“Over the last few weeks, Samantha’s university friends have been checking what they need to revise for their finals. But the only thing Samantha (not her real name) has been checking is her post. The social sciences undergraduate was accused of plagiarism in an essay she wrote last year. Samantha says the tutor ‘had it in for her’ and she made an official complaint. That was seven months ago. Samantha is still waiting to hear from her university whether she has passed her second year and can go into the third and final year of her course. ‘I’ve written to the university to ask what’s happening,’ she says. ‘All I’ve had is a letter back saying they are “dealing with it”. I’m at home in limbo, just waiting. Samantha is now so fed up, she has sought the help of Jaswinder Gill, a lawyer at AP Law who has represented students for more than 15 years. Gill says this is a ‘classic case of a university being a law unto itself’. ‘If the university decides to take much longer, there is nothing to stop them,’ …” (more)
[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 17 February]