How we are helping students in response to COVID-19
We know that the Coronavirus outbreak is affecting everybody in unforeseen and complex ways, and we recognise it is impacting our members.
While some disruption is unavoidable (see the changes we have made to our on-campus services here), we have been working hard to ensure that the virus has minimal impact on your education. Here's a rundown of action we have taken to support NTU students during this uncertain time.
Your studies
NTU has introduced a no detriment policy for course assessments. The policy is designed to ensure students will progress and graduate from NTU with the degree they deserve. In simple terms, this means that assessments will be heavily weighted in favour of the work students submitted before March.
The University created this policy in consultation with NTSU. Our officers have worked hard to get the best deal for our members, which has resulted in the policy being updated to be more robust in its support of students.
As different courses use different forms of assessment, we recommend you speak to your tutor to find out exactly how this impacts you.
Students who feel adversely affected by current circumstances and are unable to meet assignment deadlines can now submit NECs without the need for medical evidence.
To help students continue to work effectively off-campus, our House Services team have been delivering loan laptops to students around the East Midlands. This prevents students having to wait for a delivery slot from national delivery services who are swamped with demand. Over 100 laptops have been delivered so far.
We are engaging with Academic Reps to gather student feedback and find more ways to support our members during this difficult time. If you are facing any issues you would like us to be aware of, please contact your Course or School Rep via NOW. You can also email your Executive Team.
Accommodation fees
We have produced this guidance on housing rights for students who have moved out of their term-time accommodation due to COVID-19. Many different companies provide student accommodation, and your exact circumstances will depend on which accommodation provider you are with.
Our officers have been speaking to the University, NUS, MPs and housing companies to pressure accommodation providers to be flexible and make fair adjustments to housing contracts, length of stay, and accommodation fees. We are hoping to help mobilise a sector-wide response on this and similar issues which are affecting students around the UK.
The officers share the view of the Vice-Chancellor and Students’ Unions across the UK. That view is that it is morally wrong for students who have respected government advice and are staying home to be financially penalised. We will continue to work with stakeholders in Nottingham and across the country to move this along and pressure housing providers to support students' best interests.
If you need more information regarding your housing situation or any other issues you are affected by, get in touch with our advice team.
Staying connected
We have created an online community to help you stay connected to your fellow students, share ideas and access resources and activities to support you through isolation. Join here to become part of the conversation. We encourage you to use the group to start your own conversations and share how you are spending your time in these unusual circumstances.
Look out for live Q&As with our officers every Wednesday on our Instagram.
NTSU Executive Team
