University staff put unfair pressure on students to complete National Student Survey

Apparently staff members were at the door to make sure people couldn’t leave


Student officers at the University of Arts London have received a number of complaints from UAL students who felt that they had been pressured into completing the National Student Survey before leaving lectures.

People have complained they were kept in a classroom with a staff member posted on the door to ensure that they did not leave before the survey had been completed. The Tab have been told some staff members told students in the classrooms they feared for their jobs if the survey completion rate for their course was too low.

Ana Oppenheim, Arts SU Campaigns Officer who received the some of the complaints, told The Tab: “We got a number of informal complaints from students who felt pressured to fill in the NSS. This included putting students in a classroom with a staff member at door and making them do the survey there and then, or student being told by staff members that they’re worried for their jobs or future of their courses if the fill out rate is low.”

Ana said the “emotional manipulation” of the university’s management was “unacceptable”, saying they had put pressure on staff since “this kind of fear doesn’t come from nowhere”.

She added: “That kind of emotional manipulation should have no place but I don’t blame the academics but university management who have clearly put a lot of pressure on staff – this kind of fear doesn’t come from nowhere.

“This is completely unacceptable – next year, we’re demanding that UAL publish a statement guaranteeing that no jobs will be lost and no courses will be cut as a result of low response rates.”

A University Arts London spokesperson told The Tab they were not aware of the complaints, adding: “UAL has not been made aware of any complaints of this nature. It is not the policy of any of our colleges to enforce completion of the NSS.”