARENT, FRIEND or STAFF MEMBER linked to Edinburgh and would like to support this letter's aims, please send a courteous email to Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson (principal@ed.ac.uk) and Vice Principal Professor Colm Harmon (colm.harmon@ed.ac.uk) expressing this.
Dear Senior
Leadership Team of the University of Edinburgh,
Professors Mathieson, Harmon, Graham, Argyle,
Gordon, Prescott and Boswell, Ms. Chalmers, Mr. McLachlan, Dr. Martin and Mr. Hamill
Given the confusion of recent days surrounding the
marking and assessment boycott we, the undersigned students of the University
of Edinburgh, are writing with two simple requests.
1.
That the Senior Leadership Team make a public request to
the organisation which negotiates staff pay, the UCEA, that they resume
negotiations with union representatives from the UCU. We ask that this
statement to the UCEA conveys the strength of feeling among students that this dispute
must be urgently resolved and that our work should be marked in a timely fashion.
2.
Following confirmation by Vice Principal Professor
Colm Harmon on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on 12 May 2023 that “work will
be marked”, we ask that the University reassure students about the following:
· Work will be marked in time
for graduation, or in time to progress to the next year of study.
· This marking will be
undertaken by the qualified staff who set the assessments and not by external
providers.
We ask that you release
the statement to UCEA and the policy clarification on or before Monday 22 May
2023.
We ask that you do not respond by claiming
this dispute is out of your control as one individual university. We appreciate
you do not have the power to resolve this alone.
However, we know that you do have the power
to take a clear public stance in this dispute. Students in Edinburgh, and the
nearly 2 million others nationwide, have waited patiently for responsible leadership
and a sign that you value us. It’s time to deliver that leadership.
We look forward to seeing the statement.
Regards,
Students of the University of Edinburgh
(If you would like to remove your signature from the open letter, please email ollie.lewis@hotmail.com)
