Update in regards to suspensions

Dear member, 

We have mediated the questions you brought up in the survey and have tried to gather some further information.

Firstly, we want to once again highlight that we are not an official mediator in these topics as we have no influence or insight in either the process or the decisions. The SASSE President is part of the Dicisplinary Committee which is not part of the process unless a case has been appealed, in which it is handled by the Disciplinary Committee. 

Your main contact should continue to be the OGC and we are simply trying to aid by collecting summarized information. Nothing that we publish is therefore “official” unless the school goes out with the information as well. 

Exchange 

We have asked about exchanges earlier and were then told that as long as a student is not suspended during the time of one’s exchange, students are allowed to go.

However, in the Q&A that the OGC published, which is attached to this post, it was stated that no student who has had disciplinary action taken against them will be able to go on exchange due to the criteria “ambassadorship” 

We asked the school the following questions and received the attached answers. 

1. Are suspended students allowed to apply for exchange?

Answer: No

2. Where do you find the grounds for exchange? On the page exchange outgoing on the portal there seems to be no further explanation of ambassadorship other than the fact that it is calculated by a student’s possibility to pass one’s exams on the first try? 

Answer: It is true that there are several admission criteria for the exchange program: These are first and foremost qualification criteria and then ranking or prioritization criteria, the last of which is ambassadorship. The first two can be measured almost numerically, while the last one may require a little more detailed explanation. 

What is meant by ambassadorship? It is basically a suitability test, and because the criterion now exists as a place allocation criterion, it means that the applicant has to show that they are a good envoy for studies abroad.

The next question then becomes how such an examination is carried out. The assessment can be compared to a so-called probation that occurs in a number of different professions, where the applicant’s good lifestyle or civic reliability must be tested—where great emphasis is traditionally placed on whether you are hardworking, decent, sober or otherwise worthy of respect. In practice, extracts from criminal or suspicion registers regarding certain types of crime are analyzed. Prohibition sometimes also includes a general accountability requirement, i.e. general honesty, reliability and integrity. 

Student exchange is (yet) not an absolute right for every student at the university and is based on bilateral agreements with other foreign universities. The agreements are based on the premise that the students who are exchanged also possess the ability to be able to represent their alma mater in a good way and to be able to study abroad at each higher education institution. A student who has been proven guilty of unusual and serious errors in specific academic activities that causes suspension will therefore be unsuitable for this purpose. 

This also does not constitute a form of double punishment; the previously suspended student returns to studies again at SSE and is thus not deprived of any education. Exchange is not possible due to the person in question becoming unsuitable in this way and in practice disqualifying themselves from the possibility of fully competing for exchange does not change that. As we have pointed out a few times, the consequences of suspensions are inevitable, but it is not a product of an unfair system. On the contrary, the indirect consequence of the student being deliberately violated the rules comprising study and degree time, study support, etc.

3. How will this affect students that have not yet received information in regards to their investigation? 

Answer: If a student applies for exchange and afterwards receives a notation about suspension then the application will be revoked. Evelina Elo, BSc Student Mobility Coordinator will receive a list of all suspended students.

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Studies and courses

Registering for courses

Find answers in the OGC’s Q&A, but all-in-all this shall be handled completely by SSE.

Exams

You will be able to take all exams, both regular and re-examinations, as soon as your suspension is over. You are not barred from conducting self-studies, reading books or preparing yourself during the suspension time.  Hence, you are naturally allowed to read the course literature and read up on distributed materials. You are just not allowed to take part of any classes or hand-in assignments.

However, if a course contains obligatory modules, this may mean that you will not be able to pass the course if these modules take place during your suspension. 

As the examinator is the one deciding how the course shall be examined, this is up to each and every course director to decide how they wish to proceed.

This means that the OGC can’t answer these types of questions, as it is not up to them to decide.

We have reached out to try and see if we can summarize the different solutions for each course, but this is troublesome. We will be getting back to you in regards to this. 

The academic advisors will help you find personal solutions to plan for your studies as soon as your suspension is over

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We understand the stress this whole process has caused, so finally we just wanted to highlight that if you feel unwell or are worried about someone close to you, please contact either someone in the SASSE Board or a professional! You both have Studenthälsan in Stockholm that drops new bookable timeslots on Fridays, or there are digital options such as Mindler which will become a partner to SASSE now in the beginning of the year. 



The survey is still open if you want to leave any further comments or questions.