Hey everyone,
So much has happened, and so much progress has been made since we started the camp for education on Monday afternoon that it's just impossible to summarise! To give you a glimpse of how much work and progress has been made, yesterday, we produced our first position statement and a group of spokes from our Camp went with a delegation of lecturers to meet UWE's board of governors and give the statement and a first list of demands. We'll try to update you more after today's action about what has already happened and the exciting plans ahead but we would also really like to encourage all of you to come to the camp and get involved!
Today's timeline and menu:
* 8am: Camp's assembly
* 11am: Walkout
* Around 1pm: Demo in front of Wills Memorial Building
* Car sharing (to help people to get from uni to the demo and back)
* This afternoon/evening
* Pictures and reports
* Working groups
* AGM tomorrow
*********************
Join the camp's assembly at 8am. We'll be discussing and coordinating the camp and the various actions of the day.
*********************
11am: Walkout. Check the wall of our facebook group to see what are the meeting points for each campus.
*********************
After the walkout, all UWE students and lecturers will meet each other and many more protesters (including our friends from the University of Bristol) in front of the Wills Memorial Building.
*********************
Extra buses have been arranged to get from UWE to the Wills Memorial Building. However, we would also like to facilitate a car sharing process. If you will be travelling by car, please come to the camp or, if you can't, send us an email (uwe.better.together@gmail.com) and give us:
* Your first name
* Your mobile phone number
* The number of seats you have
We'll then post this info on the camp so that people looking for a ride can get in touch with you.
*********************
We encourage everyone to come to the camp after the demo. We had a number of really exceptional teach-ins on Monday and Tuesday and we are putting together a programme for tonight.
*********************
If you made or make pictures or videos of the camp or our actions, if you come across relevant articles about us in the press, or if you have written something about this fantastic human and learning experience, please send this to uwe.better.together@gmail.com so that we can share it broadly!
*********************
At the moment, the camp operates with the following working groups:
* Info point
* Camp's cafe
* Media
* Camp's space
* Programme
* Facilitation
* Accounting
Two things are important here:
1/ We are not sure that we have comprehensive lists of who has been involved with each working group, so we are asking all people who have already been helping out to send an email (uwe.better.together@gmail.com) mentioning the group(s) you've worked with and your mobile phone number.
2/ We are looking for more people to get involved with these groups so if you're interested to help out, please email us an we'll get you in touch with someone working in each group.
*********************
Finally, if you don't have any time to pass by the camp inside Frenchay before that, don't forget to come for the AGM tomorrow. We have 3 motions against increased tuition fees, cuts and UWEWORSITY and we are preparing a number of additional surprises! And make sure to come celebrate at the camp after that!
NO TO DOUBLED OR TRIPLED TUITION FEES
NO TO UWEWORSITY
SOLIDARITY BETWEEN STUDENTS AND STAFF
LET'S RESIST AND INVENT BETTER SOLUTIONS TOGETHER!
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Meeting with UWE Vice chancellor Steve West
Students from the Frenchay occupation group attended a UWE board of governors meeting, followed by a meeting with the VC. We took with us an open letter that we had created based on meetings within the occupation group.
The letter stated the shared position of students who have participated in the occupation and the process of the camp for education and outlined a first list of demands. One specific demand, that we wanted to emphasise and try to resolve during the meeting called for the Board of Governors to "immediately [abide] by recognising the agreed dispute procedures by moving to status quo ante." This is because, as some of you may know, UWE's staff, represented by University and Colleges Union (UCU), unanimously voted to enter in a formal dispute procedure with management a few weeks ago. According to long-standing agreements, this should have normally suspended the process being disputed (rolling-out of the restructure). However, management didn't freeze anything. Since part of students' grievances is to stop everything that makes UWE worse (UWEWORSITY) and that the restructure is part of that, we agreed at our last assembly that this was a good move because it could help freeze the process and further raise awareness that, despite all their talking, management isn't playing "better together". Moreover, the last assembly thought that it would be a good way to express our solidarity with staff.
This "problem" has been created by UWE management to stall and disrupt the progress of the UCU in their pursuit of a swift resolution regarding the disagreement over the downgrading and pay cutting of 80 professors and readers at UWE. Tactics like this are used to de-moralise the members of the union and keep the process of resolution from even getting off the ground.
A UCU spokesperson told me, "we believe that not only is this bad management as such, but it also seems to contravene the University's own disputes procedure."
When called upon by a student member of the occupation group to end this counterproductive and frankly puerile avoidance of the issues brought up by the UCU, vice chancellor Steve West replied, simply "I am not accountable to you".
This is a demonstration of the attitude UWE management take towards the students of the university. The Vice Chancellor is prepared to "listen" to the opinions of union members and students on a superficial level, which benefits him because it makes him appear democratic. We have to remember that, in some way, our occupation could be of use to him and the board of governors because they can be seen to be allowing it and, apparently, appear to be engaging with students over the matters of concern.
However, despite the rhetoric of UWE about the student experience, at last management admit they are "not accountable" to us. Us, the very fabric of the university and the foundation of their business plan.
Without us the University is nothing. Without the students the Board of Governors doesn't have a function. And yet the decisions these people make about the University are not influenced by the people who attend it, make use of its resources, and create the vibrant academic atmosphere that Steve West and the governors then take credit for.
Essentially we have no say over the "product" we are being "sold". This situation is not concurrent with a democracy, but then universities are becoming increasingly corporatised, and corporations are specifically not democracies. They are private businesses that cannot be held to account by the general public.
This further proves that it is the task of students to create democratic structures within the university in order to fight the unfair decisions made by a Board of Governors who won't let these pesky students get in the way of their profits.
For instance: It was suggested to the Vice Chancellor that, since the government expects some universities to close down, one way of avoiding the downgrading to lecturers and their pay would be to decrease the number of students UWE takes on an annual basis. This would decrease the workload of the lecturers, making it easier for them to give quality lectures and have more face to face time with students. This would in turn benefit UWE management, since it may even lead to the dismissal of lecturers on the grounds that there are not enough students to teach. Furthermore, it would benefit the students who, being less in number have more time with the resources of the university, and with lecturers. Everyone's a winner.
Just a suggestion, then. The Vice Chancellor responded that decreasing the number of students admitted to UWE would "narrow the gate", creating a kind of elitism, whereas his objective was to "widen participation".
It is not necessarily true that decreasing the number of university students per year would create an elitism. If this proposed course of action were taken measures could be put in place to ensure that people from all classes get a chance to attend university. This might include the creation of waiting lists, which would mean that if a student did not get to the university their of choice first time round, they could get in on the second. Sure, some people would be dissapointed at the prospect of having to take a year out, but the assuredness of an affordable quality education after a year would surely soften the blow.
This is just a possible, debatable solution to the problem of education cuts: UWE management do not have to cut academic staff in order to cope. They can cut down on financial expenditure by taking fewer students per year, thus having to spend less, and being able to spread the existing resources over a smaller area. This would also ensure the quality of education for students when they did get into University.
The argument against this was a nice little piece of rhetoric: "elitism", which is obviously a bad thing. It occurred to us, however, that reducing the number of students would reduce the amount of profits an increasingly corporate University would make. It would also take away their need for expansion, and excuse for becoming large, impersonal, education supermarkets selling poor quality goods for an increasingly large amount of money.
However, it was dismissed simply as "elitism", a rhetorical buzzword loaded with bad connotations. This is one example of the University avoiding accountability to the students by giving one word dismissals to arguments and doing nothing more than superficially listening.
I suppose we can expect nothing more from a group of people that are "not accountable" to us in the decisions they make.
The letter stated the shared position of students who have participated in the occupation and the process of the camp for education and outlined a first list of demands. One specific demand, that we wanted to emphasise and try to resolve during the meeting called for the Board of Governors to "immediately [abide] by recognising the agreed dispute procedures by moving to status quo ante." This is because, as some of you may know, UWE's staff, represented by University and Colleges Union (UCU), unanimously voted to enter in a formal dispute procedure with management a few weeks ago. According to long-standing agreements, this should have normally suspended the process being disputed (rolling-out of the restructure). However, management didn't freeze anything. Since part of students' grievances is to stop everything that makes UWE worse (UWEWORSITY) and that the restructure is part of that, we agreed at our last assembly that this was a good move because it could help freeze the process and further raise awareness that, despite all their talking, management isn't playing "better together". Moreover, the last assembly thought that it would be a good way to express our solidarity with staff.
This "problem" has been created by UWE management to stall and disrupt the progress of the UCU in their pursuit of a swift resolution regarding the disagreement over the downgrading and pay cutting of 80 professors and readers at UWE. Tactics like this are used to de-moralise the members of the union and keep the process of resolution from even getting off the ground.
A UCU spokesperson told me, "we believe that not only is this bad management as such, but it also seems to contravene the University's own disputes procedure."
When called upon by a student member of the occupation group to end this counterproductive and frankly puerile avoidance of the issues brought up by the UCU, vice chancellor Steve West replied, simply "I am not accountable to you".
This is a demonstration of the attitude UWE management take towards the students of the university. The Vice Chancellor is prepared to "listen" to the opinions of union members and students on a superficial level, which benefits him because it makes him appear democratic. We have to remember that, in some way, our occupation could be of use to him and the board of governors because they can be seen to be allowing it and, apparently, appear to be engaging with students over the matters of concern.
However, despite the rhetoric of UWE about the student experience, at last management admit they are "not accountable" to us. Us, the very fabric of the university and the foundation of their business plan.
Without us the University is nothing. Without the students the Board of Governors doesn't have a function. And yet the decisions these people make about the University are not influenced by the people who attend it, make use of its resources, and create the vibrant academic atmosphere that Steve West and the governors then take credit for.
Essentially we have no say over the "product" we are being "sold". This situation is not concurrent with a democracy, but then universities are becoming increasingly corporatised, and corporations are specifically not democracies. They are private businesses that cannot be held to account by the general public.
This further proves that it is the task of students to create democratic structures within the university in order to fight the unfair decisions made by a Board of Governors who won't let these pesky students get in the way of their profits.
For instance: It was suggested to the Vice Chancellor that, since the government expects some universities to close down, one way of avoiding the downgrading to lecturers and their pay would be to decrease the number of students UWE takes on an annual basis. This would decrease the workload of the lecturers, making it easier for them to give quality lectures and have more face to face time with students. This would in turn benefit UWE management, since it may even lead to the dismissal of lecturers on the grounds that there are not enough students to teach. Furthermore, it would benefit the students who, being less in number have more time with the resources of the university, and with lecturers. Everyone's a winner.
Just a suggestion, then. The Vice Chancellor responded that decreasing the number of students admitted to UWE would "narrow the gate", creating a kind of elitism, whereas his objective was to "widen participation".
It is not necessarily true that decreasing the number of university students per year would create an elitism. If this proposed course of action were taken measures could be put in place to ensure that people from all classes get a chance to attend university. This might include the creation of waiting lists, which would mean that if a student did not get to the university their of choice first time round, they could get in on the second. Sure, some people would be dissapointed at the prospect of having to take a year out, but the assuredness of an affordable quality education after a year would surely soften the blow.
This is just a possible, debatable solution to the problem of education cuts: UWE management do not have to cut academic staff in order to cope. They can cut down on financial expenditure by taking fewer students per year, thus having to spend less, and being able to spread the existing resources over a smaller area. This would also ensure the quality of education for students when they did get into University.
The argument against this was a nice little piece of rhetoric: "elitism", which is obviously a bad thing. It occurred to us, however, that reducing the number of students would reduce the amount of profits an increasingly corporate University would make. It would also take away their need for expansion, and excuse for becoming large, impersonal, education supermarkets selling poor quality goods for an increasingly large amount of money.
However, it was dismissed simply as "elitism", a rhetorical buzzword loaded with bad connotations. This is one example of the University avoiding accountability to the students by giving one word dismissals to arguments and doing nothing more than superficially listening.
I suppose we can expect nothing more from a group of people that are "not accountable" to us in the decisions they make.
Messages of Support and Solidarity
A new morning, we're still here and will be for some time yet. Spirits are high and we're looking forward to the protest outside the board of governors meeting that will take place in the courtyard opposite the RED bar at 2.30 pm in solidarity with lecturers. Get ready to make some noise!
Over the course of yesterday evening and night we received a mass of messages of support and solidarity from a number of organisations, students, lecturers, trade unionists and comrades. We are many and they are few!
Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance: The Anti-Cuts Alliance which represents the public sector unions and
community organisations in the Bristol area sends its full support to the students occupying the heart
of Frenchay campus, UWE. It’s great to see students fighting back against one of the more iniquitous
effects of ConDem policy, and we hope the movement will expand and bring in thousands of young
people whose future is now under serious threat.
Unite Union: Greetings to students fighting cuts from Treasurer and Secretary of Unite Bristol Health
Service branch!
University of Sheffield Education Activist Network: Solidarity from Sheffield University! Hopefully we
will join you as we go into occupation on Wednesday. Victory to the fight against cuts!
South Gloucestershire NUT: On behalf of South Gloucestershire NUT we support your struggle in
fighting the increase in fees.
Education is a right not a privilege.
Now let's work together for nationally co
ordinated action against the condem coalition.
Rachel Kendall
President South Glos NUT
Well done on your occupation! Hopefully we should be occupying on Wednesday too!
Surrey University
Keep up the good work Joe in Sheffield
Hey all,
Heard on the grapevine that you're occupying somewhere in protest against cuts and fees. I'm no
longer a student, but as an ex-sabb, and an ex-student in general, know that I'm with you in spirit!
Be careful not to get arrested, people are starting to take these kinda occupations less and less
well...
Love (and rage),
A fellow concerned citizen
Brothers and sisters
On behalf of Waltham Forest Trades Council, I would like to send this message of support to UWE students
in your occupation. We are an organisation of trade union representatives - the local TUC - in our part of East
London, with a number of us working in education. The ConDem onslaught attacks on education must be
resisted and you are giving the rest of us a great example to follow. Best of luck.
In solidarity
Darren O'Grady
Secretary
Dear all,
I just read about your occupation on the FaceMuppet, and had to quickly send a 'yay!' - good on you
all, it's the only way students are going to gain a voice in the ConDem'd nation - and hopefully as the
resistance spreads, more of the populace will wake up and oppose the economically illiterate cuts
too.
Best of luck,
Glyn
==============================
Dr Glyn Everett,
School of Built & Natural Environment,
University of Central Lancashire
My name is Terezia Novosel and I am a member of the TSU, currently not assigned,
possibly as a result of the cuts and high tuition fees. I really enjoyed working in the UWE
and understand how terrible it is for students and their families to pay such high fees. My
last assignment was processing student applications and fees in the C.A.H.E faculty. I was
shocked at the fees for home and overseas students. I just wanted to say good luck, I hope
everything goes well, and that the occupation is peaceful with noone getting hurt.
I saw your occupation on the evening news and it looked very impressive. I'd like to
congratulate you for taking a stand against the vicious cuts planned to funding for universities
and to Education Maintenance Allowances. These cuts, if not stopped, will prevent poor
people from going to university because we will not be able to afford it. The rich will not
have the same problem. Therefore this is an assault on the working class.
Of course, it's not just education that's under attack. Masses of public and private sector
job cuts are planned. Pay freezes are being implemented while the cost of living is rising.
Pensions are under threat. At the same time, the Government is targeting unemployed people
and punishing them in order to make them pay for the recession and for lack of jobs.
My trade union says it doesn't have to be this way. There is an alternative to the cuts. £120
Billion of tax goes avoided, evaded and uncollected each year. Simply collecting this tax
would go a long way to tackling the budget deficit. The UK holds £850 Billion in banking
assets from the bailout. We could use this money for the benefit of all of us.
This is a personal message of support at the moment, as I haven't had a chance to raise the
issue of your occupation at any meetings. However, I will be at a meeting of my union branch
committee tomorrow, and will ask my branch to endorse this message as well. I am optimistic
that my branch will agree.
Yours in Solidarity,
Steve West [!]
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Group Executive Committee
DWP Avon Branch
(Personal Capacity)
keep on keepin' on.
al crawford.
sussex stc, strong and steadfast.
Brilliant to hear about your occupation - I hope you get this message in time, and hope to see you all
on Weds 24th Nov. Together we can stop the wholesale decimation/privatisation of HE & FE.
Cheers, Bristol University Staff
Solidarity from the students and workers of Sussex University. Your
occupation is an inspiration to students, and all those who oppose
the attack on our welfare state and its people from this elitist and
ideologically driven government. These are national cuts, we will give
them a national fightback, and we will have a national victory. Let's show
them what democracy really looks like.
United we stand, divided we fall
Well done and best wishes to all involved.
Nice one! Maybe you can inject some life into the soulless shell that is
Core24.
Solidarity from Poppy Firmin at Sussex.
Over the course of yesterday evening and night we received a mass of messages of support and solidarity from a number of organisations, students, lecturers, trade unionists and comrades. We are many and they are few!
Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance: The Anti-Cuts Alliance which represents the public sector unions and
community organisations in the Bristol area sends its full support to the students occupying the heart
of Frenchay campus, UWE. It’s great to see students fighting back against one of the more iniquitous
effects of ConDem policy, and we hope the movement will expand and bring in thousands of young
people whose future is now under serious threat.
Unite Union: Greetings to students fighting cuts from Treasurer and Secretary of Unite Bristol Health
Service branch!
University of Sheffield Education Activist Network: Solidarity from Sheffield University! Hopefully we
will join you as we go into occupation on Wednesday. Victory to the fight against cuts!
South Gloucestershire NUT: On behalf of South Gloucestershire NUT we support your struggle in
fighting the increase in fees.
Education is a right not a privilege.
Now let's work together for nationally co
ordinated action against the condem coalition.
Rachel Kendall
President South Glos NUT
Well done on your occupation! Hopefully we should be occupying on Wednesday too!
Surrey University
Keep up the good work Joe in Sheffield
Hey all,
Heard on the grapevine that you're occupying somewhere in protest against cuts and fees. I'm no
longer a student, but as an ex-sabb, and an ex-student in general, know that I'm with you in spirit!
Be careful not to get arrested, people are starting to take these kinda occupations less and less
well...
Love (and rage),
A fellow concerned citizen
Brothers and sisters
On behalf of Waltham Forest Trades Council, I would like to send this message of support to UWE students
in your occupation. We are an organisation of trade union representatives - the local TUC - in our part of East
London, with a number of us working in education. The ConDem onslaught attacks on education must be
resisted and you are giving the rest of us a great example to follow. Best of luck.
In solidarity
Darren O'Grady
Secretary
Dear all,
I just read about your occupation on the FaceMuppet, and had to quickly send a 'yay!' - good on you
all, it's the only way students are going to gain a voice in the ConDem'd nation - and hopefully as the
resistance spreads, more of the populace will wake up and oppose the economically illiterate cuts
too.
Best of luck,
Glyn
==============================
Dr Glyn Everett,
School of Built & Natural Environment,
University of Central Lancashire
My name is Terezia Novosel and I am a member of the TSU, currently not assigned,
possibly as a result of the cuts and high tuition fees. I really enjoyed working in the UWE
and understand how terrible it is for students and their families to pay such high fees. My
last assignment was processing student applications and fees in the C.A.H.E faculty. I was
shocked at the fees for home and overseas students. I just wanted to say good luck, I hope
everything goes well, and that the occupation is peaceful with noone getting hurt.
I saw your occupation on the evening news and it looked very impressive. I'd like to
congratulate you for taking a stand against the vicious cuts planned to funding for universities
and to Education Maintenance Allowances. These cuts, if not stopped, will prevent poor
people from going to university because we will not be able to afford it. The rich will not
have the same problem. Therefore this is an assault on the working class.
Of course, it's not just education that's under attack. Masses of public and private sector
job cuts are planned. Pay freezes are being implemented while the cost of living is rising.
Pensions are under threat. At the same time, the Government is targeting unemployed people
and punishing them in order to make them pay for the recession and for lack of jobs.
My trade union says it doesn't have to be this way. There is an alternative to the cuts. £120
Billion of tax goes avoided, evaded and uncollected each year. Simply collecting this tax
would go a long way to tackling the budget deficit. The UK holds £850 Billion in banking
assets from the bailout. We could use this money for the benefit of all of us.
This is a personal message of support at the moment, as I haven't had a chance to raise the
issue of your occupation at any meetings. However, I will be at a meeting of my union branch
committee tomorrow, and will ask my branch to endorse this message as well. I am optimistic
that my branch will agree.
Yours in Solidarity,
Steve West [!]
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Group Executive Committee
DWP Avon Branch
(Personal Capacity)
keep on keepin' on.
al crawford.
sussex stc, strong and steadfast.
Brilliant to hear about your occupation - I hope you get this message in time, and hope to see you all
on Weds 24th Nov. Together we can stop the wholesale decimation/privatisation of HE & FE.
Cheers, Bristol University Staff
Solidarity from the students and workers of Sussex University. Your
occupation is an inspiration to students, and all those who oppose
the attack on our welfare state and its people from this elitist and
ideologically driven government. These are national cuts, we will give
them a national fightback, and we will have a national victory. Let's show
them what democracy really looks like.
United we stand, divided we fall
Well done and best wishes to all involved.
Nice one! Maybe you can inject some life into the soulless shell that is
Core24.
Solidarity from Poppy Firmin at Sussex.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Occupation
Inspired by the actions of fellow students at universities such as Sussex and the demonstration that took place on November 10th, at 4pm today, Monday 22nd of November, around 60 students have initiated an occupation at UWE Frenchay campus to protest the tripling of tuition fees and nationwide cuts to university funding.
Students are occupying the private Core 24 cafe in the heart of the university's main campus and have established an 'education camp' to discuss alternatives to the funding cuts and fee increases.
The occupation is part of a week of protests, including a National Walkout on the 24th, that will see students from UWE, Bristol University, and further education colleges in Bristol coming together to voice their opposition.
Among our chief concerns are:
- That the fees and cuts will effectively privatise education, since the increased debt (regardless of when it has to be repaid) will discourage students from poorer backgrounds applying to university.
- That the government’s decision to cut all funding to humanities and arts courses displays a bias towards those subjects more favourable to the market, and thus further contributes to the commercialisation of education.
- That UWE management have already begun to cut ¼ of senior academic staff at the university. The increased class sizes that are an inevitable outcome of such staffing cuts will decrease the quality of education that the university can provide
At the time of writing we're singing along with the Bristol Socialist Choir to Solidarity Forever. The atmosphere is very upbeat and we invite all other students to come join us to make their and all our voices heard at this most critical time.
Further updates will follow soon.
Students are occupying the private Core 24 cafe in the heart of the university's main campus and have established an 'education camp' to discuss alternatives to the funding cuts and fee increases.
The occupation is part of a week of protests, including a National Walkout on the 24th, that will see students from UWE, Bristol University, and further education colleges in Bristol coming together to voice their opposition.
Among our chief concerns are:
- That the fees and cuts will effectively privatise education, since the increased debt (regardless of when it has to be repaid) will discourage students from poorer backgrounds applying to university.
- That the government’s decision to cut all funding to humanities and arts courses displays a bias towards those subjects more favourable to the market, and thus further contributes to the commercialisation of education.
- That UWE management have already begun to cut ¼ of senior academic staff at the university. The increased class sizes that are an inevitable outcome of such staffing cuts will decrease the quality of education that the university can provide
At the time of writing we're singing along with the Bristol Socialist Choir to Solidarity Forever. The atmosphere is very upbeat and we invite all other students to come join us to make their and all our voices heard at this most critical time.
Further updates will follow soon.
Follow us on twitter and facebook + contacts to get in touch
Follow the camp for education and the week of action:
If you need to get in touch with us:
- on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=162641213748580
- on our blog: http://act-at-uwe.blogspot.com/
- on twitter: http://twitter.com/uweagainstcuts
If you need to get in touch with us:
- email (prefered): uwe.better.together@gmail.com
- text: 07586453336
- call (please use only for very urgent issues): 07586453336
An open letter to the Vice-Chancellor, on the camp for education and the week of action at UWE
Addressee:
Steve West
Vice-Chancellor and CEO
University of the West of England
Frenchay campus
Coldharbour Lane
BS16 1QY
Bristol, Avon
Steve West
Vice-Chancellor and CEO
University of the West of England
Frenchay campus
Coldharbour Lane
BS16 1QY
Bristol, Avon
Dear Steve,
The quality of our education at UWE is rapidly worsening. This results directly from the restructure at UWE and, indirectly, from the stress and tensions that it has generated amongst staff. In parallel, government are planning massive cuts across the public sector, including education and universities while talking about doubling or even tripling tuition fees.
Those university-level and national plans, if they go through, will have a dire effect on students at UWE and elsewhere, but also more generally, on most if not all people living in this country. At the moment, even though such projects are highly and increasingly contested, no formally responsible 'leader' is defending students, jobs, UWE, our education or the public sector.
We are deeply concerned about such plans because we know that they will lock us on a trajectory toward a gloomy future for ourselves, our friends, our classmates, our lecturers, our families and people at large. We are thus taking responsibility for our education and our future by setting up a camp on Monday at 4pm inside Frenchay.
Our intention with this camp is to open a visible space to raise awareness about current problems, to imagine, further and elaborate alternatives and to figure out both how to resist plans that are imposed on us and how to advance our alternatives. Our intention is not to disrupt work or studies but instead to exchange, learn from each other, and work out better solutions together.
We thank you in advance for your understanding and your support and we remain available to answer any questions you may have about our initiative.
Best regards,
UWE students against the restructure, fees and cuts
uwe.better.together@gmail.com
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