University Boss Cancels 3 PhD Students' Overseas Conference Trip After 1 Exclusion Complaint
Updated
Updated · Twisted Sifter · Jul 18
University Boss Cancels 3 PhD Students' Overseas Conference Trip After 1 Exclusion Complaint
1 articles · Updated · Twisted Sifter · Jul 18
Summary
Three PhD students who had been told they would present research abroad were ordered to attend online after one student challenged a last-minute decision to exclude them.
The student said budget cuts had reduced the seven-author conference trip, but selection criteria appeared inconsistent: they were dropped for having one paper while others chosen also had only one article.
A message apologizing for raising the issue and describing broader unequal treatment drew a blunt response from the boss that nobody would travel.
The cancellation turned what would have been a first overseas trip for some students into a wider dispute over favoritism, funding and retaliation against complaints.