Some students taking Part II physics have been informed that they will not receive supervisions this term, due to a lack of available supervisors.

Earlier this month (21/2), part II students received an email from the Director of Undergraduate Education in Physics informing them that it is “impossible to find enough supervisors for the Astrophysics Fluids and the Soft Condensed Matter courses”, meaning that many students will go without any supervisions this term.

In place of these missing supervisions, the University Physics Department, the Cavendish, said it would provide ‘example classes’. These classes will differ enormously from supervisions as there will be up to 40 students per class. Varsity understands that Physics supervisions normally have no more than three students in them.

The department told students that it is individual colleges and Directors of Studies who are “primarily responsible” for providing supervisors for all years. The email emphasised that colleges were responsible for setting supervisor wages, meaning the department is unable to make supervisor roles any more desirable. However, Varsity understands that in recent years, it has been the department that has often found supervisors for part II students.

Students have expressed considerable annoyance about this issue. One student told Varsity that they feels as though “the department puts more effort into coming up with excuses for not organising supervisions than actually trying to organise supervisions”.

This is not the first time the Physics department has been criticised by students. Students in previous years told Varsity that supervision systems rarely ran smoothly. One complained that they are still awaiting their final supervision of Michaelmas term in week six of Lent term.

In a statement given to Varsity, a spokesperson for the department said “we are acting on what the department can control”. They stated that, by offering the example classes, the department is giving an “alternative form of teaching to ensure our students get the support they need for their education”. The department has also said they will continue to work with colleges to find a “sustainable solution”.