These Hallam students have made an 18-page document to fight for compensation

Lydia Turner and 25 other MA Journalism students at Sheffield Hallam are fighting for compensation due to a lack of teaching and support from their university.

The strikes saw most students lose over six weeks of teaching across both semesters one and two – they ended on the 13th March 2020, but less than two weeks later teaching ceased once more due to the lockdown.

Facebook: Lydia Turner

The students, led by Lydia Turner, produced an 18-page report documenting and providing evidence for their claim.

The document details their course, as advertised by the university, followed by arguments that certain promised aspects of modules have not been met. For example, the limited gaining of skills required, no opportunities for work placements, and the inability to use campus buildings and resources.

Lydia told The Tab Sheffield: “Despite being promised a variety of online teaching and support for us, it never happened. Several students then asked our lecturers about this and they responded by asking us to be patient. To this date we still haven’t received anything extra.”

Sheffield Hallam is The Times and Sunday Times’ University of the year for Teaching Quality – and yet some of its students believe they have not received adequate teaching, to the point where it has even begun to impact their mental health.

Jayden Irving, another student fighting for compensation, said: “The lack of support and guidance that we have received has significantly impacted upon our mental well-being.

“We understand that these are currently unprecedented times for everyone, but having little to no guidance is incredibly stressful.”

They conducted research and found that all of the 25 students surveyed believed that the amount they’re paying for their course is not justifiable for the education they have received.

Image courtesy of Lydia Turner.

Lydia told The Tab Sheffield: “It took a month for me to receive a response from the head department, and when we finally got a reply we were told that our study had not been significantly impeded – despite the fact that we outlined how it was.”

The head of the department, Geff Green, also told the students: “Although this is not an ideal set of circumstances, you should be seeking to make the most of what additional learning opportunities come from a situation such as this one.”

As a result of this response, Lydia believes that their fight for compensation from Sheffield Hallam has been met with “animosity and a lack of understanding” from lecturers and heads of department.

The petition site on change.org.

Tom Wilson, another MA student, said: “I’m sick and tired of being pushed around, belittled and made to feel insignificant by my university. In my four years I’ve studied at Sheffield Hallam I’ve never experienced something so appalling as their behaviour towards us when we need them the most.”

The students are fighting for a partial refund and the implementation of a safety net policy for their assignments, and said: “This is a small request considering the amount we have to pay for our courses.”

Sheffield Hallam defended their decision and told The Tab Sheffield: “We are committed to ensuring there is no detriment to our students’ learning, how they are assessed, and their results arising from the epidemic.

“Staff in the journalism department, and across the university, have worked swiftly and innovatively to put alternative support and resources in place. More information can be found at shu.ac.uk/coronavirus.”

You can sign their petition here.