STUDY SPACE SHUT
Complaints have been voiced by students that the university is not providing enough study spaces, as it emerged the Brian Blessed Centre for Quiet Study has been closed for a number of days during the busy exam period.
During the first weeks of term the JB Morrell Library and Harry Fairhurst building have often been completely filled before noon, leading students to look for other study spaces. However, students have reported that the Brian Blessed Centre was closed at least last Tuesday and the following Thursday when they went to look for places to study.
David Duncan, who is line manager for Library and campus study services, said the centre was being used as “decanting space” for Chemistry students following the fire last term. “I have contacted the Head of Campus Services and it will reopen for quiet study as soon as possible.”
The centre was christened after Brian Blessed following an overwhelming mandate at a Union UGM in January 2011. Usage of the facility has been criticised as consistently low since it opened in 2010.
DATA LEAKED
The Biology department has been criticised for revealing the confidential details of two rejected students in an email to third year undergraduate students.
The emails were written after two students requested detailed reasons as to why they were rejected. The attachments included details of the foundation courses they were on, full names, addresses and dates of birth.
The university apologised for the incident, saying “information about the applications of two individuals was inadvertently sent by email. We have contacted all those students instructing them to delete the email and attachments. We have also apologised to the two individuals concerned.”
“All staff are currently undergoing data protection training but we recognise that it is impossible to eliminate human error.”
The data breach is not the first of its kind for the university, which suffered controversy in 2010 when an email leaked the details of 70 Archaeology students’ exam grades and highlighted students with learning disabilities.
In July 2011, the university was reprimanded by the Information Commissioner’s Office for a mass data breach that enabled outside individuals to access the addresses, phone numbers and A-Level results of many students for a period in excess of a year.