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I think this is over-simplistic - students do not "choose" to be refused overdraft extensions because they didn't risk their academic progress in the first two years and are above the maximum allowed, or for their parents not to support them because they think the student should have undertaken a different course, or to be cut off from their families because they have refused an arranged marriage. These - all true and frequent - are the sort of cases that make mitigating circumstances claims necessary. Having a blanket policy is unjust and unrealistic and damages the institution's reputation. > A student who is under financial pressure has a choice - a very hard > one, but a choice nevertheless. He or she can choose to either try and > relieve the pressure by seeking employment, thereby putting academic > potential (even survival) in jeopardy, or s/he can experience the kind > of severe debt which is now common rather than exceptional in the hope > of fulfilling their potential (and, possibly related, maximising > earnings at a later stage). Choice - nasty, but real. Mel Nichol Academic and Welfare Manager University of Bath Students' Union Tel. 01225 826906 E-mail [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%