The parents of a student who committed suicide after getting incorrect exam results are calling on colleges to provide more support.
Mared Foulkes from Anglesey received an email in July 2020 informing her that she had failed an assessment and would be unable to proceed to her third year, despite having previously retaken and passed it.
Cardiff University said it has already made improvements to its operations.
However, Mared’s family would like to see a change in the law regarding how institutions treat students with mental health difficulties and interact with students’ families.
Mared Foulkes, 21, was a smart and intelligent student from near Menai Bridge who had already dedicated her life to becoming a pharmacist, working at a chemist in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, to gain experience.
However, on July 8, 2020, she received an email from Cardiff University stating that she had failed one of her examinations and would be unable to continue into her third year.
The communication did not note that she had already re-taken and passed the exam.
Mared’s mother, Iona Foulkes, stated: “She came home from work that evening, and we had a typical family lunch.
“Then she decided she wanted to make cheesecake and claimed she was going to the supermarket and asked if I needed anything.
“She took the car keys and left.”
But Mared never returned.
Later that evening, two police officers came to the house to inform her family that she had died.
Mrs Foulkes stated: “Every aspect of our family life has been shattered.” Our home is full of memories, and our lives have been permanently changed.
“Passing by Mared’s empty bedroom is excruciatingly difficult.
“Each day takes is further from the last few hours we had with our beautiful and much-loved daughter, we have not ceased to grieve.”
Mared’s parents later discovered that she had messaged a pal during the day, saying “I did crap”.
“She had worked so hard at her course,” her mother added.
“She knew she wanted to be a pharmacist since she was very little. She had completed volunteer work in a hospital in the Philippines and was allowed to study in China.
“Being told that you had failed two years of studies and were unable to proceed must have been horrifying.
“You’re talking about a 21-year-old, a young individual, receiving this knowledge.
“This is a tragedy that should never have occurred. It should not be. Something must happen, and quickly, before other families are forced to face what we have to live with for the rest of our lives.
Mared’s parents are working with the families of other young people who have committed suicide to advocate for changes in the law about how institutions support students and their families.
They have begun that process with a group of lawyers who are preparing a report recommending improvements in how colleges communicate with families.
Mared had visited the university’s support services nine months before her death to address her mental health, but her family learned about it just a year later.
Mrs Foulkes stated, “I completely realize that kids are young adults, and some do not want their parents or guardians to know what they do or what their exam results are.
“But there should be some way that they can inform parents if something does go wrong.”
A representative for Cardiff University stated that the way students receive their results and information has already altered as a result of Mared’s death.
“We are determined to improve the tone and language of all our written communications to our students,” they informed me.
“We will make explicit reference to where students can access help and support if they are concerned about their results.”
However, the spokesman acknowledged that discussing students’ mental health with parents was a challenging task.
“Universities need to balance the legitimate needs of parents to be informed about their children while respecting the rights, privacy and wishes of adult students who may – for a variety of legitimate and complex reasons – not want their personal information to be shared with their parents,” they wrote.
“We have implemented a new system in which we require students to provide a trusted contact upon enrolling. This is who the university will contact if there are serious concerns about a student’s health or well-being.
“We understand that Mared Foulkes’ family believes we could have done things better, and we have apologized for any mistakes.
“The impact of Mared’s death and her parents’ wishes have informed and continue to inform and impact our approach.”
