No detriment-al? Why I'm against the University of Portsmouth's decision

We knew it was a matter of time before the University of Portsmouth would suspend face-to-face teaching amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

In the days leading up to the announcement, I spent a ridiculous amount of time refreshing my emails.

My phone buzzed repeatedly on Friday 13^th March, as my friends at other universities told me they would be packing up for the year and heading home. I refreshed the emails - nothing. I checked again – still nothing. Finally, at around 4:30pm, we were told.

Throughout the following week, emails came flooding in from my course’s department detailing what would be amended with regards to exams and assessments. Some assignments were scrapped altogether, others adjusted to be completed from home.

We knew lockdown was inevitable, but until it really happened, it was hard to believe we would all be forced into our homes.

Some, including myself, made the decision to remain in Portsmouth until the situation became clearer – after all, the last thing I wanted was to travel home only to leave something behind that would impact my studies. Sadly, the only thing that was clarified was that the University of Portsmouth would not be implementing a ‘no-detriment’ policy as seen at other universities.

A petition amassing over 7,500 signatures was not enough to convince the minds of the powers-that-be (specifically, Vice-Chancellor Graham Galbraith). Perhaps 50% of all students is the magic number (12,758), although I suspect that won’t prompt a change of ideas anytime soon.

In an email, the vice-chancellor said the following:

“We believe that the changes we have made will mean that students are not disadvantaged.”

As sweeping statements go, this is a whopper. Students are not bred at the same farm until they arrive at university with a laptop, some A4 paper and a pen – students come from different backgrounds, from different parts of the world, but they all make a £9250pa sacrifice to follow their dreams. Every student pays the same price to attend university, so they should all be treated equally once they are there.

Sadly, this will not be the case. The decision made by the University of Portsmouth will impact different students in different ways, which does not seem to be a fair compromise to the situation we find ourselves in.

Imagine a student who is in their second year of university; they come from a low-income family and rely on their supermarket job to pay their bills. As a key worker, said student is on the frontline in the country’s fight against coronavirus. They may have elderly relatives with underlying health conditions, for example. With all of this on their mind, is it really fair to expect them to study for their exams as if nothing has been changed?

I’m deeply disappointed by the refusal to implement a ‘no detrimental’ policy. The university made me feel welcome from day one, and the opportunities it has offered have been life-changing, but it really does feel as if the students have been an afterthought on this occasion, in particular those who are most disadvantaged. I hope common sense prevails, and the hard work put in by ‘For the Students’ and the Students’ Union pays off.