Politics head threatens legal action against EUSA president

The head of the University of Edinburgh’s politics and international relations department has threatened legal action against the president of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association over comments made about a letter sent out over assessments and feedback.

The Journal understands that Professor John Peterson sent a letter to EUSA President Adam Ramsay after Ramsay was quoted in the last edition of The Journal as saying that Peterson had “failed to deliver the quality of teaching that it is his job to provide.”

In the letter, Peterson allegedly demands a retraction, and is believed to have intimated that he will seek legal advice if this is not forthcoming.

According to a EUSA source, who wished to remain anonymous, Ramsay revealed the details of the letter at Monday’s Student Representative Council (SRC) Executive meeting. The announcement was made in line with the association’s protocol which requires all sabbatical officers to provide details of their engagements over the past week.

The row emerged after Peterson sent a letter to students in which he attributed “an inordinate number” of student concerns over marking to reasons “including the difficulty of avoiding the edginess and gloom inevitably induced by recession.”

In response to a number of student complaints, Ramsay told The Journal: “The point isn’t one letter. As head of subject, John Peterson clearly needs to be focussing on teaching; however, he has recently given up some of the time he spends on teaching in favour of research.

“He is hardly leading by example in the effort to improve teaching and feedback quality.”

Vice principals at the University were hauled before the SRC in October last year after the university was rated the worst in the UK for feedback in the 2008 National Student Survey. In line with the university’s positive response, EUSA launched its teaching awards, aimed at rewarding lecturers and tutors for quality teaching and feedback.

In February a motion to the EUSA General Meeting highlighting ongoing problems with feedback attracted wide support from students.

But despite efforts to improve the feedback procedures at the university, some students have expressed concerns that Peterson’s comments would undermine attempts to improve the relationship between academics and the student community.

Peterson’s letter has attracted criticism for is “facetious” tone, particularly the warning that “it would be a tremendous shame if you [students] chose your courses on the basis of who you think would ‘mark kindly’, as opposed to what subjects interest you.”

However, Ramsay has since expressed regret for the comments he made in reference to Prof. Petersons article. Seeking to move on from the row, and towards more productive dialogue with the department, he said: “My comments about John were clearly a personal attack, and I have written to him to apologise for this. We are now meeting to discuss how EUSA and the politics department can work together to move forwards on feedback.”

Ramsay also refused to confirm whether Peterson had made any reference to legal action in correspondence with the EUSA president.