Former student claims ‘plagiarism professor’ Jason Arday said she had ‘white privilege’ after she asked for feedback on low grade
A former student has claimed that Jason Arday, a professor who has faced separate allegations relating to plagiarism, told her she had "white privilege" after she approached him seeking feedback on a low grade. The claim adds to existing controversy surrounding Arday, an academic whose rapid rise to a professorship at Cambridge previously attracted scrutiny, and raises fresh questions about his conduct towards students.
The available article text does not provide further detail beyond the headline claim, such as the student's identity, the institution involved, the module or grade in question, or any response from Arday or his employer. No official statement from the university or from Arday addressing the allegation is included in the material provided.
- Ex-student alleges Professor Jason Arday cited her "white privilege" over a grade query
- Claim follows existing plagiarism-related controversy around Arday
- Full details, including any institutional response, are not provided in the source text
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Cambridge academic Jason Arday became one of the university's youngest black professors when he was appointed in 2023, a milestone that drew wide media attention at the time. That coverage has since given way to scrutiny, with separate allegations relating to plagiarism already surrounding him before this latest claim emerged.
The new allegation comes from a former student, who says Arday responded to her request for feedback on a low grade by telling her she had "white privilege". No further detail is currently available about who the student is, which institution or course was involved, or how Arday and his employer have responded.
The story matters because it touches on how academics handle disputes over marking and feedback, and because any response from Cambridge or from Arday himself is likely to shape how the claim is judged.
Both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Those giving weight to the student's account argue that dismissing a specific query about a low grade by invoking her racial identity, rather than addressing the academic substance of her work, is inappropriate and potentially discriminatory conduct from someone in a position of authority. They contend that students are entitled to substantive, individualised feedback on their marks, and that redirecting such a request into a comment on privilege – if accurately reported – risks making assessment feel arbitrary or politicised rather than grounded in academic merit, which is a legitimate matter of institutional accountability given Arday's public profile and prior scrutiny.
The case against
Those urging caution note that this is a single, unverified claim from an anonymous former student, with no institutional statement, corroborating evidence, or response from Arday included, and that serious allegations against a named individual deserve the presumption of fairness before being treated as established fact. They may also observe that Arday, a prominent Black academic whose appointment already attracted disproportionate and sometimes racially charged commentary, could be facing a pattern of heightened scrutiny, and that raising structural privilege in an academic conversation is not inherently improper even if the specific exchange, as recalled, was unwelcome to the student.