5+ months after all cleared and waiting to enroll, Advisor cancels. Can he do that?

At Kingston University, I've been waiting for over 5 months to enroll for fall 2014 for a Masters Research program in Economics. Paperwork has taken forever, but I was told last October that my research project was approved and a main supervisor signed on--we'll call him "SK". Enrollment was supposed to happen any time.

It's mid-March now. I was recently contacted by an administrator who told me that everything had really gone through, including everyone's signature, and that the research committee had approved of my enrollment except not the requirement for confidentiality. A few days later, I emailed her to forward the committee my answer: that I would like to enroll, dropping my requirement. I then received a letter stating that my application was refused due to SK no longer being willing to advise (plus they cited 'a lack of resources to deal with enforcing confidentiality'--which didn't make sense because I dropped my requirement).

SK responded to me in writing, claiming that just before I contacted the committee, he had told the committee that he would not like to advise me anymore. I think he is lying. I think it was after. He claims that since the committee never sent me an official offer, but rather, I was informed through an administrator, and it wasn't quite official on account of the confidentiality issue still being in the air, and that my positive response indicating a desire to enroll does not entitle me to enroll.
Is he even allowed to block my enrollment ?

I've come to view him as a bad man who is acting out of spite, fueled by an ego trip. I've gone deep into debt waiting to be enrolled and need student loan funds; he cares not at all.
There are more details about what led up to him removing himself as my advisor; in all cases, I acted perfectly legitimately and appropriately. He, on the other hand: refused to inform and help correct the committee's mistaken idea about the breadth of my confidentiality request (they thought I was asking for more than I was); he (strangely) argued with me and then threatened me inappropriately: to keep me out of the university if I mentioned it anymore (which threat I didn't take seriously because I didn't think he could get away with following through on it). *After* I made contact with the committee, dropping the requirement and asking to be enrolled but still asking to clear up the thing about confidentiality, *that*, I believe, is when he withdrew his advisorship. From subsequent emails, it seems clear that he seeks to do me harm.

I have a financial imperative to enroll, and I expect that were I to, I would be able to find another professor, so I need advice about what to do when I appeal to the Dean of Students, which is the only place I can appeal to, and apparently the final word.

This is the Kingston admissions policy page:
http://cdn.kingston.ac.uk/documents/aboutkingstonuniversity/howtheuniversityworks/policiesandregulations/documents/admissions-policy-1415.pdf

Can anyone tell me if a professor can do the things he did?

Can I avoid having to go to the Dean of Students if I find an advisor to sign on instead?

Reply 1

sj27

There's clearly a lot more to this story than what has been posted above. I doubt anyone here can give you much proper advice even with the backstory though. Have you contacted the students union at Kingston for help?

Reply 2

Danziglington

I was trying to be succinct, and yes I contacted them but they told me they were not allowed to give advice since I'm not enrolled as a student. :frown: