Ollie Lewis says student confidence will suffer from degree backlogs when it comes to applying for jobs
Students say they have been left to graduate with “an empty paper” after the University of Edinburgh delayed the results of some degrees.
The delay, just weeks before graduation ceremonies are due to take place, comes in response to a UK-wide marking boycott.
The students said the move, revealed in an email on Monday, would jeopardize their job prospects and accused Edinburgh of refusing to negotiate staff pay.
The university said its priority was to score tests in a “timely manner.”
The brand boycott is part of industrial action being taken by members of the University and College Union (UCU) at 145 UK institutions, in a dispute over wages and working conditions.
Final year students in Edinburgh have told the BBC they strongly support their teachers but condemn the institution’s handling of the boycott.
Ollie Lewis, a political student and freelance journalist, told the BBC that he found the news about the title delays “incredibly disappointing”.
“It’s so impressive after four years of work,” he said. “A graduation is supposed to be a celebration of what I’ve accomplished, and I don’t know what I’ve accomplished.
“I will walk across the graduation stage with an empty sheet of paper.”
Staff at the University of Edinburgh are taking part in a UK-wide tagging boycott over pay and conditions.
The 22-year-old from Cambridge previously interviewed students and staff about the boycott marking the student newspaper the edinburgh tab.
He said his teachers weren’t sure when they would be expected to grade outstanding work at a time when students were updating their résumés and applying for jobs.
He accused the university of failing to negotiate with the staff and said he did not believe the dispute would be resolved any time soon.
“Employers are being quite reasonable and they know the chaos going on,” Ollie said. “But many job postings still expect a 2:1 result or, at the very least, expect a college degree.
“This will have an impact on the confidence of people applying for jobs.”
Universities are making independent decisions about how to minimize the impact of the grade boycott at each institution, so the effect on students will vary.
On Monday, the University of Edinburgh sent an email to students at certain schools to say a decision on their degree outcome had been delayed.
Some final year students at Edinburgh had already received their qualifications, while others received a provisional award; the latter will receive their grade classification at a later date.
‘I might have to delay a work visa’
Hannah McCormick is fluent in Japanese and also reads in French and German.
Hannah McCormick is among the language students in Edinburgh who have also been told their grade decisions have been deferred.
Hoping to graduate on July 12, the 23-year-old planned to move to Japan and got a job at a kindergarten.
Although she does not require a specialized skills work visa, her employer, who is processing her visa application, has asked her to provide evidence of a grade pass.
Since her job will start in August, Hannah has no idea if she’ll receive any proof of her degree in time.
“We expect them to give us a pass or a fail, but they haven’t done it at all,” he said. “I’m not sure if they’ll issue us a letter of completion, none of us know if that will be enough.
“I would have to send it to my boss and employment manager, who have to contact the immigration office and God knows how long that would take.
“It looks like they’ve made this decision as some kind of easy mitigation, but they haven’t looked into whether it’s going to be enough for us.”
A spokesman for the University of Edinburgh said the students had been contacted to advise them of the next steps.
They added: “We recognize the impact this is having on their lives and future plans and we share their frustration at being caught in the crossfire of this national dispute.
“Our priority now is to ensure that all outstanding tests and assessments are scored in a timely manner while maintaining rigorous academic standards so that we can provide a full and final grade ranking for all students due to complete their program this year.”
“I missed the student experience”
Hope Conway-Gebbie pictured with her dissertation in December
Hope Conway-Gebbie, from South Lanarkshire, was delighted when she completed her dissertation in December last year.
But the 22-year-old says the overwhelming feeling at the end of her four years is one of sadness.
“It’s not something I’ve been able to take full advantage of,” he said. “It has been significantly impeded by circumstances, whether it be strikes or Covid-19.
“I’m going to celebrate the achievement of finishing college, but I think it’s cheapened a bit by the fact that I won’t have a degree.
“I feel like I’ve missed the opportunity to have a proper student experience.”
The politics and sociology student said the university has angered her for some time, particularly after hearing reports that the university’s vice chancellor had he received a £43,000 pay raise.
“University is completely chaotic, but I have to say this is an added layer,” he said. “Last week they said they would give us a provisional rating until our final rating came in, but they backed down at the last minute.
“There’s bad communication, bad leadership, and for me it’s become so normalized. It’s intense frustration.”
The Scottish government said students were being negatively affected by the tagging boycott and urged all involved to resolve it quickly.
A spokesman said: “While the Scottish government is not directly involved in higher education pay negotiations across the UK, we urge unions and employers to negotiate in a spirit of partnership and cooperation to minimize disruption to students. .
“We hope that management and the unions will do everything they can to reach an agreement that is fair and affordable.”