Decision making during the pandemic
Image: UofG cloisters
It goes without saying that this has been a crisis year for higher education. It feels like ECRs and PGRs are at the sharp end of that crisis, yet they have not been especially visible in national (or even university-level) communications and reporting. We talked to Chris Pearce (who took up post as the Vice Principal of Research for the University during the pandemic) and Tanita Casci (Head of Research Policy) about how decisions have been (and are still being) made both during the crisis and as we go in and out of lockdown. We also asked how universities have been engaging with Government and funders, as well as consulting with students and staff, to ensure that the right decisions can be made in the timeframe available.
Why did word about which facilities needed to close only come as we went into Level 4?
Universities Scotland and UofG had been lobbying Government to get clarity over what would be required to allow research to continue, should there be another lockdown. Unfortunately, Government advice on closures came very late in the day – just before current restrictions came into play. You might have heard and wondered what the term essential research means. This term wasn’t actually clarified by government until the Monday after we moved into Level 4. In the interim, we had to release guidance as we saw fit. We are pleased to see that PGRs are now officially acknowledged in the guidance published on the Scottish Government webpages.
Supervisors and PIs were asked to discuss with Heads of School / Director of Institute (with support from key contacts in each College) what the guidance meant at a local level. Decisions about experiments, equipment, risk assessment of a particular project, etc. all require relevant expertise and input.
We were frustrated too about some of the things which ‘are’ allowed in the pandemic, whilst others, that we think are important aren’t.
A range of factors were considered when making decisions:
The spirit of the lockdown
Progressing research wherever possible
Keeping all staff safe (researchers, librarians, cleaners, janitors, etc.)
Interdependencies between parts of the university (e.g., Library)
How to interpret the guidance, and balance the risks
The UofG Library is doing its best to make facilities and books available to researchers – check their website for most recent updates. Contact your College librarian if you are struggling to access things you need.
Many PGRs and supervisors have been hanging on for word from UKRI on extensions and will have been hugely disappointed with the recent news. What is Glasgow’s approach going to be to support PGRs and ECRs?
As soon as guidance came in from funders, we worked hard to interpret exactly what it meant and what it required of us, as well as how this could be worked in a fair and transparent process with minimal bureaucracy (while maintaining the required levels of financial due diligence).
As you can imagine, this has been a complicated and time-consuming task, involving consultation with many different groups as well as the creation of new policies and processes. We'll be sharing our approach and processes with you via email this week (w/c 7 December).
Since the start of lockdown, the University’s policy has been to support students equally:
irrespective of a student’s funding source: the policy applies to students who are funded or self-funded, and who are in their funded period or minimum period of registration for their degree.
based on the impact that the pandemic has had on their research project or on their ability to progress their research project.
Specifically, the policy specifies that students:
should, where possible, mitigate the impact of the lockdown by adapting their research projects.
may apply for fee-waived extensions to submission deadlines.
may apply for stipend extensions to offset the impact of disruption on academic progress or the ability to progress studies. Stipend extensions will be offered only when mitigating actions are not possible or cannot be sufficient to allow a student to complete their studies to the required standard in the funded period.
Since May 2020, the PGR workstream has screened applications from final-year students in 4 separate 3-month tranches, with end dates up to April 2021. The University is now extending this policy to all students, including those funded in whole or in part by UKRI. Students will be offered stipend extensions, on a priority-needs basis, of up to 6 months. In the first instance, we will be assessing applications from students completing between April and Sept 2021. UKRI-funded students should use this route to apply for stipend extensions.
How have PGRs and ECRs been consulted in these discussions? And how can we make sure that no one is being disadvantaged by decisions being made so quickly, due to the circumstances?
The SRC and UCU have been involved in discussions around shutdowns and return to campus. We would encourage you to engage with them as appropriate to ensure representation.
Graduate Schools have been processing extensions alongside central staff in the PGR office, and we have invited a colleague from the Disability Service to sit on that group to ensure that the experiences of researchers with disabilities are taken into account in that decision making.
Chris does meet regularly with the SRC and discusses our approach. However, the timeframes for decision making and the stringent conditions imposed by the Government and funders, mean there has often not been much time for wider consultation. Going forward, Chris will be available for regular informal zoom sessions with anyone involved in research, which means there is an opportunity for you to receive the most up-to-date news and ask any questions or raise concerns. The next of these is on 14th December (check your email for a zoom link).
PGR mental health is in crisis. What is being done to support this?
PGR mental health had been acknowledged as a pressing issue even before the current situation - and the uncertainties and delays discussed here have exacerbated existing issues, as well as creating new problems. Chris was invited to present to the UK Parliament a couple of weeks ago on short and longer-term concerns for researchers due to COVID-19 impacts. Mental health issues were at the forefront of discussions. We'll be talking about this topic more in a future post, as well as our plans to work with the UofG student wellbeing service to expand the dedicated support that is available to PGRs in a future post.
The reality is that no one in the University staff had the extra time needed to cope with a pandemic, alongside their ‘normal’ job, and also on top of the other pressures which we know everyone has experienced during the pandemic. At #PGRTowers, we have really appreciated the kindness from many of our PGRs who, although emailing to voice concerns and frustrations (many of which we feel ourselves), have also recognised that there’s a human behind that inbox.
