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Find our annual sex survey inside: Bigger than you've ever seen it 14th February 2017 Issue 335
The official student newspaper of the University of East Anglia | concrete-online.co.uk
UEA investigated by watchdog Caitlin Doherty Deputy Editor
UEA has been subject to an intervention by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), following “significant [course] changes”. Changes were made to the second year of the four-year American Literature and Creative Writing undergraduate course. Previously, the second year of this course consisted entirely of optional modules. This was changed when the University introduced two new compulsory modules and limited the optional content. Existing students and offer holders were not informed of the retrospective changes, as the University considered them to be “minor” in line with contract terms. Students would have been told if the changes had been considered “substantial.” Following the investigation, UEA “will treat the addition of a compulsory module to a course as a substantial change” in future. In line with this, the University have also committed to “timely” updates to the website of any substantial course changes to ensure that any prospective applicants can access accurate course information.
Responding to the ruling, the Head of Learning and Teaching Services added: “The University is committed to ensuring that both current and prospective students are fully informed about their course and takes complying with consumer law extremely seriously. We responded immediately to rectify the issues raised by the CMA and are taking steps to ensure that no similar situation occurs in the future.”
"Following the investigation UEA "will treat the addition of a compulsory module to a course as a substantial change" in future" Commenting on the case SU Undergraduate Education Officer Theo Antoniou Phillips said: “When students are sold their course on open days and in prospectuses, they rightly expect the Uni to deliver what’s promised. Students might not be consumers in the traditional sense but we are paying
for a service and have a right to the teaching sold to us on open days, for libraries not to be full in the run up to exams, for computers to work, for optional modules to be available, for assessment to be carried out with care and returned on time, and for labs and equipment that are fit for purpose...We’ve argued for some time that for students, removing optional modules can be a major change to a course so it’s pleasing to see that the CMA has agreed and argued that the Uni’s practice of
calling that a minor change is unfair in law. This case highlights the legal requirement for the University to deliver what it promises so that future changes to courses are consulted on much more carefully, and information is given to students about agreed changes much earlier” Nisha Arora, CMA Senior Director, Consumer said: “For most students, going to university is an expensive, once in a lifetime event and they should enjoy the best possible experience. So it’s
important that prospective students have accurate and up to date information when choosing their course and existing students are given timely information about any substantial changes that are made to their course. And any contract terms which deal with variation for example, to course content, should be fair...The CMA welcomes UEA’s constructive approach and its commitment to revise its terms and conditions and comply with consumer protection law”.
Great Yarmouth, and a beach near Caister, according to the National Crime Agency. It is “extremely unlikely” that the haul was intended for the Norfolk area, but the seizure of the drugs “represent[s] a major blow to the organised criminals involved,” Matthew Rivers, from the NCA's border investigation team, told the BBC. He added: “we are now working
with Border Force, the Coastguard Agency and Norfolk Police to try and establish how the bags ended up where they did.” Officers reportedly continued to search the coastline between the villages of Hopton and Hemsby over the weekend, after a further few packages were located on the beach at Hemsby on Friday. The Hemsby volunteer lifeboat crew were helping police with a
thorough search of the area after the packages were discovered. Crew member Gerard Roadley-Battin described the find, stating that they: “were on the beach and looked like the bricks you see on television, five packages wrapped up in brown masking tape.” The second coxswain said each package was “about 8ins by 6ins, and 3ins deep.” He added that the “police drug enforcement
agency took them away.” The initial discovery was made on Thursday 9th February by Valerie McGee, 70, out walking her Irish setter Rudey. The retired psychotherapist found the first nine bags of the drugs on Hopton beach. A further three bags were later discovered near Caister, after
Norfolk snowfall worth £50m Jessica Frank-Keyes Deputy Editor
Cocaine said to be worth up to £50 million has washed up on two Norfolk beaches, in one of the largest hauls ever found on the British coastline. 360kg (794 lbs) of the Class A substance was discovered on Hopton beach, near
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