Testimonial #36

I am a 3rd year student at the University, and would almost certainly not be still be here ready to sit my final exams if it wasn't for my student advisor. Her advice and understanding has been invaluable. When I first went to student support I was ready to leave my degree due to stress and hardship I was under.

I had a lot of stress due to financial problems, but was able to alleviate some of these, and later secure funding for a repeat year that I would have found impossible to do otherwise. Throughout my degree I have suffered with panic attacks and anxiety, and my student advisor has been there whenever I have needed to provide advice and support, as well as guidance with any paperwork I've had to fill in for mitigating circumstances. I truly feel I would not have had the resolve to carry on without the help I was given.

There is no price that can be put on the help that is provided by the current student advisors, and I feel very sorry for any future students that will have to cope without the service, should the planned cuts go ahead. I feel that the student advisors are vital to the University support system, and that to compromise this will leave many students isolated and forced to leave degrees that they could have otherwise completed, had they been given support appropriate to their needs.

Testimonial #35

I am a mature student at University and it took me a lot of courage to come back to education as I has not had the best experience in the past. I gave up a full time job and a mediocre career to come to Sussex and better myself as a person, improve my job prospects and fulfil my potential. However things have not quite gone as I had imagined they would in the first year, and I have found myself struggling with depression and have recently discovered that I may be dyslexic which has been having a detrimental effect on my studies for years. Without the support of the dedicated and friendly student advisor's in my department I would not be seeking the help I need. They have encouraged me to not only seek help, but also helped me find the correct places in which to apply for it. I am still struggling now as I have only just started to get things in order, the thought of having to continue without the support as it is now concerns me greatly. I am a shy person as it is, having to go to a centralised support area to not only have to explain my situation over and over again, but also my course and it's requirements would put me off even asking for help in the first place and I would struggle on, and either not achieve what I am capable of or leave the University. They may save money at the end of the day, but if there are less students paying to attend the Uni then what good is that saving? I understand the need to find ways to save money, I have lived on minimum wage for ten years, but doing so at the detriment to others is not the way to go about it.

Testimonial #34

I am very disappointed to hear that student support is going to be turned into a faceless centralized service. Talking about ones problems requires privacy and understanding. An adviser needs to have a personal understanding of a situation within the right context for the best solutions to be found. Our school advisor does just this and is a great asset to the university. If this were to change I believe that the university would lose both some very good students and the good reputation that it has held until now regarding the quality of the services provided.

Here is my testimonial. I have always been a high-achiever both in my studies and work. Throughout my life, I have always been top of my class. Sometimes however things can happen that are completely beyond ones control. In my case this was finances. I had begun my studies with the understanding that my student loan was secured. Due to various administration inadequacies on the part of the Student Loans Company I found out half way through the second term that in fact my loan would not be approved. The accounts office was not presenting me with any options. All I was getting was the standard threatening letters that if I did not pay my fees within the next few weeks all services would be withdrawn. I did not have the funds to pay for the tuition fees myself and there was no time to try and make any alternative arrangements. This left me in an impossible situation. I thought that my only option was to leave (and I would be leaving with a debt for the term that I had already completed). This prospect was devastating to me. I had been planning and saving for 3 years to get here. I had left my job to get here and now due to something that could not have been foreseen I would be leaving having achieved nothing.

My student advisor helped me through this hard period. She did not just present me the various options. She helped to explore and exhaust all possible options for finding a way to stay. During this difficult period she was the only friendly face the university could provide me with. Because of her I am still here, I am back on track and the university continues to receive my payments.

After this experience I have been recommending Sussex University to all my friends and family. Where I come from word of mouth is the most successful form of marketing. I really do hope this doesn’t change.

Testimonial #33

I am a Sussex final year student who has just been diagnosed with Cancer and as you can imagine my world is falling apart in front of me. Uni is so important to me and at present I am determined to complete my degree but may be forced to postpone due to upcoming treatment and operations. There is no way I would even know how to get support and facilitate my situation and make appropriate choices without the help of the student advisors. They have seen me anytime I have needed and helped me work through mitigating evidence with respect and understanding and continue to do so. This service is VITAL to all students I am totally disgusted that it is being threatened.

Testimonial #32

I was very sad to hear of the planned cuts/changes to the Student Advice Service as I think the current setup is a vital part of student support. I’m a mature 3rd-year student and, at the time I was a single dad, with my daughter at college, as well as trying to complete my degree. My financial situation became so precarious that the only choice was to go back to work and I faced the prospect of giving up my degree. My student advisor helped enormously with arranging an alternative of intermitting for a year. Due to the timing of this decision, this was quite a problematic arrangement, but she went through hoops to get this organised. Without her help I would have almost certainly had to give up my degree. This kind of background support it vital to many students and it is very important that the advisors are able to give close one-to-one advice and assistance. A one-off ‘drop-in for a chat for a couple of minutes’ is not a viable alternative in most cases and if this were the only support on offer, the student drop-out rate would increase enormously and would be much more costly to the University overall, that any possible budgetary savings.

Testimonial #31

I came to this University because it offered all of the services that are now being taken away from us, and the student advice centre is a perfect example. The services offered by the student advice centre are absolutely crucial and there is absolutely no excuse for cutting it down. We as students need help and guidance more than anything and I dont think my degree should be jeopardized so that the profit being made from it isn't. That is not what education is about. I am furious that the money I decided to spend on this university, that was supposed to go towards making what was a great uni even better, is now going to pay the people who have made the decision to completely destroy it. Tough decisions do need to be made but they are be being made in every single wrong direction imaginable. I have developed a personal relationship with my student advisor and I am one hundred percent sure I would not have done so well to date without her, her personal knowledge of my subject area, and her understanding and guidance. And if that is replaced with a different person everytime I need advice having to look my course up on a database, my degree will suffer. If all of the cuts proposed are made, I and many other students I have spoken to, will seriously consider taking our money elsewhere.

Testimonial #30

During freshers week, amongst other things, we had an introduction session with [a student advisor], who explained her roles, and the various problems that we might want to take to her. I am a mature student who has a form of bipolar disorder, but I have always refused to play victim to it, and so although [the student advisor] seemed very nice, I didn’t at first think that I would be needing to see her.

However, I was to be proven wrong even before the end of this session. Towards the end, she mentioned that dyslexia was something she could help with. I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that I may be dyslexic, after all, I can program a computer but I can’t write joined-up, and so I stuck up my hand.

Now, it was only a little thing, but it really stuck in my mind. When I put my hand up, [the student advisor] addressed me by name. Clearly, this person who I didn’t remember meeting before, had gone to the trouble of memorising all of our names before coming to the session. That spoke louder than words that this was someone I could trust.

And so, shortly after the start of term, a test was arranged, and I did indeed turn out to be dyslexic, which not only meant that I had access to additional support, but was invaluable to me not only in explaining why my school years had been such a disaster, but also, having a valid reason why this was not my fault gave me a huge boost in the confidence I needed to be successful in my degree.

My first term was a real surprise to me. I was doing extremely well in pretty much all of my subjects, but what I failed to realise at the time, was that I was in a high state of agitation. Unfortunately, about halfway through my second term, one of my subjects started to cause me serious stress, and, well, being bipolar, after a high comes a crash.

This has happened a number of times in my life, and normally what happens is that I lose my objectivity, and have been known to become somewhat paranoid. This hasn’t been so much of a problem in the past, because my way of dealing with has been just to take myself away from the world until the storm passes, but I was right in the middle of a degree. That wasn’t going to work this time, and I had never developed any alternative strategies.

Another person who has posted on here mentioned that when things started to slide for them, that they became scared to go into the buildings, and I have to say that I know exactly how that feels. When my objectivity takes a holiday, my whole experience can become clouded by paranoia, and the University campus, which yesterday seemed so welcoming, and that I was so proud to be a part of, has today become nothing short of enemy territory. Frankly, at the point at which this happened for me, if [the student
advisor] had not previously taken the time to get my trust, then I don’t think I would have felt like there was anyone I could talk to, and I almost certainly would have just dropped out.

As it was, I went to see her. I was feeling kind of stupid that I had let such a small thing get blown out of proportion so much, but she very quickly dispelled this feeling in me, and we were talking openly and honestly about the problem, and by end of the conversation I was back on my feet and ready to just go and get on with it again.

Something similar happened again last term. I tried to speak to one of my teachers about something that had been bothering me. Unfortunately, we got our wires crossed and misunderstood each other, and I went away from this so angry that I got myself into a complete state. Once again, my objectivity went walkabout, and if it had not been for [the student advisor], the solution to the problem, which was remarkably simple, would not even have occurred to me. If I had not had her to talk to, I would almost certainly be down the DSS office, filling in the forms again, right about now.

The bottom line is that university life, while it can be fun, can also be extremely stressful. Even if you’re not naturally insane. I am and have been extremely impressed by the support available at Sussex, but it seems
to me that the management have missed the point entirely in deciding to make their cuts here. We all know that times are hard. We all know that cuts need to be made somewhere, but it seems to me that cutting the student advisors, and absorbing the service into a central office is short-sighted in the extreme, and that it’s the sort of decision that has been made by someone with no idea what paranoia feels like.

The personal relationship (and I hope I can say friendship) that has been built up between [the student advisor] and myself is the very thing that has enabled me to go to her, knowing I can trust her at those times when I discover that the campus has once again morphed into ‘behind enemy lines’. Moreover, the fact that [the student advisor] is attached to my school means that she is also able to give me a valuable insight into how the department actually works, and the sort of thing that’s expected from me as a student. It also means that she actually knows what I’m talking about when I talk about one of my courses.

I simply don’t think I’d want to use a centralised service. I’m pretty open about my shortcomings, but even so, I’d find a centralised service too impersonal. Those times when my world is coloured by paranoia are my problem, and well, I’d feel like I was taking a nasty case of the sniffles to the A&E department of a large and busy hospital.

In short, without this service, I’m sad to say that I think the University management will see a sharp rise in people just dropping out of their degrees.

Testimonial #29

“When I first started at Sussex, I remember [a student advisor] introducing herself to a group of us and telling us that while she hoped we would never need to use the support services, they are there to help when you need them. At the time, I didn't think too much about what she said and I just got on with Freshers' Week.

Later in the academic year I was diagnosed with a serious illness and I became distressed, isolating myself from the university, friends and family.

I was scared to talk to anyone about my problems and it reached the point where I thought I would have no alternative but to leave the university. Finally, at that stage I spoke to [the same advisor] and now I wish I spoke to her much sooner! I was taken aback by her professionalism, understanding and knowledge. She was non-judgemental and sympathetic to my situation and guided me through the process of reintegrating with the university. Her knowledge of my school/degree gave me the confidence to trust her advice.

I think it is incredibly important to have a permanent contact at the university who understands your personal circumstances and you feel you can confide in. There is absolutely no way I would have felt comfortable explaining by situation in an open plan office or having to repeat myself every time I'm presented with a different student advisor. In fact, it has been deeply troubling me thinking that this support might be taken away and replaced with something more akin to a bank call centre.

While most students will never have to use support services, they are absolutely essential in some circumstances and there is no substitute for having a permanent in-house student adviser who you know and trust. Removing this will be removing the human face of the university and I for one would not be comfortable discussing my personal problems with anyone else.

There are some very vulnerable people and I believe cutting this "model of best practice" service will have a human cost far greater than any financial savings you think you are making.”

Testimonial #28

“After a very successful first year, my second year suddenly felt absurdly difficult. I became stressed and anxious, my marks dropped steeply and my self confidence was at an all time low. I probably would have dropped out of the course without my student advisor. She took the time for a long, personal talk, listened to me and showed me exactly where I had problems and where I was just imagining them, where others had gotten just as stuck as I had and how had they had managed. She
helped me put every aspect of my situation into proper context and find out exactly how to get out of it. She showed immense experience and knowledge about every detail of my course, the department and the different teachers' personalities. The idea that a centralised, impersonal service could provide the same assistance is absolutely ridiculous.”

Testimonial #27

During my first year at Sussex, I encountered some problems which were really getting on top of me with regards to my work and personal well-being. I began by seeing my Academic Advisor who was less than helpful, probing into my problem and coming across as unsympathetic and unhelpful. After discontinuing my correspondance with the tutor in question, I went to see K., one of the Student Advisors in the Informatics department. K. couldn't have been more helpful. She listened, put my mind at rest and helped resolve the problem (and further ones I encountered).

I see the inclusion of Student Advisors in each department as absolutely essential given their links with their particular department faculty members and knowledge of the department's workings. A general "student support" office sounds impersonal to me and I doubt it will be able to offer the quality service that the Student Advisors provide. The fact that the new student support service doesn't expect to see one student on multiple occassions worries me somewhat too, further re-enforcing my expectations that the proposed new support scheme will be impersonal, less effective and less approachable by hesitant students.

Testimonial #26

I saw my student advisor a number of times at the end of my second year, at a point where I was very depressed and anxious. I had a death in the family and was feeling very pressured about getting my work done and trying to transfer into a different degree course whilst also trying to grieve. The help that I was given by my student advisor - both emotional and practical - was invaluable. The service was very personal, private and his knowledge of the department and of my courses was really important. I am sure that if I hadn't been given the advice and care that I received, I wouldn't have been able to complete the year. I've read about the proposed changes to student advice services and it would be really damaging if they took place. The kind of holistic support the student advisors give at the moment has been highly praised by external assessments. It would be madness to replace them with the generalised, centralised and inevitably impersonal system that has been proposed.

Testimonial #25

I am now a third year mature student. during my second year my marriage broke down. I managed most of it on my own, managing to keep university and home separate. BUT it came to the point that I could not complete all the tasks due by the due dates. Whilst my department was helpful (VERY) the student advice service provided practical help regarding the evidence needed - reassurance that my evidence was sufficient (it's a hard thing to prove and document!) and reassurance that it was OK to ask for mitigating evidence to be taken into account. The impartial support was vital. I only needed to use it a couple of times, but it was essential, I was all ready to just go and leave the degree. Dilemmas with students cover a wide range of experience and we do need immediate access, often it is "just" before we give up or do something else, had I had to wait, due to lack of advisors, for an appointment some time in the future... I probably would not now be in my third year.

Testimonial #24

I am very upset to hear that university management's vision of university is one where student support is considered an optional part of our education, one occupying a minor step beneath the academic development of students.
I believe categorizing the distinction between academic and personal, pshycological support represents quite a contradiction in a context such as this and any university, where we are encouraged to grow as persons, and not only as brains. More importantly, not matter how this relation is institutionalised, no matter how they portray us students, we are still gonna be one entity, made of intellectual passions and emotional drives, which could dangerously become conflictual if one of the two is denied attention.

Now, at the management level we are witnessing a very obviously selective support of specific sectors of the university, according to priorities that I dont understand how can be in line with "bettering the student experience". This decisions makes it ever more clear that the quality of such experience is being sacrificed to the quantity of students' finances being brought to university.

I am keen on expressing my deep concern with the decision to drastically cut the number of student advisors team. Based on my experience of intermission, I must and want to acknowledge how student advisors have played a crucial role in bridging my personal issues and my academic life, in a way that very few other support areas of university provide the space for.

Testimonial #23

It is no exaggeration to say that without my student advisor I would not have attained my first class degree at Sussex, I worked myself into an anxious mess and comtemplated simply not taking my final exams. Being able to speak to somebody who is personnal, freindly and well trained in all aspects of student support is vital. You really cannot put a price on somebody that can be so influential on a persons life. The other stories on this blog show how adaptable student advisors are, no matter what your story, your degree, your problems they are that first point of contact that can mean so much. If the university cuts numbers that will enevitably mean longer waits to see them, I know from personnal experience if i had been made to wait any longer than two days at certain points I look back and am afraid of what I may have done. Axing this service at sussex would be a truly stupid thing to do to add to the long list of truly stupid decisions the Sussex administration is making.

Testimonial #22

I am now a third year student and have been in close contact with student advisors for much of the last two years as a student mentor. Through numerous students both referred to be for academic support from a student advisor and students I have referred to them myself, I see on a regular basis how vital student advisors, and the student support team, as a whole are to the success of many students at Sussex. The increased retention rate and student satisfaction since the creation of student advisors is further proof of this.

Many of my friends have used this service and one in particular would have failed out in second year had it not been for the support her advisor gave her. This year, she is thriving. Additionally, I now find myself in need of my student advisor's assistance to apply for impairment after prolonged illness. She has been invaluable in explaining the procudure and how it could help me and been extremely sympathetic to my experienes. She has also been amazingly supportive of everything we have done as student mentors.

I think the management's plans for student advice (the centralised service with no confidential space and the reduced numbers) and the increased role of academic advisors is absurd. Academic advisors are not enough, as many issues students face are too sensitive and/or embarassing to be discussed with your own professor. Not to mention that most of them don't care, wouldn't know how to deal with these issues, and already refer many students on to student advisors in recognition of this. I would strongly urge the management to reconsider these proposals and urge every student who has benefitted from this service (or even knows someone who has) to provide a testimonial as proof of the outstanding work these people do for us every year.

Testimonial #21

I am here after six years at Sussex largely thanks to the continued support of the student advisors. Leaving an alcoholic mother to attend university was hugely distressing for me as an under-grad and having a person whom i could visit for advice who knew me and my back story was vital. Now as a post-grad just finishing my part time masters (which has unfortunately taken 3 years to complete due to my mothers liver failure and liver transplant) this service is just as valuable. Having one specific contact is more important than i can convey. If i had had to explain over and over again the painful details of my mum's illness and my situation i might not have had the strength to complete my course but with the help of my advisor i was able to defer, seek counselling and achieve distinction grades. The brilliantly informed advice was obviously a huge help but mostly just having a caring ear was the most important thing. For students in the most difficult situations this caring human face can make all the difference between a pass grade or another failed degree statistic and a ruined life. Whether these things matter to the VC does not seem clear. Things like student well being do not seem to register that deeply however may i also add that the £15,000 that i have spent in fees at sussex would not be in the university bank account if this service had not been available, i simply would not have made it through. Maybe that will speak more loudly.

Testimonial # 20

This time last year, I was in a mess. Many family and friend illnesses and deaths had made my life one stressful experience, and I was starting to get physical symptoms of severe stress. My academic advisor, being VERY academic, did not support me very well, so I turned to the student support team, and in particular, R. I didn't have an appointment or anything, but she listened to me and was so supportive. After I saw her, I found I could cope much better with support from the University - something that was lacking before. I do not know what would have happened to me without her, I was seriously considering dropping out of the year. I cannot believe that the University is getting rid of these ESSENTIAL people. Academic advisors and tutors are NOT TRAINED to help with personal problems, and sometimes, when problems are unrelated to academia, they are just not interested. R. attended the funeral of my friend. My academic advisor did not. I think that says it all really. Getting rid of the student support team is one of the stupidest things the University is doing and I cannot believe it was even considered, let alone being let to carry though. I am actually rather glad I am leaving Sussex soon if this is the concern that the University shows about its students and their well being.

Testimonial # 19

I am a mature student of 54 and graduated from Sussex in July last year with a first class honours and, to my surprise, two awards. Without my student advisor’s support this achievement just would not have been possible. On two occasions my student advisor prevented me from ditching the whole degree by skillful listening, advice, encouragement and putting in place the support that I needed quickly, fairly, expertly and sensitively.

On the first occasion, as a result of difficult circumstances and acute anxiety, she put me in contact with the University’s counselling services and encouraged me to defer for a year rather than give up completely. On the second occasion, she helped me overcome a short period of severe anxiety linked to long-term depression that was interfering with my ability to study.

I cannot express how grateful I feel towards her and how much I appreciated the student support at Sussex. I am, therefore, surprised and alarmed by the decision to cut student support. Universities have a duty of responsibility for the well-being of their students, and it is imperative that students are not disadvantaged by difficulties they may face whether these are due to disability or problems - financial or emotional. During my degree at Sussex, three of my fellow mature students used this service and I personally sent a young student to a student advisor when I became seriously alarmed about her health.

Students benefit from this service and, surely the university also benefits because it engenders higher success rates, student satisfaction, enables students who face difficulties (like me) to complete their degrees and, importantly, a service that can offer support and tend to a mix of students from different circumstances and of different ages.

Testimonial # 18

In the second year of my undergraduate degree I suffered with severe confidence issues that triggered what I call a 'bad one' (acute episode of clinical depression). I don't want to give details, but I want it known that were it not for the two student advisors that I saw, I may quite possibly have done something(s) I would later regret. I saw them intermittently over the course of several months, and I was refered to the Psychological and Counselling Service (PCS) on campus. I would never have gone there of my own accord, nor would I have sought help in that way, but thanks to the student advisors, I gained enough confidence to seriously consider that I could overcome my situation, with help, and they showed me that the university has a lot of support to offer those in trouble. The advisors are a central point of contact for those with issues, and they are accessible and non-threatening. I can't emphasise enough how important these last two factors were in my decision to continue seeking help. If our student advisors are lost, then the university also runs the risk of losing some of their students.

Testimonial #17

I have a history of chronic depression which affected me worst during my early teens and landed me in hospital for a time. Since then I've been prone to boughts of anxiety, one of which I was seriously effected by in my first year of university (largely because of the financial strain I experienced during that time after being made redundant and refused financial aid from Sussex). I was unable to receive clinical therapy due to the long waiting lists at all Brighton trusts, including the mental health centre on campus. I decided to give the Student Advisors a try, and actually found that the support I received from certain individuals there was better than any therapy I'd been expecting. I was offered real, practical advice from people who I genuinely felt were listening to me on my terms, as people whose day-to-day lives were actually very similar to my own. Because there was less of a professional boundary than that which exists between patients and clinical therapists, I found that the support I needed was provided on much more personal and friendly terms, and was more accessible at short-notice as well. I would never have made it through first year without legging it back to my mum's if it hadn't been for them! The idea that people won't be able to obtain such invaluable support and empathy in the future, especially as the pressures of entering the academic/job-market will only grow to be more severe, seems completely absurd to me. I whole-heartedly emplore management to reconsider the function and value of this service which so many of us would have appreciated over the years.

Testimonial #16

“I am very keen to write a testimonial for the Student Advisors at Sussex University because of the phenomenal help and support i recieved in starting at Sussex.
My start at Sussex was more difficult than usual in part because I transferred from another university and began in the second year so missed all the freshers events to get to know everyone and the inductions to get to know my way around university but more because a month before I was due to start my friends and I were involved in a deeply traumatic incident that lost us our best friend.
The aid of the student advisor I went to see at the start of term was invaluable in helping me through the pain and the continuing ramifications by putting me in touch with all the relavant support groups such as the counselling service, making sure I was up to date on everything I'd missed in my first year and sorting out details with lecturers when I was unable to attend lectures. Without this support I very much doubt I could have continued my studies at Sussex University. I cannot emphasise enough how important these meetings with a student advisor were in both my academic and personal life.
I do not want to see other students coming to Sussex with any problems and having to face them alone. A severely reduced student advisor work force could only be over stretched and unable to bring the same excellent care as I received to other students. This could only affect future students academic attainment and their personal well-being.
These cuts must be stopped!”

Testimonial #15

In the summer of 2008, I started what would turn ou tto be a year-long bout of severe depression. When I came back to Uni I felt totally lost. I missed countless lectures, fell behind with my work, and stopped communicating with the University.
Luckily, I had several meetings with my student advisor. She suggested that I go to Student Services, who assigned me a mentor to help with organising my time. This enabled me to complete work I would not have otherwise been able to do.
My student Advisor was supportive, approachable and very, very helpful. She spoke to me honestly, and knew about my degree subject therefore the work I was missing.
Throughout the first term, I saw her probably 3 or 4 times. After Christmas, I decided that the best thing for me to do was to take the rest of the year off to try and get better. I was scared, and didn't know how to do anything. My student Advisor made sure that I was making the right decision, and helped with the paperwork, evidence file and supported me through the difficulties. She recommended that I went to the Student Advice centre, where I was helped with the financial side fo things, eventually organising for my loan to continue to come throughout the rest of the year while I recovered.

Fortunately, by the time term started I felt much better. I really needed that time out to sort things out in my head, although the decision to defer was not easy. Without my Student Advisor, I honestly think I would have sank into the background in my first term, and failed. Now I'm cracking on with it, thanks in the large part to her.

Without the Student Advisor service, students in a similar situation to me may feel that they have nowhere to turn. Academic advisors are great for some things, but not when the things affecting you are very personal. I am angered to think that future students at Sussex may have no option than to drop out of uni, without the support of the Student Advisor team.

Thank you :) you really helped me out.

Testimonial #14

“Last year I missed lots of my classes. I was depressed, isolated and not coping with my work. I do not have any friends at uni. I am nervous and do not speak out when I experience problems. I would have drifted along unoticed and failing and I am certain I would have dropped out if it were not for my student advisor.

I would never speak to a tutor about my problems as I feel intimidated and they are far too busy. I would not speak to a student mentor either as I feel they are too close to my own age and I would be embarrassed. The student advisors are excellent. They have experience and you can talk to them about every aspect of university life - not just accademic or social life for example. You can be completely honest with an advisor whereas you may be tempted to hold back or lie when talking to a tutor.

If the service is reduced it will result in a poor 'student experience' for most people, not just those with severe problems. I do not think I will cope without my advisor and the quality time I can spend with her discussing issues and options. If the university are thinking of introducing online support it will not work. I am the sort of person that hates to talk to people, i always look at other options first (advice websites etc). But I, and many others, have suffered problems that can only be solved by discussion with a real person with experience and training. I believe face to face consultation is needed to determine the severity of a student's concerns that may seem trivial to an outsider.

This term is going to be tough. I also now speak to my doctor and a councillor - but I really need my advisor who, is knowledgable about the way sussex university works, gives me vital advice and is so wonderful. I cannot continue without her.”

Testimonial #13

“I have, and know of several friends who have made use of the student advisory team. They helped me immensely in my first year when I was struggling to cope with the demands of exams and coursework with personal problems I had going on in the background. I don't think the student body can cope with 11 of the 16 being axed. The result would be more students dropping out who wouldn't otherwise if they had access to the support provided by these advisors. Adjusting to University life can be difficult enough, and it doesn't take much for one to fall behind without adequate support. It is important from a human perspective but also the result concerning the powers of the University would be a drop in income from these lost students, which will only perpetuate the bad financial circumstances. Considering the high fees students have to pay to the University it is unacceptable that such a necessary service to their welfare is being cut, it would be much less damaging to cut a few thousand off the excessive salaries of the Universities management.”

Testimonial #12

“I’m going to keep this short but the crux of the matter is that the student advisors helped me immensely last year and I don’t understand how their position isn’t considered important enough by the university management! Some of the testimonials on this blog truly demonstrate the worth of student advisors in incredibly unpleasant situations- but they are brilliant in more simple or ‘ordinary’ matters, like illness, and so valuable to numerous students.
I’ve seen a student advisor a couple of times during my time at Sussex and they have been an invaluable source of support, and information. In my first year I was really ill and unable to complete my summer term coursework or sit my scheduled exams, or even do any reading. When you’re ill, you don’t need to deal with the added stress of worrying about passing your course. The advisor was brilliant, talking me through the mitigating evidence procedure and the forms, and helping me sort out alternative arrangements with student support, and providing evidence for MEC. It really helped to take the stress out of the situation.
I actually attended a different university for half a term but I had to leave due to illness. The system there was totally different. If you were absent, you were hounded by these particularly scary office staff and made to feel like you were in the wrong- even if you were ill! I read on one of the testimonials below that the system at Sussex has student advisors simply emailing and asking if you were ok, which is much better. If they’d had it at my previous university it would have certainly made things a bit easier for me.“

Testimonial #11 - Concerning the 'Mentoring Scheme'

“the student mentor scheme [ed. the mentor scheme is a scheme run in coordination with the current system of student advisors; the place of this scheme in the proposed new system is currently unknown] has helped me greatly since i started at Sussex. It has enabled me to get advise and tuition on a one to one basis, with someone who has done the same course as me and knows it's positives and it's pit-falls. Whilst it is true that you can visit a tutor for one to one tuition, the most you can ever realistically receive is about 15 minutes max, whilst the student mentors are able to give a whole hour (often more) of personalised tuition on the sections of the course that are most tricky. the fact that there are students who put themselves in a position to help fellow students is admirable and specific to sussex, to do away with it would be mad!”

Testimonial #10

“To whom it may concern,

I am a 3rd year student mentor in the school of global studies, currently working alongside the student support advice team (though I do much less work than them) in offering academic, emotional, social and personal supports to students.

When I first arrived at Sussex some of the first members of staff I encountered were the student advice team and the SOCCUL mentors. Thanks to the support they offered me in first getting to grips with university life I was able to settle in at Sussex fairly quickly. The positive introduction to university life they offered me has enabled me to be very successful thus far academically, and has led me to become a student mentor myself.

As a student mentor a large number of students who come to me with with complex issues who I lack the training expertise to support, I can refer on to the student advice team. Even from the most economistic perspective, they are an indispensible and essential resource at this university. They act as the adhesive that holds this university together. They are already overstretched, and any reduction in the number of support staff available would severely undermine their ability to offer such high quality one-to-one support.

I really hope management withdraw their current attack on the student advice teams of this university, because it will undoubtedly have profound detrimental effects on the experiences of future Sussex students quality of academic, social, personal and emotional support.

Anonymous mentor”

Testimonial #9

“I would like to give a testimonial in support of the student advisers, they helped put me in touch with help, support and advice, without which I would not have continued at Sussex.

I came to Sussex as a 'mature' student, and as I had been out of 'home' for a number of years did not want to move into halls. While this was the best decision for me it did bring difficulties. I found it hard to mix with other students especially since I suffer from, at times, very severe depression and anxiety. I felt I didn't fit in with the other students who all seemed so confident and able to juggle studies and socialising with ease, but I also didn't fit in with the older mature students who were
settled with families etc. By the end of the first year I was really struggling, not only with the work load, which was alien to me after being out of education for years, but with the difficulty of settling in and also past demons I thought I could run away from by coming to University.

As the second year started I was enjoying the subjects but because of my anxieties was finding it hard to face coming into to university. My attendance suffered and in turn so did my grades and ability to cope. In the Autumn of my second year I went to my Academic advisor to inform her
that I had made the decision to leave Sussex. She was lovely and understanding, and could see my true passion for the course and my potential. She advised me to go and see the student advisers. I've always been a suffer-in-silence / soldier-on-alone sort but reluctantly went to the student advisers although I thought there was nothing they could do to help or change my mind. I made an appointment and was really nervous, but once I sat down was made to feel totally at ease. The advisor listened to me as I spilled the tangled mess of thoughts and worries that were filling
my head. For the first time in ages I felt like I was really being listened to and understood, she didn't think that I was a stupid or overreacting, and she helped me see that I wasn't the only one who had these problems. She helped disentangle all the different threads of issues so that we could
deal with each one separately. Firstly she pointed me in the direction of the on campus counselling to help with my personal issues, then she made an appointment for me to see the Student Support unit to help with my academic work. At first I told her that I didn't need help but she could see through my own denial and encouraged me to accept the help I needed. After leaving that first meeting I felt that a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I am now in my third year, and actually looking forward to doing my dissertation! I never thought I would get here and am so grateful to the student advisers and the help they gave me, my only regret is that I didn't go to them earlier. More importantly than the support she directed me towards, she really listened to and understood me at a time when I felt invisible. I know for a fact that I would not have continued my degree without the help of that one kind woman and know I am not the only person who she has helped. It is ridiculous that the 'management' are even considering reducing or getting rid of this service, if they do they will lose so many students who just need a little extra help.”

Testimonial #8

“If attendance is particularly low over a sustained period of time, Sussex humanities students don't have disappointed academic staff chasing after us, asking personal questions, or checking up on us. We receive a courteous e-mail from the impartial student advice staff, asking if everything is ok. If it is, you simply respond, (usually with an apology, or an reason for why this is the case!) and no more questions are asked. This happened to me in first year, when I explained that the course was an elective, the lectures were particularly dull, and I preferred to study alone. I got a very good-natured email back teasingly apologising for bothering me, and hoping that I enjoyed my courses better next term!

However, when the email came in around deadline season in second year, it was a wake up call. A member of my family had passed away, and I was suffering increasingly from panic attacks. I had lost a stone in weight over a month, as I just didn't have enough time to cope with the loss, and the psychological implications it was having on me. I was missing out on sleep, and then not attending morning classes, but I had so much going on, with work, and extra-curricular responsibilities, I didn't think I had time to the seek help, and I found the idea of admitting that I was struggling with my state of mind really terrifying.

So: in came the email, with that familiar name, asking if I was ok, and I realised: no, I really wasn't. Then followed a stress free, brief, personal e-mail correspondance, where I didn't have to handle the shame of speaking to anyone face to face, until I was absolutely ready. Then, when I did go in, there was already a level of familiarity, which made the whole thing much easier. I received support for getting mitigating circumstances, which took the immense pressure of work off for a bit, and allowed me to give the greiving process the attention it deserved. I was referred to various groups and the councilling services to help me deal with what was going on in my head.

I definitely wouldn't have coped without that support, and without someone actually being there, who realised that there might be a problem, and reached out to me. Without that, I could have just kept on denying that I had a problem, and who knows where that would have got me. How on earth the management think that they are going to be able to maintain anything like a support service without any people involved, is a mystery to me.”

Testimonial #7

"Hi there, I wish to add my testimonial to this campaign. When I was in my second year at Sussex University I became pregnant and suffered emotional abuse from my partner, ultimately ending in a termination which left me very depressed, fragile and with insomnia which combined made me unable to focus at University or even drag myself out of bed most days. Eventually I was realized that my school work was suffering and that I should speak to someone to explain the circumstance and ask for an extension. All I wanted was a little more time to catch up but what I got was so much more than that - I spoke to M. (a student advisor) who was very kind and patient and made me realize that it was okay to be upset and that I should not feel guilty about making allowances for myself in this case. He reccomended that I speak to the University's counselling department (which I did on two occasions) but I honestly feel that my chats with M. (although he may not even have realized it) did more to help me get over the situation than speaking to the counsellors and many of my close friends. Ultimately it was M. who suggested to me that perhaps I had returned to University too early (I had not even considered a break because I did not wish to make the problem a real part of my life and thought I could hide it) and suggested that I take the rest of the year and return this year. I took Martin's advice and it was the best decision I made, took me in a whole new direction with my life and I have returned to University much happier, with my past behind me and excited about making a positive future for myself. I can honestly say that with out him I worry about where I would be today. I am appauled at the suggestion that there be any cuts made in this department, and would whole heartedly reccomend an increase in budget if anything, as the support team were and are extremely busy - any cuts or extra demands will undoubtedly result in an undeniably detrimental way for students who really need their help.
Thank you M. and the whole support team. X"

Testimonial #6

“I am a 'mature' student so hadnt been in education for a long while before starting here. I really struggled with many aspects of academic work. It was particularly last year half through my 2nd year that the student advisors were so useful. I was complety freaking out about work and without them I would not hav been diagnosed with dyslexia or advised on all the different things that were available to me. I firmly beleive that without their support I would have failed at least one of my courses last year and my stress levels would have got completly out of control. I also think It would have been highly likely that i would have dropped out or redone the year without their help . The thing is that so many students are going through stress and panics for various different reasons, and if you're in that situation you need it to be as easy as possible to talk to someone without having to wait for a long time. Its often not until people are in quite a state already that they go to ask for help. The last thing you want is to not be given the time you need to talk things through which is what will happen if there are hardly any advisors.The student support unit is at the heart of the uni and without it , or with a reduced service lots of us will not be doing as well at all in our assesments etc and the drop out rate will be higher. Apart from anything else, it seems to me to be counter productive of the uni to cut this service as it will directly effect student performance polls/results tables etc.”

Testimonial #5

"My student advisor assisted me at numerous points through the first three years of my course in particular, offering her ear when I was having yet another struggle with one of my supervisors, providing advice on how best I could respond (and what would be most likely to be successful) and in general reminding me that, whatever supervisors or others might suggest to the contrary, I did and do have a valid point of view. Although I suspect she'd make a brilliant academic as well (she had herself studied in the department), her empathic abilities continue to amaze me.

When, in my third year, a difficult break-up with an ex escalated into what became a drawn out and very messy affair with legal ramifications, she was very clear on where she could and could not advise me, supporting me where and how she was able. I am all the more impressed because, so far as I know, she provided advice and support for my ex as well. When I expressed desire to spend some time away from Sussex and (as I saw it) my supervisor dumped me in response, she helped me through the transition that has enabled me now to see a successful end to my course in sight."

Testimonial #4 - "This is not an FAQ service - it's a matter of choosing life"

"This is not an FAQ service - it's a matter of choosing life"
- Sussex Alumnus, 2002 - 2005

“I received a First Class honours degree from Sussex in 2005, propelling me to my career aim, of working as an HE tutor after I complete my doctoral work.

The student advice centre was a central part of my experience at Sussex, not least for the times when I felt I could not find the strength to keep motivated or give the course what I needed to do well. I spoke with advisers about loneliness, frustrations associated with money worries, invaluable help in the latter stages to do with finding MA funding and realistic advice about my proposed career path. I supported my degree with an LEA fees grant, a student loan, and in times of extreme difficulty, I received Hardship funding to get me through the term. The student support was utterly central - I can remember strongly walking into the offices feeling distraught, and leaving with the immense feeling of relief that comes from being properly supported.

Perhaps the main reason I felt compelled to write this testimonial though relates to an incident which involved another student. I was not making many friends in the first year, and so felt very isolated - most people seemed only to want to go out and party, I was pretty disappointed and miserable by the experience. Until I met David - an intelligent and quiet man who had fled a war-torn country some years before with his family and settled in Scotland. We would sit on a particular bench near Bramber House and talk about European history, our plans - we were friends in a gentle way and felt quite separate from the other people in our halls.

But then I found out that David was getting into taking heroin. He stopped bothering to leave his room, and each time his girlfriend visited his addiction got worse, though for a long time he was just smoking it - I could see which way things were heading. I didn't know what to do, and even though I told people in the halls I thought were respectful and could deal with the situation together, everyone responded with a kind of disgusted witch-hunt, in that particularly adolescent way: "Urrrghhh! I don't want him touching my cups! What a freak!" etc. The thing was, given that I felt this bond with David, and was struggling socially to connect with anyone on campus, I could have so easily tried it with him and become deadened to such a pernicious drug. I could see him changing though, and on the one time he did offer, I refused.

Knowing that the situation was serious, and my housemates were treating it as if it was just like "living with a tramp", I went to the advice centre in complete confidence. They counselled me about the addiction, about how they would have to deal with removing any student abusing drugs, and handled things so delicately and respectfully, it was the boost I needed. I talked things over with him several times, knowing in my heart that to try and 'save' a friend from addiction is misplaced - protecting yourself becomes just as important. The advisers would have had to step in anyway, but sure enough, as his addiction worsened, his mother came to try and look after him, and eventually he left the university and began treatment at a rehab clinic in Brighton.

As I progressed with the degree, I stopped writing to him because I knew, sadly, he wasn't getting better any time soon and I couldn't give myself to a friendship when the person wasn't really there. I am still sad about this, but am so greatly relieved I could go somewhere in complete confidence - I can honestly say that without this I could have completely messed up not only my degree, but my professional future - even my life. I hope David found a way out of it.

This is not the kind of support or information you can find by 'clicking through links' or going to an FAQ page - which I am sure will come to replace the service in this new, bleaker era of Sussex's mismanagement. Sure, I could have contacted a range of external services that would not have been trained to deal with the specifics of the situation: this was my friend, on a university campus, in the grip of heroin addiction.

Does the Vice Chancellor care to imagine what other kinds of situations may go unchecked by dismantling this essential service?”

Testimonial #3

“I have mental health problems. In my first term as an undergraduate, support from the Disabled Students’ Allowance hadn’t arrived, which meant I wasn’t able to keep up with my work. I was having difficulty attending lectures and seminars and felt I was falling behind. They helped calm me down, reassured me, and helped to organise the support that I needed. I got exactly what I needed to be able to carry on.
The second time I saw them was because I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety. I had assessments coming up and was trying to care for a friend of mine who was suicidal, and I wasn’t coping. I was able to see a student advisor immediately which was vital. For students with mental health problems like me, they can feel as if they are over-reacting to quite severe problems, as if they should buck up and cope with it themselves. If there hadn’t been anyone there to talk to, I would become swamped with my problems and become far more ill. They helped me, they helped my friend and they are the first place I recommend when fellow students have problems or difficulties.
One of the reasons I came to Sussex was the excellent widespread support of mental health problems. I suffered a mental breakdown several years ago, and without the help available from the support services all over Sussex, I wouldn’t be at university today.”

Testimonial #2

"I've been at Sussex throughout my degree and my PhD. During that time I've been to see a student advisor on many occasions. It is absolutely certain to say that if it was not for her I wouldn't be at Sussex and I would never have achieved a 1st class degree and probably not a degree at all. She helped me move accommodation when I wasn't getting along with someone I lived with. She got me help when I was feeling depressed. She's sorted out funding issues more times than I can count. She's scored me emergency funds when I needed them. She helped me get a dyslexia test when I was struggling with certain aspects of learning. She has even helped me look for work when I've needed it. She is nothing short of amazing and I would not be where I am without her support, there are many like her, they are those who are the glue between us and the university, they are those who are willing to take on the problems that no one else wants. They are those who care about each of us when the going gets tough. More than that they are friends to each of us and I can say with complete confidence that without them many of us would not have achieved our degrees, they are completely essential to the life of the university and making them redundant is a completely false economy. For if we lose our support then many more of us will have no one to go to and will quit. If we quit then the university doesn't get paid."

Testimonial #1

“I lived with a very close old school friend during my 2nd year. During this time he was dying of a brain tumour. During the Autumn this meant frequently being up late at night calling ambulances in response to his frequent, violent seizures. By mid-Spring things had gotten much worse. He started to lose mobility, became increasingly aggressive, and eventually had to move back in with his parents. I spent much of that summer term trying to balance visiting my friend 2 hours away, which grew increasingly distressing with each visit, with my deadlines and exam revision. At this point I went to see a Student Advisor for the first time. He supported my successful mitigating evidence application. I was able to stay on track with my grades as a result. My friend ceased to be able to speak or even sit up in bed by early on in the summer holidays. He died in July.

These events had a massive psychological impact on me. When I returned in the Autumn I began to feel like I was losing control. I started to have panic attacks. I couldn’t sleep. I started seeing a counsellor at PCS. I was diagnosed with “severe” depression by my GP. The panic attacks grew worse and worse. I went for days without eating. I stopped going to classes. By the time I went to see a Student Advisor, I couldn’t walk into the buildings on campus. I was terrified. It sounds stupid now, but after several missed meetings, my new student advisor had to meet me at the bottom of the stairs in Arts C and walk up them with me. My student advisor notified both my tutors, explained all the options available to me, and enabled me to carry on studying in a rather haphazard manner with my tutors’ understanding. In the end that was to no avail but at the time feeling like I was still keeping up with degree in some way was all that held me together.

By the Christmas holidays however it had become apparent that the best thing I could do to achieve to my full potential at Sussex was to intermit and recommence my third year in 2009-10. Intermitting students face all manner of problems once they’ve made the liberating decision to take time out. You can’t claim any benefits as a registered student, yet are not eligible for student loan as you aren’t studying. In a scarce jobs market as currently, this poses serious problems. Once again my student advisor, along with USSU advice services which are also threatened, was able to see me for as much time as I needed in order to successfully fight on my behalf for an additional instalment of student loan to cover my job-seeking. This was done by mobilising the coordinated support of tutors, doctors, advisors, counsellors, and administrative figures at Sussex. My student advisor seemed to know everyone to contact on and off campus to help me.

Contrary to the facts, all of this feels a long time ago now. I left Brighton for 8 months after intermitting. I hated it here. However, whilst I was scared returning to Sussex this year, I also felt welcome. Honestly, the support of my student advisor was far and above the main reason for this change. I wouldn’t be back here now if such a personal, expert service had not looked out for me. The first thing I did when I got back was arrange to see my student advisor. I’m sorry that this post is so long. I wanted to show the range of problems that – and I hazard that my case is neither isolated nor extreme – I encountered throughout the course of 18 months. I wanted to show that I was having counselling at PCS. On balance, I’d say it was very useful. I hope I’ve shown, however, that counselling wasn’t suited to many, most, of the problems I encountered in the year. Likewise, an academic would hardly have been well placed to deal with a student who couldn’t walk into a building. But this was a student still planning a dissertation. There needed to be someone to help me maintain the professional, respectful sort of relationships I at least want with faculty. I am disgusted with the management of this university for proposing to replace a service that saved my Sussex experience with a patronising cost-saving measure. I hope they will reconsider.”