Fees compensation requests may be delayed until next year

Alan Nemirovski Contributor

Klara Woxström News Editor

On 11 October 2022, an email was sent to LSE students who applied for compensation due to the University and College Union (UCU) strikes’ e ect on their learning. e email stated that investigations into their complaints could potentially be delayed until the new year (2023).

Students were told last year that they could apply for compensation for teaching hours lost as a result of UCU strikes, which occurred in December 2021, and over lent term earlier this year. At the end of the 2021-22 academic year, the LSESU informed students that they could apply for a partial refund and that their cases would be reviewed on an individual basis.

During the summer, students received an email stating their complaints should be processed within 90 days and that their cases had been assigned to a member of LSE’s legal team for review.

Lily Whittle, a second-year Geography student expressed: “I had spent most of my rst year in the dark about how I was performing and felt entirely underprepared when going into exam season.”

“Strike action meant I waited months for feedback, even on formatives. Here I was at an elite institution prized for its high quality of teaching and learning and I didn't feel I was accessing any of it. Certainly not equated to the amount I was paying in fees.” e second email sent to students in October stated the processing of complaints was be- ing held o until the complaint portal had been closed by each department. is was to ensure that all complaints were received in a fair and equitable manner. e portal shut at midnight on Monday 12 September. e email elaborated that, given the number of complaints, LSE is aiming to issue outcomes before the Christmas break. However, some complaint outcomes may not be nalised until 2023.

“Honestly, I had completely forgotten about [the strike compensation],” says Hila Davies, a second-year Social Anthropology student. “[It] feels like it’s just been brushed under the carpet. Or that the act of applying for compensation was just performative.”

Maarya Rabbani, the LSE Students’ Union Education O cer has commented: ‘‘While [the SU] is unable to comment on what seems like an ongoing legal matter at the moment, please rest assured that we are doing everything in our capacity to expedite the process.’’

When asked about the delay in the timeline for responses to complaints, a spokesperson for LSE told e Beaver, “LSE aims to resolve complaints within 90 days, and o en does so in a shorter period. We may not be able to resolve formal complaints relating to industrial action within