Mother collects degree for student who took his life after marking error

The mother of a student who took his own life after being wrongly told he would not be eligible to graduate has collected his degree from the university.

Ethan Scott Brown was due to graduate from the University of Glasgow with an Honours degree in geography in December last year.

But with three months to go, Ethan was told he had not been awarded a grade for one course and would therefore not be eligible to graduate. An investigation later found he had been awarded the wrong grade.

His family, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, said the 23-year-old went on to take his own life on 13 December - the day he should have been graduating.

On Monday, his family attended the university's graduation ceremony on his behalf where they were given his posthumous BSc Geography with Honours (Second Class, Division i).

Ahead of presenting the degree to them, University of Glasgow vice chancellor Professor Andy Schofield said: "As we have the honour of recognising our graduates here in the hall, we pause too to acknowledge someone who should have been here to collect the honours degree that he earned, Ethan Brown."

He added: "His passing is a profound loss to his family, his loved ones and his friends, and to our university community.

"Today we acknowledge his achievements, his hard work, we honour his place in the University of Glasgow story and the enduring impression he leaves behind.

"We give thanks for his life and legacy, and sincere thanks to his family for being with us today."

Aamer Anwar, the family's solicitor, said in a statement it was a "deeply emotional day" for them.

"Their attendance honours not only Ethan's memory, but his hard work and dedication to his studies and his dream of graduating," he said.

"The family wish to emphasise that the graduation ceremony is not solely to celebrate Ethan's achievements.

"It is a celebration for every student who has worked tirelessly to graduate and it is important to the family that other graduates and their families are able to enjoy their day without disruption or overshadowing."

The family requested privacy, both for themselves and other students, during the ceremony.

Mr Anwar added: "This approach to Ethan's graduation does not, however, diminish the family's serious concerns regarding the university's handling of Ethan's case and the systemic failures prior to his death, and the university's shameful failure to engage properly thereafter."

The family said that after Ethan's mother sought answers from the university, an internal investigation produced a report confirming that he had been awarded the wrong grade for that course due to an error by the university and should in fact have graduated with a 2:1 Honours degree.

They claim that the error was not spotted by any University of Glasgow staff, nor identified by two internal exam boards, and one external exam board.

His family believe there has been a "systemic failure" at the university and are calling for answers about whether other students at the university are affected, and may have been wrongly told they failed.

The Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain wrote to the family in November saying the investigation into Ethan's death had been reopened.

She said: "As part of that investigation, the circumstances will also be considered by our specialist health and safety investigation unit (HSIU) which will assess whether there is evidence to suggest that any health and safety failings have occurred."

Later that month, the Scottish Funding Council said Glasgow university had been referred to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) under the Scottish Quality Concerns Scheme.

As a result of the referral, the QAA determined that it was necessary to undertake an independent targeted peer review into the university.

The QAA said the review visit had now been completed with the report to be published in the coming months.

Mr Anwar said: "The family continue to call for a full, transparent and robust investigation into the flawed academic processes and the decisions that were made.

"Their aim is to ensure that no other student or family endure what Ethan and his family have."

A spokesperson for the University of Glasgow said: "The university expressed its profound sympathy to Ethan's family following his tragic death in December last year.

"We are heartened that Ethan has been awarded his degree and that members of his family are able to attend the graduation ceremony to receive it."

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line website.