All he needed to do was to request an extension to hand in his bachelor\u2019s project for his Danish class. Once he\u2019d done that, he would be able to begin studying towards his master\u2019s in history when the fall semester started. It was just a formality. Or so he thought.<\/p>\n
Because when he tried to get the extension, KUnet told him that he was only permitted to ask for extensions for classes offered by the Saxo Institute, where he was enrolled, not the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NoRS), which is responsible for Danish classes.<\/p>\n
After trying unsuccessfully a few times to submit a request for an extension, he rang student counselling for help. To no avail; the office was closed for summer holidays and they wouldn\u2019t be back until after the registration deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot being able to submit a request was frustrating,\u201d Larsen says. \u201cBut after ringing student counselling a few times, I figured that I would be able to sort it out with them when they got back.\u201d<\/p>\n
As planned, he rang back at the beginning of August to hear what he needed to do. Their answer: he couldn\u2019t do anything. It was too late. Instead of waiting he should have contacted the examinations office straight away, he was told.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t seem like you really tried to resolve the issue; all you did was ring to student counselling<\/p>\n
From the study board’s rejection of Larsen’s request for a a waiver.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
As planned, he rang back at the beginning of August to hear what he needed to do. Their answer: he couldn\u2019t do anything. It was too late. Instead of waiting he should have contacted the examinations office straight away, he was told.<\/p>\n
Instead, they recommended he request that the study board grant him a waiver so he didn\u2019t have to submit the project. He followed their advice and sent in a request for a waiver on 6 August.<\/p>\n
Their answer came two days later: rejected, on the grounds that he had not \u201csubmitted proof (in the form of a screendump or the like) that his failure to submit a request was the result of computer problem\u201d.<\/p>\n
The study board, like student counselling, also pointed out what Larsen should have done when he found out the office was closed for the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like you really tried to resolve the issue; all you did was ring to student counselling. You should have tried to get in touch with the department another way,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n
That, according to Larsen, is a polite way of saying \u201cwe don\u2019t think you did enough\u201d.<\/p>\n
Guilty until you prove your innocence<\/h3>\n
Larsen then contacted the departmental IT desk to find out if they had a record of his attempts to make a request. They didn\u2019t, but they informed him in an e-mail that the department had been having computer problems at that time.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoRS is aware there were problems with SB to begin with, but they were fixed, and students should have been able to submit requests during the period leading up to the deadline<\/em>,\u201d the IT desk wrote.<\/p>\n
Since both the administration and the study board know there was a university-wide problem at the time he tried to make his request, Larsen doesn\u2019t feel it\u2019s fair that he should need to present more evidence that he tried to register.<\/p>\n
\u201cRequiring me to prove there were problems with their system is straight out of Kafka. They see me as guilty until I can prove my innocence. In hindsight, I probably should have taken a screendump, but at the time I couldn\u2019t have imagined that this was going to turn into such a big problem,\u201d Larsen says.<\/p>\n
Not all deadlines are created equal<\/h3>\n
Even though the study board didn\u2019t give Larsen a waiver, they told him he could submit his bachelor\u2019s project during the winter examination period. In the meantime, he could apply to be allowed to start his master\u2019s programme even though he still formally hadn\u2019t earned his bachelor\u2019s.<\/p>\n
But the deadline to apply for that type of waiver had passed a month earlier (before the deadline to apply to apply for an extension, in fact), so Larsen didn\u2019t apply, even though he had been told by the administration that he would probably get one.
\n
\nFor Larsen, it was a matter of principle: he didn\u2019t feel he had done anything wrong. Applying to be permitted to start his master\u2019s programme without having completed his bachelor\u2019s would be to accept their argument that he had. Besides, he found it illogical that he could be allowed miss one deadline but not another. So, in the end, he decided not to apply to be allowed to start his programme.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was also because different rules apply if you\u2019re in that situation \u2013 you need to provide them with a detailed plan for the rest of your studies,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I didn\u2019t apply. I didn\u2019t feel I had done anything wrong. It was the university that had a computer problem. I admit I made a mistake by not e-mailing student administration when I found out I couldn\u2019t register, but it\u2019s a little drastic if a mistake like that sets me back six months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last chance<\/h3>\n
Instead, he turned to what he thought was the only option he had left to prevent him from being disenrolled: he appealed the decision to deny him an extension to Student Services. He argued that nowhere in the guidelines for his Danish course did it state that, in the event of a problem with the university\u2019s computers, that the student was responsible for e-mailing documentation for the problem to the administration.<\/p>\n
He also found a clause in the Public Administration Act he felt supported his case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grounds upon which a decision is based shall contain a reference to the relevant regulation(s). If a decision based on this (these) regulation(s) was an administrative interpretation, the decision must indicate the primary rationale for the interpretation.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly thought I was going to get kicked out. I\u2019ve needed to find my way through a bureaucratic jungle. That\u2019s stressful, and someone less able to navigate the system might have given up. It seems like the system is more interested in enforcing rules than helping students, or explaining how they can sort things out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Months-long wait<\/h3>\n
When he handed in his appeal on 3 September, he was told that it would take two or three months to consider his appeal. So, not expecting that he would be able to hand in his project until January, he asked the bar where he had been working if he could start full-time.<\/p>\n
It was much to his surprise, then, that the next day \u2013 4 September \u2013 that he got a call from a legal counsellor in the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked when I \u2013 hypothetically speaking \u2013 would be able to submit my project. That was the first time in all of this that someone with the university offered a potential solution. It\u2019s just too bad that it had to take so long for it to happen,\u201d Larsen says.
\n
\nThe same day, Larsen was also informed that the study board had changed its decision: he would be granted an extension. He now has until 1 October to submit his project.<\/p>\n\u201cWe can partially accept your explanation that you were uncertain who you should contact, and that because student counselling was closed for summer holidays, they were unable to help you,\u201d the study board wrote.<\/p>\n
In everyone\u2019s interest<\/h3>\n
Torben Juel Jensen, an assistant professor and the chair of the NoRS study board, declined to discuss the specific details of Larsen\u2019s situation. But, he says that when students apply for an extension, they need to be able to provide documentation for whatever the problem was.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to have a valid reason for not registering by the deadline. And by that, we mean something unforeseen. And you need to be able to document that it happened. If a student appeals a decision, then we\u2019ll review it, but the vast majority of decisions don\u2019t get overturned. In cases where a decision, for one reason or another, has unexpected consequences for the student in question, then a decision can be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it issues a decision that might prevent a student from attending class, the study board, according to Jensen, always makes sure the student knows what recourse is available and how to go about pursuing it.<\/p>\n
He also recognises that the university bureaucracy can be difficult to navigate, but that\u2019s why KUnet has instructions for what to do in a given situation, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen students contact the wrong office, they either get passed on to the right one or they get told what the right one is so they can contact them themselves. Having multiple offices does make things more complicated, but the University Act requires that some types of decisions be made by the study board, others by the administration. When it comes to appeals, it makes good sense that an organisation other than the study board makes the decision, but we send students instructions for how they can appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The administration, according to Jensen, will look at what happened in Larsen\u2019s situation, but he says it\u2019s too early to tell whether changes will be made.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever a student winds up in a jam as a result of not doing something we feel should have been done, we look at whether we could do something differently so it doesn\u2019t happen again. Student counselling also makes sure students always know who they can contact. It\u2019s not in our interest to keep students from starting their studies. But I can\u2019t recall ever having a situation like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the time being, Larsen is still working full-time as a bartender, but he\u2019s relieved that after a month of dealing with the administration, applying for a waiver and then submitting an appeal, he\u2019s now allowed to hand in his project.
\n
\nHe\u2019s finally officially enrolled as a master\u2019s student (even if the department put him in the wrong classes \u2013 \u201cTrees don\u2019t grow to the sky,\u201d he jokes) \u2013 and he\u2019s a little wiser about how to deal with the university.<\/p>\n\u201cI should have taken a screendump or sent an e-mail as soon as I had trouble registering. But, I\u2019m perfectly capable of reading class guidelines and the other regulations and there was nothing that said anything about having to provide documentation if the university has a computer problem, or about who to contact if there\u2019s a problem. I haven\u2019t been able to find anything, and no-one I\u2019ve spoken with has been able to tell me. Certainly not the study board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another valuable lesson he\u2019s learned: always send an e-mail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you do that, you\u2019ve automatically got written documentation that you contacted the right people. I\u2019ve learned that you can\u2019t always count on the university to be on top of things. The most important thing to remember is that it\u2019s up to the student to document what the problem was \u2013 even if it was the university\u2019s mistake.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What started as a problem with the university\u2019s computers during the summer break that made it impossible for Mikkel Klattrup Larsen to get an extension on his bachelor\u2019s project almost turned into a semester-long wait for him to start his master\u2019s. Only a month-long struggle with the administration prevented the worst from happening. Larsen hopes others don\u2019t have to go through what he did<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":74214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[1478,1479,1480,355],"class_list":["post-74562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-eksamenstilmelding-en","tag-klage-en","tag-studieadministrationen-en","tag-studienaevn-en","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n
How a university computer problem nearly got Mikkel disenrolled<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Det startede med, at han ikke kunne melde sig til reeksamen i sommerferien p\u00e5 grund af IT-problemer. Og pludselig risikerede Mikkel Klattrup at blive udskrevet fra universitetet. Efter en m\u00e5neds nervepirrende tovtr\u00e6kkeri og en klage kan han nu starte p\u00e5 sin kandidat. 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Og pludselig risikerede Mikkel Klattrup at blive udskrevet fra universitetet. Efter en m\u00e5neds nervepirrende tovtr\u00e6kkeri og en klage kan han nu starte p\u00e5 sin kandidat. Og han har l\u00e6rt en vigtig lektie.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/how-a-university-computer-problem-nearly-got-mikkel-disenrolled\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/how-a-university-computer-problem-nearly-got-mikkel-disenrolled\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/how-a-university-computer-problem-nearly-got-mikkel-disenrolled\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1.jpg","width":1600,"height":1067,"caption":"Mikkel Klattrup Larsen har brugt en m\u00e5ned p\u00e5 at s\u00f8ge dispensation for for sen tilmelding til reeksamen. F\u00f8rst da han klagede, fik han lov til at aflevere sin bachelor."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/how-a-university-computer-problem-nearly-got-mikkel-disenrolled\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How a university computer problem nearly got Mikkel disenrolled (and why the administration says it was his fault)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/","name":"University Post","description":"Independent of management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/8c912ac0206e21b80c681da183a3afad","name":"Nanna Balslev","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1571d43b21deebf7768f6df81fd31a29c6d76b3ed7a86635e0fb2f11e8f8c366?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1571d43b21deebf7768f6df81fd31a29c6d76b3ed7a86635e0fb2f11e8f8c366?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1571d43b21deebf7768f6df81fd31a29c6d76b3ed7a86635e0fb2f11e8f8c366?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Nanna Balslev"},"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/author\/nanna\/"}]}},"advancedCustomFields":{"layout_group":[{"acf_fc_layout":"Headline","use_post_title":true,"headline":"","style":"default","highlighted_words":"","text_size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":74214,"id":74214,"title":"Mikkel Klattrup1","filename":"mikkelklattrup1.jpg","filesize":94480,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/en-rundtur-i-den-administrative-rutsjebane\/mikkel-klattrup1\/","alt":"Mikkel Klattrup Larsen har brugt en m\u00e5ned p\u00e5 at s\u00f8ge dispensation for for sen tilmelding til reeksamen. F\u00f8rst da han klagede, fik han lov til at aflevere sin bachelor.","author":"8","description":"Mikkel Klattrup Larsen har brugt en m\u00e5ned p\u00e5 at s\u00f8ge dispensation for for sen tilmelding til reeksamen. F\u00f8rst da han klagede, fik han lov til at aflevere sin bachelor.","caption":"","name":"mikkel-klattrup1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":74244,"date":"2018-09-13 07:13:44","modified":"2018-09-13 08:28:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1600,"height":1067,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-1280x854.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":854,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1600,"2048x2048-height":1067,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":false,"alternative_caption":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Administration","text":"What started as a problem with the university\u2019s computers during the summer break that made it impossible for Mikkel Klattrup Larsen to get an extension on his bachelor\u2019s project almost turned into a semester-long wait for him to start his master\u2019s. Only a month-long struggle with the administration prevented the worst from happening. Larsen hopes others don\u2019t have to go through what he did","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":false,"contributors":[{"use_registered_user":true,"user":{"ID":33,"user_firstname":"Nanna","user_lastname":"Balslev","nickname":"nanna","user_nicename":"nanna","display_name":"Nanna Balslev","user_email":"nanna.balslev@gmail.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2017-03-13 10:30:07","user_description":"","user_avatar":"<img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1571d43b21deebf7768f6df81fd31a29c6d76b3ed7a86635e0fb2f11e8f8c366?s=96&d=identicon&r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1571d43b21deebf7768f6df81fd31a29c6d76b3ed7a86635e0fb2f11e8f8c366?s=192&d=identicon&r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-96 photo' height='96' width='96' loading='lazy' decoding='async'\/>"},"contributor_name":"","contributor_title":"","contributor_image":false}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>All he needed to do was to request an extension to hand in his bachelor\u2019s project for his Danish class. Once he\u2019d done that, he would be able to begin studying towards his master\u2019s in history when the fall semester started. It was just a formality. Or so he thought.<\/p>\n<p>Because when he tried to get the extension, KUnet told him that he was only permitted to ask for extensions for classes offered by the Saxo Institute, where he was enrolled, not the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NoRS), which is responsible for Danish classes.<\/p>\n<p>After trying unsuccessfully a few times to submit a request for an extension, he rang student counselling for help. To no avail; the office was closed for summer holidays and they wouldn\u2019t be back until after the registration deadline.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot being able to submit a request was frustrating,\u201d Larsen says. \u201cBut after ringing student counselling a few times, I figured that I would be able to sort it out with them when they got back.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cWe don\u2019t think you did enough\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>As planned, he rang back at the beginning of August to hear what he needed to do. Their answer: he couldn\u2019t do anything. It was too late. Instead of waiting he should have contacted the examinations office straight away, he was told.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It doesn\u2019t seem like you really tried to resolve the issue; all you did was ring to student counselling<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">From the study board’s rejection of Larsen’s request for a a waiver.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As planned, he rang back at the beginning of August to hear what he needed to do. Their answer: he couldn\u2019t do anything. It was too late. Instead of waiting he should have contacted the examinations office straight away, he was told.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, they recommended he request that the study board grant him a waiver so he didn\u2019t have to submit the project. He followed their advice and sent in a request for a waiver on 6 August.<\/p>\n<p>Their answer came two days later: rejected, on the grounds that he had not \u201csubmitted proof (in the form of a screendump or the like) that his failure to submit a request was the result of computer problem\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The study board, like student counselling, also pointed out what Larsen should have done when he found out the office was closed for the summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem like you really tried to resolve the issue; all you did was ring to student counselling. You should have tried to get in touch with the department another way,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n<p>That, according to Larsen, is a polite way of saying \u201cwe don\u2019t think you did enough\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3>Guilty until you prove your innocence<\/h3>\n<p>Larsen then contacted the departmental IT desk to find out if they had a record of his attempts to make a request. They didn\u2019t, but they informed him in an e-mail that the department had been having computer problems at that time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>NoRS is aware there were problems with SB to begin with, but they were fixed, and students should have been able to submit requests during the period leading up to the deadline<\/em>,\u201d the IT desk wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Since both the administration and the study board know there was a university-wide problem at the time he tried to make his request, Larsen doesn\u2019t feel it\u2019s fair that he should need to present more evidence that he tried to register.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRequiring me to prove there were problems with their system is straight out of Kafka. They see me as guilty until I can prove my innocence. In hindsight, I probably should have taken a screendump, but at the time I couldn\u2019t have imagined that this was going to turn into such a big problem,\u201d Larsen says.<\/p>\n<h3>Not all deadlines are created equal<\/h3>\n<p>Even though the study board didn\u2019t give Larsen a waiver, they told him he could submit his bachelor\u2019s project during the winter examination period. In the meantime, he could apply to be allowed to start his master\u2019s programme even though he still formally hadn\u2019t earned his bachelor\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>But the deadline to apply for that type of waiver had passed a month earlier (before the deadline to apply to apply for an extension, in fact), so Larsen didn\u2019t apply, even though he had been told by the administration that he would probably get one.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"Requiring me to prove there were problems with their system is straight out of Kafka","quotee":"Mikkel Klattrup Larsen, master's student","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>For Larsen, it was a matter of principle: he didn\u2019t feel he had done anything wrong. Applying to be permitted to start his master\u2019s programme without having completed his bachelor\u2019s would be to accept their argument that he had. Besides, he found it illogical that he could be allowed miss one deadline but not another. So, in the end, he decided not to apply to be allowed to start his programme.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was also because different rules apply if you\u2019re in that situation \u2013 you need to provide them with a detailed plan for the rest of your studies,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I didn\u2019t apply. I didn\u2019t feel I had done anything wrong. It was the university that had a computer problem. I admit I made a mistake by not e-mailing student administration when I found out I couldn\u2019t register, but it\u2019s a little drastic if a mistake like that sets me back six months.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Last chance<\/h3>\n<p>Instead, he turned to what he thought was the only option he had left to prevent him from being disenrolled: he appealed the decision to deny him an extension to Student Services. He argued that nowhere in the guidelines for his Danish course did it state that, in the event of a problem with the university\u2019s computers, that the student was responsible for e-mailing documentation for the problem to the administration.<\/p>\n<p>He also found a clause in the Public Administration Act he felt supported his case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<em>The grounds upon which a decision is based shall contain a reference to the relevant regulation(s). If a decision based on this (these) regulation(s) was an administrative interpretation, the decision must indicate the primary rationale for the interpretation.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI honestly thought I was going to get kicked out. I\u2019ve needed to find my way through a bureaucratic jungle. That\u2019s stressful, and someone less able to navigate the system might have given up. It seems like the system is more interested in enforcing rules than helping students, or explaining how they can sort things out.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Months-long wait<\/h3>\n<p>When he handed in his appeal on 3 September, he was told that it would take two or three months to consider his appeal. So, not expecting that he would be able to hand in his project until January, he asked the bar where he had been working if he could start full-time.<\/p>\n<p>It was much to his surprise, then, that the next day \u2013 4 September \u2013 that he got a call from a legal counsellor in the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe asked when I \u2013 hypothetically speaking \u2013 would be able to submit my project. That was the first time in all of this that someone with the university offered a potential solution. It\u2019s just too bad that it had to take so long for it to happen,\u201d Larsen says.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"Having multiple offices does make things more complicated, but the University Act requires that some types of decisions be made by the study board, others by the administration","quotee":"Torben Juel Jensen, assistant professor and the chair of the NoRS Studien\u00e6vn","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>The same day, Larsen was also informed that the study board had changed its decision: he would be granted an extension. He now has until 1 October to submit his project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can partially accept your explanation that you were uncertain who you should contact, and that because student counselling was closed for summer holidays, they were unable to help you,\u201d the study board wrote.<\/p>\n<h3>In everyone\u2019s interest<\/h3>\n<p>Torben Juel Jensen, an assistant professor and the chair of the NoRS study board, declined to discuss the specific details of Larsen\u2019s situation. But, he says that when students apply for an extension, they need to be able to provide documentation for whatever the problem was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to have a valid reason for not registering by the deadline. And by that, we mean something unforeseen. And you need to be able to document that it happened. If a student appeals a decision, then we\u2019ll review it, but the vast majority of decisions don\u2019t get overturned. In cases where a decision, for one reason or another, has unexpected consequences for the student in question, then a decision can be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When it issues a decision that might prevent a student from attending class, the study board, according to Jensen, always makes sure the student knows what recourse is available and how to go about pursuing it.<\/p>\n<p>He also recognises that the university bureaucracy can be difficult to navigate, but that\u2019s why KUnet has instructions for what to do in a given situation, he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen students contact the wrong office, they either get passed on to the right one or they get told what the right one is so they can contact them themselves. Having multiple offices does make things more complicated, but the University Act requires that some types of decisions be made by the study board, others by the administration. When it comes to appeals, it makes good sense that an organisation other than the study board makes the decision, but we send students instructions for how they can appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The administration, according to Jensen, will look at what happened in Larsen\u2019s situation, but he says it\u2019s too early to tell whether changes will be made.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever a student winds up in a jam as a result of not doing something we feel should have been done, we look at whether we could do something differently so it doesn\u2019t happen again. Student counselling also makes sure students always know who they can contact. It\u2019s not in our interest to keep students from starting their studies. But I can\u2019t recall ever having a situation like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the time being, Larsen is still working full-time as a bartender, but he\u2019s relieved that after a month of dealing with the administration, applying for a waiver and then submitting an appeal, he\u2019s now allowed to hand in his project.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Quote","quote":"The most important thing to remember is that it\u2019s up to the student to document what the problem was \u2013 even if it was the university\u2019s mistake","quotee":"Mikkel Klattrup Larsen, master's student","style":"extended"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>He\u2019s finally officially enrolled as a master\u2019s student (even if the department put him in the wrong classes \u2013 \u201cTrees don\u2019t grow to the sky,\u201d he jokes) \u2013 and he\u2019s a little wiser about how to deal with the university.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should have taken a screendump or sent an e-mail as soon as I had trouble registering. But, I\u2019m perfectly capable of reading class guidelines and the other regulations and there was nothing that said anything about having to provide documentation if the university has a computer problem, or about who to contact if there\u2019s a problem. I haven\u2019t been able to find anything, and no-one I\u2019ve spoken with has been able to tell me. Certainly not the study board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another valuable lesson he\u2019s learned: always send an e-mail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you do that, you\u2019ve automatically got written documentation that you contacted the right people. I\u2019ve learned that you can\u2019t always count on the university to be on top of things. The most important thing to remember is that it\u2019s up to the student to document what the problem was \u2013 even if it was the university\u2019s mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"Dansk","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Sign up for the University Post newsletter","button_text":"Tilmeld nu","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}],"feature_color":"","align_content":"alignleft","expression":{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11492,"filter":"raw"},"enable_comments":true},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":42,"name":"Education","slug":"education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":42,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":661,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":1478,"name":"eksamenstilmelding","slug":"eksamenstilmelding-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1478,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1479,"name":"klage","slug":"klage-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1479,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1480,"name":"studieadministrationen","slug":"studieadministrationen-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1480,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":355,"name":"studien\u00e6vn","slug":"studienaevn-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":355,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"}],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11492,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/mikkelklattrup1-1280x854.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74562"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74619,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74562\/revisions\/74619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}