Students win fight not to attend uni in person

Students at Victoria University of Wellington will no longer be required to attend lectures in person after resisting a call to return to the lecture theatre.

The university announced last year that, with Covid-19 restrictions having eased, all second-year law students would have to attend lectures in person.

The Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) and the Disabled Students’ Association fought back, with VUWSA citing equity and health concerns.

VUWSA president Jessica Ye told NZME last year that the policy ordering students back was “regressive”.

While lecture recordings would be available for those who could not attend, the process of having to apply first for a hardship grant was difficult.

Yesterday Ye said students had part-time jobs and other commitments, cost-of-living pressures, as well as mental health concerns, and having to make a hardship application to watch lectures was “bureaucratic”.

The union, along with various other student associations and advocacy groups, fought the proposal with a petition and open letter to university leaders, successfully getting the policy overturned.

The university worked with the VUWSA to make the changes and consulted with staff and students.

In a statement released yesterday, the union said the academic board had supported universal access to lecture recordings.

Students will not have to attend lectures in person, and if a class cannot be recorded, alternative materials must be provided. Exemptions are still permitted under certain conditions.

The new policy comes into effect next year and will be reviewed in 18 months.

Ye was “ecstatic” about the decision. “Overall, [I am] very happy and feeling like this is a win for students.”

A university spokesperson said the policy change was intended to be a “key enabler of student success and reflects the university’s commitment to providing equitable access to lecture content for all students”.

“It offers additional support to students who may have missed a lecture or need the additional aid and will enhance the overall student experience.”

On social media, VUWSA thanked “all the students and student groups who have supported this campaign over the years”.

“Your effort was the difference in achieving this milestone.”

University disability services entity Te Amaru said the change would make a “tremendous difference for disabled students and is a big relief ”.

The students’ union had been pushing for the policy change since before the pandemic.

Ye said the university consulted the student body before 2020 to see what would help to support its mental health and academic obligations.

“Overwhelmingly, students said that lecture recordings were the most important thing that would support them.”

Overwhelmingly, students said that lecture recordings were the most important thing that would support them. VUWSA president Jessica Ye