Hi Peter,
I will try to help you. It won't be easy.
Firstly, it probably is not a good idea to go to court about this... yet. It might be a good idea to contact a lawyer and ask the lawyer to write a formal letter to the university. This will at least show that you are taking this case seriously.
Try www.lawsociety.org.uk/choosingandusing/findasolicitor.law and www.lawyerlocator.co.uk or www.findasolicitor.me.uk. . (Look for a firm that specialised in Civil Litigation or Professional Negligence or Education Law.) By the way, lawyers are called "solicitors" in the UK.
However, I don't think it will be very effective, because the university is very sloppily run and very disorganised. They do not communicate clearly to the students and they do not give proper receipts for work handed in, not to mention a whole range of other mismanagement issues.
Please provide me with the email addresses of the various people at the university (and their job titles). I am a freelance journalist and I will begin by saying that I am investigating this case. Please send me a note saying that "under the Data Protection Act, I hereby grant Gary Orman permission to be granted access to any personal data concerning the case between myself (Andre Russu) and the London Metropolitan University". As your son is an adult, he should send me this note - by email for now - and, later if the university requests it, a scanned letter signed by him.
Your case is very similar to the case of Mrs K. The university has no proper way of monitoring what tutors do - they seem to behave as a law unto themselves - and no way of controlling the quality of how the tutors work. Yet they are cavalier about failing a student for some alleged (or sometimes only a minor) infringement of the university rules. The rules themselves are vague and contradictory. And yet students spend a great deal of time and money studying at their institution. As a result of the gross mismanagement of the university, students should at least be given the benefit of the doubt; but it looks like, in your case (as well as Mrs K) the authorities are simply behaving vindictively towards you, knowing that there is very little you can do.
I will write to the registrar and the head of the department to make an initial enquiry, and make a copy to the British Council. I think you should also write to the British Council in Sweden and copy to the British Council in the UK. Also write to the British Ambassador in Stockholm, telling him about how unfairly your son has been treated and asking for advice about how to sue the university. You could also mention that you are contacting the media about this incident (in Sweden and in the UK), because you have learned that this is not an isolated incident.
(Send me the letters first and I will correct them and send them back to you.)
I personally want to dissuade foreigners from coming to Britain to study. There are far better (and cheaper) places to go in the world. Only after there is a significant decline in the number of students studying in Britain will the universities take this matter seriously.
The other thing you might be able to do (although this may be too late) is for your son to go to the local police station where Central House is located and report that he was assaulted by the security men. He will be asked to make a statement. You can then ask them to investigate because you don't know the names of the security men. He might be asked why he waited so long. Perhaps tell them that, as a foreigner, he didn't really know who to complain to, that he tried to complain to the university, but they have not been helpful. Even if the police don't take any criminal action, the very fact that they are involved in the investigation will also demonstrate to the university that you are taking this matter seriously.
Finally, you may be prepared to risk being accused of defamation by publishing disparaging comments about the university and specific people there (publish their full names and positions). They will have to take YOU to court to sue you for slander, and that will be the opportunity to force them to discuss your case in a public court and prove that they didn't alter university records, etc.
The next steps will be to write a reply to the university, British Council, British Ambassador and perhaps the Foreign Office and local British Chambers of Commerce, but this time also copy the story to a number of newspapers, magazines and TV stations. This is also a good time to publish all the details and copies of correspondence on your blog. We can also include a copy to Brian to publish on his "Disputes in British Universities" website. I don't know if he is still active, though.
In the meantime, please create a website at www.wordpress.com (e.g. london-metropolitan-university.wordpress.com or simply londonmet.wordpress.com). If you want to drive traffic to your blog (and you don't mind spending some money) then open an account with google adwords (adwords.google.com) and create keywords for people looking to study in the UK.
Google Adword Example
Want to study in the UK?
Warning! Visit this
blog
first before deciding
.
http://londonmet.wordpress.com
Once the British Council and the university sees how big this campaign will become, they will start to negotiate (hopefully) more reasonably. Even if you only dissuade 10 students against coming to Britain that will be a significant financial loss for the university. I believe that you might succeed in dissuading a few thousand students from at least going to London Met. Knowing how badly they treat students, I wouldn't ever want to study there. And I always tell students not to study there either. In fact, I tell them not to bother with the UK. There are plenty of very good universities (in art or business or any other subject) in other parts of the world, where it is also a lot cheaper to live and study.
Not all universities in Britain are bad. The problem is that only a very few are good! It is difficult to know which are the good ones unless you can get feedback from the alumni. I would actually like to see a forum where ex-students post comments (good or bad) about a university so that new students can decide whether it is any good or not.
Maybe your blog can perform that function eventually - perhaps by creating a section for each of the major universities and inviting people to post their personal experiences. This might also get the newspapers and media more interested.
I look forward to your reply. I hope we can persuade the university to award Andre his MA. A public, written apology might also be in order!
All the best,
Gary
Dear Peter,
Well, sorry to hear that got nowhere with the university. Unfortunately, this is how they operate. They simply ignore students and, as there is no effective means of redress, students are usually forced to give up. It costs a great deal of time and money (which students don't have) to go to court. Even the so-called students' representatives are ineffectual or simply don't care.
The members of the faculty and administration know this.
Even if it were to go as far as litigation, the university can easily afford to waste money on defending its position. After all, they money doesn't belong to any of the individuals, so it doesn't matter to them. And the legal system is so long and costly that the student will still lose.
That's why they can get away with it.
But this is not over yet.
Your story and the stories of others who have had the same experience will be published as a warning to future students in the hope of discouraging them from studying at any of the London Met universities.
Frankly, I would be ashamed to be associated with this university. I can't imagine that the qualifications achieved here are worth the paper, and it doesn't say much for the alumni that they qualified at this less than mediocre teaching institution. I provide advice for multinational corporations about training and HR. And one of the factors that I advise on is to look critically at an applicant's qualifications, as they don't always imply competence in the profession they are 'qualified' for.
The trouble with abusing the power of an institution, whether out of lethargy or hubris, is that its reputation suffers. In the long term, even potential employers will not take graduates from this university seriously. So anyone who studies here will be wasting their time anyway.
All the best to Andre.
It's only one year out of his life - and as an artist, he will have gained valuable experience and personal development just by having worked on his projects and installations.
There are much better art schools that he can go to. And at least his reputation won't be blotted by having a London Met 'qualification' on his resume.
Kind regards,
Gary Orman
From: Medial Museum [mailto:info@artaddiction.net]
Please answer, it's urgent
--------------------------
Hi - This is to inform every of you that you win and we are giving up. Congratulations Roper, Falconbridge, Reilly, Smith, Hompel, Ferguson, Butler and McParland successfully you stolen MR ANDREI-PETRU RUSU Student Number: M306811 his MA Graduation! The one year tuition fee (2006/7) is the cash present to you.
The only we need back is our jacket.
As Peter Russu, is Andreis fader and Marta Dimitrescu, the mother and the legal representatives (Andre is still 22 year old), for a few days we are in London and we would like to pick up our son jacket thats now is on McParland hands.
Would be very unpleasant to see you, but please drop us a note about the place and the person who will give us back our son jacked - as an example, tomorrow after the 2PM we can be in North Campus....
Also, you should send the jacket and all possession you may consider belongs to Andre to the address below. The one year tuition fee probably will cover the cost, otherwise I will send you a check to cover the postage costs.
AP Rusu
32 Taeping Street
E14 9UN London
After we would receive the jacket, probably you never will hear again from as- the unfair and hard time generously given by University tutors and staff would be unforgettable.
Please understand, the jacket it's an urgent matter.
Student Name: MR ANDREI-PETRU RUSU
Student Number: M306811
..
Peter Russu, editor and publisher (MA fine artist)
Marta Dimitrescu, Editorial Director, curator, gallery manager (MA fine artist)
