HAPPY NEW YEAR: THE MOST PAINFUL NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE THAT ANY UNIVERSITY HAS EVER SENT TO ITS BLACK INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
Report on the Premature and Unlawful Termination of Sofonie Dala’s UK Student Visa
This report seeks to establish who unlawfully and discriminatorily caused the premature termination of Sofonie Dala’s UK student visa, and to document the institutional failures, misconduct, and alleged racial discrimination involved in this case.
Evidence indicates that Madam Jessica Hamilton and Madam Jenny Hogg, with the complicity of Madam Fiona MacDonald, Head of the Complaints Department, played central roles in actions and omissions that directly resulted in severe harm to Sofonie Dala.
Failure of Duty by the Head of Complaints (Fiona MacDonald)
Madam Fiona began receiving formal complaints and documented reports of abuse, mistreatment, intimidation, and threats of visa cancellation directed at Sofonie Dala as early as September - October 2024. These complaints originated from Madam Jessica Hamilton, Madam Jenny Hogg, and certain members of the Department of Education.
It is established that Madam Fiona MacDonald:
Received and acknowledged the complaints,
Identified the alleged perpetrators,
Confirmed awareness of serious misconduct and potential criminal acts.
Despite this knowledge, no corrective, protective, or preventive action was taken. Madam Fiona failed to intervene, stop the abuses, or escalate the matter appropriately.
After one year and three months of inaction, Madam Fiona responded with a message stating, in substance:
“I apologise for not addressing or resolving your case. A long time has passed. If you wish, I can offer you £350 as compensation.”
This response is grossly inadequate, offensive, and unprofessional, particularly given the severity of the harm caused. It demonstrates institutional negligence and a troubling lack of consideration toward Black international students.
Financial Loss, Fraud, and Racial Discrimination
It is estimated that approximately £50,000 was paid to the university for Sofonie Dala’s education. Despite this, Sofonie Dala became a victim of systemic fraud and racial discrimination.
MADAM JENNY HOGG
In 2024, Madam Jenny Hogg unlawfully removed Sofonie Dala from the Chevening Scholars system and replaced her with a Commonwealth-funded scholar. Further investigations indicate that Madam Jenny:
Mismanaged, diverted, or lost funds allocated for Chevening Scholars,
Invested those funds into a corrupt and exclusionary system that only supported students from Commonwealth countries.
It is critical to clarify that:
The Chevening Scholarship is a global programme open to all countries worldwide.
The Commonwealth Scholarship is limited to a small group of member states.
While a Commonwealth scholar may also qualify for Chevening, most Chevening Scholars are not eligible for Commonwealth funding.
Despite being fully aware of these distinctions, Madam Jenny Hogg deliberately placed all international scholars admitted in 2024 into a system that automatically excluded non-Commonwealth citizens. This system resulted in the systematic removal of non-Commonwealth students, denying them continued access to the university and jeopardising their academic futures. This conduct is well documented and demonstrably discriminatory.
Visa Manipulation and Intimidation (Madam Jessica Hamilton)
In parallel, Madam Jessica Hamilton engaged in targeted persecution of Sofonie Dala through the use of false visa alarms and intimidation tactics. Madam Jessica sent threatening emails falsely stating that Sofonie Dala’s student visa would be terminated on 31 December 2024.
In reality:
The issue concerned the Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), not the student visa.
Sofonie Dala’s student visa was valid until 16 anuary 2026.
This deliberate misrepresentation diverted attention from the real issue and prevented timely intervention, as there was no legal basis to question the student visa.
On the night of 31 December 2024, transitioning into 1 January 2025, while Sofonie Dala was in London, she received a letter from the International Office—sent by Madam Jessica—stating that her visa had been terminated.
This message, delivered at midnight on New Year’s Day, represents the final act in a pattern of institutional abuse, deception, and discrimination. It was an unacceptable and cruel action toward a scholar who had travelled internationally, invested significantly in her education, and relied on the university’s duty of care.
Conclusion
The cumulative evidence strongly suggests:
Institutional negligence and complicity,
Financial mismanagement and fraud,
Abuse of power, and
Racially discriminatory practices that directly resulted in the unlawful termination of Sofonie Dala’s student status and visa.
This case warrants urgent independent investigation, legal review, and accountability at the highest institutional level.
Gallery
Legal Escalation: Criminal Conduct, Procedural Misconduct, Breach of Confidentiality & Withholding of Funds – Urgent Action
RequiredI am writing to escalate my ongoing unresolved complaint regarding the mishandling of my Community Fund application by the Careers and Placements Department, and specifically the actions of Jacqui Fountain and Andrew Ferguson, which I now believe constitute serious misconduct with criminal implications.
1. Background and Incident Chronology (October 2024 – Present)
In October 2024, I submitted an independent, individual application for a £500 Community Fund grant to support my sustainability awareness campaign. This project was fully my own intellectual creation, supported by years of public service and innovation.
On 28 October 2024, I was invited by Ms. Jacqui Fountain for what she explicitly described as an “interview” regarding my application. During that meeting, I was told—without justification—that I needed to partner with a local organisation (YorKits) to be eligible for the grant. This condition did not exist in the published criteria, nor was it applied uniformly to other applicants.
I complied in full, joined YorKits under pressure, and updated Ms. Fountain accordingly. Despite meeting every condition (including those added informally), I received no funding or written outcome.
Over the following seven months, Ms. Fountain continued to demand additional work—aligning my project with expectations applicable to the £5000 tier, not the £500 tier I applied for. She requested advanced sustainability planning and large-scale stakeholder engagement—criteria never disclosed upfront and not applied to others at my level.
2. Criminal-Level Concerns and Abuses
The following issues elevate this case beyond administrative failure and into potential criminal conduct:
a) Breach of Confidentiality and Data Misuse
Confidential details of my project and proposal were shared with third parties without my consent. I was approached in York by older women affiliated with the University, referencing internal knowledge of my project and inviting me to “join their team” for a similar initiative. These actions strongly suggest an internal leak and coordinated effort to misappropriate my idea, constituting a violation of data protection law and intellectual property rights.
b) Attempted Intellectual Property Theft
There is clear evidence that my original, independent project was targeted by internal actors, potentially in an effort to repurpose or rebrand it through other university-affiliated groups, without permission or acknowledgment. This is an offence under UK intellectual property law and professional ethics.
c) Racial Discrimination, Bias, and Exploitation
I was repeatedly dismissed, over-scrutinised, and subject to shifting standards not applied to other students. My work was undervalued, delayed, and obstructed. As a Black woman leading a grassroots sustainability project, the pattern of treatment I received was not only discriminatory—it was exploitative and degrading. The university benefited from public alignment with sustainability and diversity goals while privately silencing and sabotaging my contribution.
d) Fraudulent Withholding of Approved Funds
Despite meeting all stated and informal expectations, I was denied the £500 grant. On 2 June 2025, I explicitly instructed Ms. Fountain to release the funds by 8 June. On 4 June, she responded with misleading statements, claiming the application was still "open," demanding a resubmission—an attempt to invalidate my fulfilled application retroactively.
This is a form of fraudulent withholding of funds.
Additionally, Mr. Andrew Ferguson’s response misrepresented the facts, ignored the evidence, and falsely claimed that no academic or procedural harm had occurred—despite clear proof to the contrary.
3. Remedy Sought – Immediate Legal Action Required
Given the severity of the misconduct and the escalation to criminal dimensions, I now formally demand the following remedies:
1. Immediate release of both grants:
£500 Community Fund grant, for which I fulfilled every stated and imposed requirement;
£5000 compensation, based on the elevated standards I was forced to meet, including stakeholder planning, large-scale community engagement, and extended delays. If I was held to the higher tier’s standards, then I am entitled to the corresponding financial support.
I am now an official member of Yorkits: https://
sofoniegreenmission.blogspot. com/2025/06/from-stigma-to- strength-ending-period.html
2. Compensation for academic harm and emotional distress, due to:
Administrative misconduct;
Racist and exploitative treatment;
Denial of placement and academic progression based on informal and unofficial demands.
3. Reimbursement of personal project expenses incurred from running a successful university-aligned community campaign independently and without promised funding.
4. Full investigation into the conduct of Ms. Fountain, Mr. Ferguson, and any other involved staff, including:
Breach of data confidentiality;
Intellectual property misuse;
Collusion with external individuals to co-opt or undermine my work.
5. Formal apology and correction of all false or misleading statements made about my project and its timeline.
Conclusion
This is no longer just an administrative grievance. It is a matter involving racial prejudice, data violations, and unethical conduct with reputational and legal implications for the University of York.
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