CALGARY — The scandal revolving around Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor who resigned following accusations of plagiarism and discrepancies regarding his personal life, continues to expand as a former student has described Arday’s teaching as “terrible.”In an essay published by UnHerd, Fiona Brown, a pseudonym for a 2018 University of Roehampton student who participated in one of Arday’s classes, said the 37-year-old former sociology professor’s instruction was “poorly prepared” and that Arday spent most of the time “giving his generalized views on racism without ever referring to any academic theories.”The allegations come as Arday faces mounting professional fallout following his resignation as a Cambridge professor..Cambridge University's youngest black professor quits as plagiarism questions mount.Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest-ever black professor in 2023, resigned after the university announced an investigation following "new information" concerning his academic qualifications and honorary appointments, while questions have also been raised about claims from his life story, including that he ran 600 miles in six days and raised £5.5 million for charity.Arday has acknowledged errors in some of his early academic work but has since rejected suggestions that he is a "liar."Brown recounted how, as a Roehampton student in autumn 2018, university leaders had “enthusiastically” told the student body about Arday’s “amazing backstory” and how “excited” they were to have him at the institution.“Naturally, we were all very interested to see the man himself, even if the module he’d be teaching had been written by a previous lecturer,” Brown said, adding that her classmates were initially impressed with Arday’s upbeat personality and inspirational stories.However, things didn’t go according to plan when Arday began teaching.“He often arrived late and left early, once teaching for a single hour when four were scheduled,” Brown wrote, adding that he also rarely used course materials.."As the module progressed, and he failed to turn up for yet another class, things began to change. It gradually dawned on us that we were learning nothing of substance, and that much of his talk was nonsense.”The former student said the situation came to a head when it was time for Arday to grade the students’ final assignments. She received a mark of 70%, which she said “sounds good,” but was below her overall average of 75% and dragged down her grades. Brown then requested a meeting with Arday since he hadn’t given her work any feedback.“In our meeting, I explained that 70% was a low mark for me and asked him to provide feedback. Suddenly, his friendly, confident demeanour changed. I now saw a side of him I’d never seen before: angry, but also scared,” Brown said.“Arday implied that I was racist, and said that the only reason I wasn’t happy with 70% was due to my “white privilege”. He was clearly upset at being questioned, and I ended the meeting as quickly as possible.”Brown recounted how Arday left his Roehampton position shortly afterward and said the overall experience raises new questions about not only him but also the universities and academics that have elevated him..Former Cambridge professor Jason Arday faces new scrutiny over memoir claims.“The University of Roehampton was seemingly aware of his failings yet did nothing, avoiding controversy by allowing him to move on to another set of students,” she said.“Indeed, if any one of the universities Arday had taught at before being appointed to Cambridge had been prepared to point out that the emperor had no clothes, he might never have faced the humiliations of the past two weeks. Some serious soul-searching must surely follow from all the academics who enabled him to climb the academic ladder.”Since the allegations and the release of Brown’s essay, Arday has cancelled several public appearances, with a planned appearance at the Royal Geographical Society’s annual September conference in London cancelled “at the request of the speaker,” according to the organization.The BBC also reports that Arday is no longer listed for a September 18 appearance at Topping & Company Booksellers in Edinburgh or the Arizona Women's Board Authors' Luncheon scheduled for October 24.Despite the controversy, publication of Arday’s memoir, Great and Unfortunate Things, by Simon & Schuster is said to still be proceeding.
