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<P ALIGN=LEFT><B><SPAN LANG="en"><FONT SIZE=6>We pay, you pay: bullying students turn on academic</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en"><FONT SIZE=6>s</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en"></SPAN></B></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Hannah Edwards and Chantal Rumbl</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en">e</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en"><BR>
</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en">November 12, 200</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en">6</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en"></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Sunday Age</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en"></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">STUDENTS angry that they have failed exams and assignments are bullying university academics, the National Tertiary Education Union says.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Standover tactics, emotional blackmail and emails are the most common forms of bullying, but some academics have been stalked and forced to take out apprehended violence orders to protect themselves from enraged students, the union says.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Union policy and research officer Andrew Nette said the increase in staff bullying was no surprise given the growing pressures on students. "We are treating students increasingly like customers and they are acting increasingly like customers, and when a customer pays for something they expect to get it," Mr Nette said.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Falling Federal Government funding and a reduction in services following the introduction of voluntary student unionism was adding to the pressure, he said.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">A senior Sydney academic, who did not want to be named, said fears for her safety meant she did not have one-on-one meetings with some students who were contesting their mark.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">"Students can become very aggressive and disgruntled about their results," she said.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">"The notion that you can actually fail something has become … anathema. It's very high stakes. The financial pressures are so great. If they fail a course and have to redo it they can be up for several thousands more and they may not be able to progress to the next level."</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">One source said the problem was particularly bad with foreign students, who were under more pressure to pass due to much higher course fees.</SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en">Following several serious incidents overseas, a survey will soon be launched in Britain to gauge the extent of the problem.</SPAN></P>
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