The Campaign

Cuts:

 

• Teaching budgets are likely to face cuts of up to 80% with Humanities subjects potentially losing all their teaching budgets from the government.
• Less money for universities means less resource for teaching you, and could result in course closures, larger class sizes or a substandard student experience. The Union will work hard with the University to preserve the quality of your education in the face of these cuts.
• Cuts to higher education jeopardise the future of our education, economy and country. Most other EU states and the USA are increasing their education spend this year.

Fees:

• In order to make up this shortfall the government is proposing that students pay by increasing the cap on tuition fees from £3,000 to £9,000 per student per year. This would mean that students are leaving University with upwards of £50,000 worth of debt when maintenance loans are taking into account.
• Higher fees would prevent or deter students from poorer backgrounds from applying to higher education. We believe that education should be available to those with the ability and aspiration, regardless of how much their parents earn. Creating a market in fees would also segregate universities into those for rich people and those for poor people, which cannot be good for society as a whole. Students are in enough debt as it is: the average graduate debt is £23,500. Let's stop it rising even higher.

Achievements

• Anti-cuts games were held outside of University Place and the Students Union on the 20th October.
• Later on that day a policy was passed at our first General Meeting to oppose the cuts.
• On the 23rd October there was a rally with the trade unions, followed by a Teach-In with speakers from NUS, UCU, NCAFC and the University about the ucts.
• The same day there was a flash mob against the rise in fees during the Liberal Democrat MP, Mark Hunter's speech at the Liberal Youth conference.
• There was a flash mob of a meeting the Vice Chancellor attended against the rise in fees.
• The Union took down 700 people from Manchester to the NUS National Demo 10.11.10 in London to oppose the cuts to Higher Education. It was a great day with 50,000 students and staff that got our message across to the coalition government.
• The next day there was a 3-hour sit in of the John Owens building to try and find out what the planned cuts in the University are and to encourage other Students' Unions to do the same.
• On the 24th November 5,000 students held a march in Manchester up to the Town Hall against the cuts and rise in fees.
• This march lead to a month long occupation of the Roscoe building.
• In Manchester on the 30th November there was another march attended by 3,000 students to oppose the cuts and fees.
• Students lobbied MPs to vote against a rise in fees through several methods. 600 letters were written to over 100 MPs. Meetings were also held with several MPs including Mark Hunter, John Leech and Michael Meacher. There was also door knocking in Mark Hunter's constituency to collect signatures for a petition against the rise in fees.
• On the 9th December we took down 150 University of Manchester students down to London for a demonstration The same day there was a mass lobby of parliament and meetings were held with John Leech, Mark Hunter and Andrew Stunell amongst others.
• A flash mob was held outside of Mark Hunter's constituency office to oppose him breaking the pledge to vote against a rise in fees.
• Biko Live, the Unions night, had a cuts theme. The week after four angry Santa's sang edited Christmas carols outside of Mark Hunter's office to oppose the cuts to the public sector.
• There was a flash mob against Nick Clegg at Oldham by-election

How to get involved

For further information, email Mo Saqib, Academic Affairs Officer at mo.saqib@manchester.ac.uk or Amanda Walters, Campaigns Officer at campaigns@umsu.manchester.ac.uk

Check the Education section too!

What can we do about it?

See model letter to MPs

 

• Come along to the HE Cuts Collective meetings, Fridays 5pm in UMSU. There are 5 working groups that you can get involved in: Lobbying, Creative Campaigning, Direct Action/Occupations, Outreach, and Research.
• To facilitate the best Lobby possible, we need to gather the constituency details of everyone to ensure that we have maximum coverage of the house on the day. Please register your constituency here. We are particularly interested in your HOME constituency if it differs from your university one. Just in case your memory fails you, you can look up your constituency here: Find you MP
• The next day there was a 3-hour sit in of the John Owens building to try and find out what the planned cuts in the University are and to encourage other Students' Unions to do the same.
• Lobby MPs. Please send your MP (here and at home) a letter asking them to oppose the higher education cuts and a rise in tuition fees. You can send them the model letter given below - please feel free to edit it. You can message your MPs by going on: Write to Them

UMSU is dedicated to campaigning against climate change by making the Union more green, by lobbying the University to become more sustainable, by helping students and staff to cut their carbon footprint, and by getting involved in national and international environmental campaigns.

Learn how to get involved...

Achievements

• We have passed a policy stating that as soon as possible we should cease all relationship with the Royal Bank of Scotland because it invests in companies that are environmentally damaging, and exacerbate climate change.

• We have started Meat Free Mondays, where the Union cafe and bar serves vegetarian and vegan food, apart from one meat option. This is because Livestock production is responsible for around 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

• We are signed up to a Going Green policy which calls for the Union to improve it's sustainability performance, lobby the University to do the same and to run a comprehensive campaign against climate change.

You can read the full 'Going Green' policy here: Going Green policy

Since the motion was passed in April 2008 the Union has lobbied the University to become more sustainable. The University now has a target to reduce the University's absolute carbon footprint by at least 40% by 2020 from a 2009 baseline of 85, 419 tonnes of CO2.

 

  

The Union itself is also becoming more environmentally friendly by introducing rainwater harvesting for the toilets in the Academy, a ground source heat pump to heat the dressing rooms in the Academy, solar panels to heat hot water in the Student's Union, and LED lighting and movement receptors in the toilets, shop and main hall.

Furthermore, the Union has joined national and international campaigns and taken students to the Wave, the Swoop and Copenhagen.

Learn more about UMSU's commitment to best environmental practise by reading our Environmental Policy document and Aspects and Impacts statement.

 

Get involved

Main Union Campaigns

This year we will be surveying students to see what their single biggest CO2 producing habit is and we will be running a campaign to try and get students to change this one behaviour.

We will also be lobbying the University to divest from companies that cause environmental degradation. If you are interested in either of these campaigns then please email campaigns@umsu.manchester.ac.uk

 

Student Sustainability Forum

You could also come to the Student Sustainability Forum (SSF). The SSF exists as a forum for all staff and students to express their ideas and concerns regarding environmental issues on campus. It acts as an intermediary body between students and the complex University management structure, with some of its members sitting on University boards. If you want better recycling in halls, or better bike parking facilities, or have any ideas at all - then feel free to bring them to the Forum.

Join the SSF  group.

 

Carbon Ambassadors

Would you like to gain FREE training in energy-efficiency practices? Do you want to do more to help fight climate change? Would you share your eco-skills with groups in your local community?

Teach yourself to be a carbon ambassador by working your way through this set by set guide to assessing a rooms energy usage (This is a 72-page PowerPoint presentation - 3.9Mb)

The University of Manchester Students' Union is taking part in this exciting volunteering opportunity giving you the chance to receive FREE energy-efficiency training. You will then be deployed in small teams into your local community to venues such as churches, small businesses and community centres to pass on your eco-skills to help others reduce their carbon emissions!

If you are interested email me at campaigns@umsu.manchester.ac.uk.

 

Green Impact

The University of Manchester is currently looking for students to become Green Impact auditors. Green Impact is one of three projects within a 2 year programme called Degrees Cooler - 'Greening universities and beyond through behaviour change'.

Green Impact is targeted at staff and empowers individuals and departments to reduce their environmental impact by encouraging, rewarding and celebrating practical environmental improvements. Green Impact challenges departments to implement a number of easy practical actions that will help the environment.

The four main aims are to encourage staff to:

• recycle more
• use less energy
• eat more sustainable local food
• reduce non-essential flying

The University of Manchester currently has 13 teams taking part in Green Impact. Each team has been given a workbook which has been tailored to the University of Manchester. The workbook has 134 criteria relating to waste, travel, electricity, heating, and procurement.

Auditors will be trained to assess departments involved in the scheme, based on the criteria set in the workbook. Once trained, auditors will be expected to carry out at least one audit before the end of the academic year. Audits should take between one and two hours and will be carried out in pairs. Certificates and supporting letters will be provided for those who participate in the auditing training and conduct audits.

If you are interested in becoming an auditor, or for more information, please contact Charlotte McHugh: charlotte.mchugh_at_manchester.ac.uk (0161 275 0343)

 

goCarShare

goCarShare aims to turn Manchester into the first University city in the UK where car sharing reaches a critical mass, meaning that students can travel easily, cheaply and greenly with each other by sharing car journeys. The website matches students through Facebook, as a result there is no need to register and users can see if they share friends, like similar bands and even check the ratings of other users to ensure that they are reliable.

The idea revolves around getting student car owners into the mentality that their empty car seats are worth cash and that they can ‘sell their seats on goCarShare’. Potential passengers can save a considerable amount of money using the service – typical prices are £15 to London, £4 to Leeds and £11 to Newcastle. It’s a green way to travel with average carbon emission travelling in a full car being comparative to taking the train.*

You can arrange to share car journeys at: www.gocarshare.com/uom

* Train average car occupancy - 96 grams per CO2 mile, car four people  - 86 grams per CO2 mile. Defra July 2007 Report Passenger Transport Emissions Factors

Snap it Off

Snap it Off is a campaign created by NUS in response to students' concerns about energy wastage through unnecessary lighting. To raise awareness simply take a photo of the lighting culprit and upload it to the Snap it Off website here.

 

Student Action

 

Get involved with one of student actions greener projects such as the bike project or allotment scheme. For more info please see Student Action.

If you are interested email action@umsu.manchester.ac.uk.

Cycle Tips

Cycling is a great and green way to get to Uni and around Manchester. But to avoid theft or damage to your bike you'll need to keep it secure. You'll find some handy tips on how to keep your bike safe here.

Green Tips

Also look out for the green tips in the Union's newspaper. If you want to write any drop an email to campaigns@umsu.manchester.ac.uk. Plus check out how to 'Green Your Lifestyle'

GAZA CRISIS

The Campaign

In December 2008 Israel attacked and invaded Gaza. The strip was already facing huge difficulties due to Israel's air, land and sea blockade. By the time of Israel's withdrawal some weeks later over 1400 people had been killed, over 300 of them children. Israel's tanks and artillery had destroyed or damaged over 18,000 houses making tens of thousands of people homeless, and due to the restrictions of the blockade that allows minimal building materials into Gaza, many families still live in the rubble of their homes. Fighter jets bombed refugee camps, sewage works, universities, roads, and used phosphorus bombs on hospitals. Action Palestine at Manchester University was part of the movement that spread across the country to oppose Israel's latest war on the Palestinians.

Achievements

Along with hundreds of other students Action Palestine members occupied university buildings to show solidarity with the Palestinians and to protest our university's investment in arms companies that sold weapons to Israel. We called two Emergency General Meetings with over a thousand students attending which supported the occupation. The 'Gaza Crisis' motion in our Student Union was the most widely attended General Meeting in years, and it passed with a massive majority. This motion condemned Israel's attack on Gaza and pledged our Union to join the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement which aims to put pressure on Israel to stop its continual violation of Palestinian Human Rights and end its occupation. Through the 'Gaza Crisis' motion we also helped to organize the sending of educational equipment to Gazan universities, worked with Amnesty International and UNICEF to raise thousands of pounds for children in Gaza, and also pressured the University to offer scholarships to Palestinian students. As a result of the occupation and the 'Gaza Crisis Motion' thousands of students on campus became aware of the injustice in Palestine and came together as one to oppose it.

PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION

The Campaign

The occupation of the West Bank by the Israeli military severely disrupts the education of young Palestinians, and in many cases, makes education nearly impossible. The UN charter of Human Rights states that 'Education is both a human right in itself and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights', yet the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and their blockade of Gaza means that Palestinian students wait for hours at checkpoints or have to take huge detours to get to their classes. The Israeli military also imposes curfews on the civilian population in the West Bank. Israel's apartheid wall makes it extremely difficult for lecturers and students to make it to their classes and Al-Quds University in the West Bank has the apartheid wall running through their campus at Abu Dis. This literally takes the form of buildings and sports fields being divided by the wall. Student organisations like Student's Unions are seen as a hotbed of resistance by the Israeli army and are clamped down on at every opportunity. Student leaders as well as random students are often arrested and can be held for up to 6 months without charges being brought against them. During Operation Cast Lead, Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip in late 2008/early 2009, 23 educational institutions were destroyed or severely damaged, and students face the constant risk of helicopter attacks from the Israeli Army.

Achievements

We are incredibly proud that our Student's Union is twinned with An-Najah University in Nablus and has renewed the twinning as of November 2010. There is a plaque in the foyer of the Student's Union that explains the twinning and its link to the Right To Education Campaign. As a part of the twinning, students from An-Najah are allocated a column in the Student Direct newspaper that they can write in to describe their experiences and interact with us here in Manchester. We are also happy to have hosted two video weblink chats with students in both Nablus and Gaza over the past year, allowing Palestinian students to share stories of their lives under occupation and for our university to interact directly with the students we campaign for. We hope to carry on hosting these engaging weblinks throughout our twinning. Part of the Gaza Crisis motion also stipulates that the University will give scholarships and exchange programme opportunities to Palestinian students, although this is an ongoing campaign still.

How to get involved

To get involved come along to one of our meetings, which are weekly in the Student's Union on Wednesdays at 4 or 5pm. Make sure to sign up at the Welcome Week stall to be added to our mailing list, or email the contact listed on the Student Activities board in the Union. Also make sure to check out our website, Manchester Action Palestine, for updates on events throughout the year. New members are always welcome and as a campaigning society we are always open to new ideas and strategies, so come find as at one of our meetings and get involved!

Manchester Students Anti Fascist Collective

The Campaign

Manchester Students Against Racism and Fascism is part of the University of Manchester Students Union (UMSU) and gets funded directly by the Union rather than being a Society. It began last year in retaliation to the rise of the new far right street force; the English Defence League. The UK has experienced a rise in support for the far right with the British National Party gaining two MEPs and with the EDL able to bring thousands to their racist marches. The collective aims to bring together anti racists of all kinds and from all groups. We have anarchists, socialists, environmentalists and independent anti fascists. The Collective works with and supports the Unite Against Fascism (UAF), Hope Not Hate and we enjoy good links with the Manchester Anti Fascist Alliance (MAFA). MAFA was created not long before the collective and have a twin track strategy: physical confrontation of fascists on the streets and ideological struggle against fascism in working class communities.

We aim to confront racism and fascism on the streets of Manchester and in the local communities. By uniting the students in the collective and supporting groups activities we hope to have a strong force within the University.

Anti-Fascism and Anti-Racism is one of the most important struggles young people and students can get involved in. With a large section of our universities student population being people the far right target, the collective must work to make the University and Manchester a safer place for them and the wider population.

 

Achievements

Last year we leafleted Piccadilly train station about the realities of immigration, we supported Hope Not Hates enormous, and eventually successful, campaign against the BNP in Stoke and Dagenham. MAFA have begun their community work by leafleting Moston, the BNP's Manchester stronghold, and will be going into Salford and other communities effected by the BNP and EDL.

 

How to get involved

And check out these websites:
http://manchesterafa.wordpress.com/
http://manchesteruaf.org/
http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/

 

The Campaign

Faithworks is a new campaign from UMSU for 2010/11. It's time for the union to represent students of religion on campus. The campaign will create events for students of faith or no faith to discuss faith traditions in relation to current affairs and social and religious issues. We will also volunteer together to show that students of faith can bring a positive impact to campus and the wider community. Faithworks will work for all students to create a harmonious inter-faith atmosphere on campus.

Achievements

Created in June 2010 we are a new campaign that has made a big impact on UMSU in our first year! We hosted Muslim-Jewish rappers 'Lines of Faith' in October for an inspiring and lively musical introduction to inter-faith.

In November we had a fantastic Inter-faith week in line with National Inter-faith Week. Ten events were organised ranging from inter-faith volunteering, scriptural reasoning event, a panel debate, a coffee and cake evening for women, an inter-faith fair, charity collection and gospel singing. These events were organised by enthusiastic students, chaplains and faith societies. It was a massive success that launched the concept of inter-faith dialogue and action loud and clear into our union space.
We also played host to Jenan Mohajir from Chicago who works for the inspiring Interfaith Youth Core www.ifyc.org

In our second semester we had the plan to put forward a motion to secure Faithworks' future, but unfortunately we did not have enough people attend that meeting. Instead we filled the term with more Scriptural Reasoning events, this time on the theme of money in religion and bread. Three students on the 3 Faiths Forum Parliamentors Scheme ran *Faithworks Live* a night of musical, dance and singing performances with representatives from different religious traditions. We also had a workshop with Mount Elimu to discuss the role of religion in International development work. This term The Chaplaincy held a Banquet also on a music theme attended by over a hundred people, and the women had their own coffee and cake discussion group.

How to get involved

To get involved please email faithworks@umsu.manchester.ac.uk, or join the facebook group Or visit our website. We are looking for new committee members! Bring your enthusiasm and post a message on our facebook page or email for contact with current committee members.

The Campaign

We are a new student led group at the Union aimed at promoting good mental health and wellbeing throughout the campus and beyond! This will be our first year as a fully-fledged campaigns group and we aim to have a series of events throughout the term including film nights. We hope to have several fun fundraising nights raising awareness of mental health within universities.

How to get involved

Please email us at mentalwealthmatters@umsu.manchester.ac.uk. We are always looking for more people to get involved - whether it be to attend the events or to have a more active role in organising events and fundraisers and having a say about how mental wealth matters is run and can evolve!

The Campaign

1 in every 10 students are likely to get burgled whilst at University and with Fallowfield having very high crime rates keeping yourself happy and safe whilst you're at University is a priority.

The Safety and Community Campaigns running at the Union aims to provide you with the knowledge, skills, tools and ability to improve the security of your house and your local community.

Did you know that leaving your garden a mess can increase your likelihood of being a victim of crime? Think about it, if I was going to rob a house I'd go for the student one, its likely to have 5 residents all with laptops, mp3 players, nice phones and security is often lax, having an obviously studenty house can make you stick out like a sore thumb! This year we will be providing you with the tools and knowledge to help you avoid being burgled. Helping you do up your house and will have lots of community events that will help you to look out for your neighbour's house and also spread information about criminals acting in certain areas. So Don't be a Cliché!

How to get involved

If your interested in getting involved in the campaign and becoming a volunteer with the police in crime hotspots please get in contact with the welfare officer: welfare@umsu.manchester.ac.uk

The Campaign

The Sexual health campaign at the Union is here to increase the awareness of sexual health to our students; it also aims to encourage sexually active students to practice safe sex. The Union does this by providing both information about free services available to students as well as providing free contraception, pregnancy testing and chlamydia testing. It also provides free peer-led sex education training to students who want to learn more about keeping safe and happy within their relationships

Achievements

Over the last few years the Union have given out thousands of condoms and provided hundreds of free chlamydia tests to our students. This year will be the same but with more emphasis on peer led information. We don't just want you to know you should use a condom but why you need to use a condom as-well as being fully informed of all the choices and options available to you as a students, what ever your situation.

How to get involved

If you are interested in getting involved please email the welfare officer: welfare@umsu.manchester.ac.uk

You've heard that climate change is happening and that you need to start thinking about the planet when your making every day decisions. So here's some handy hints on ways to get started on your quest to green your life style.

 

SAVING WATER

Although it may seem like water is plentiful it's not actually as abundant as you think. It also uses energy particularly when you heat. So it's worth saving. Why not GET HOLD OF A SAVE A FLUSH? These ingenious little devices are really easy to use and save lots and lots of water. Simply pop them in the corner of the cistern of your toilet. After this you'll save a litre of water every time you flush. For more info see: United Utilities

 

EAT MORE VEG AND LESS MEAT

According to the United Nations FAO report, 'the livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18% of greenhouse has emissions measured in CO2 equivalent'. By reducing the amount of meat you eat and going veggie for a couple of meals a week you can reduce your carbon footprint greatly. Start with meat free Mondays and then work your way up from there!

 

PEDAL POWER

Cars are bad. Aeroplanes are worse. Trains and buses are all right. But best of all are BIKES. Although cycling might be a little bit scary at first you can start off by attending critical mass (Facebook) that happens on the last Friday of every month where you can practise your cycling moves amid lots of other cyclists that scare off all the care. You can also hire a Bike from student action for just £1 per week. For more details see here. Also 'Find a Cycle Route' is a specific cycle journey planner currently available in Greater Manchester among many other Areas: Journey Planner.

Find out how to keep your bike secure and avoid theft here.

 

ELECTRICITY

Sticking with your conventional energy supplier will probably means that your using lots of non-renewable energy. But it doesn't have to be that way. Using a RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLIER such as ECOTRICITY reduces your personal carbon footprint massively. And at the moment UMSU has set up an offer with Ecotricity which gets you a FREE ECO-KETTLE when you switch over to Ecotricity! To sign up please visit: ECOTRICITY

 

SAVING FOOD MILES

Obviously the further your food has travelled the more nasty fumes that will have been pumped out into the atmosphere for it. As a result UMSU has sorted out a 10% student discount with a FRUIT AND VEG BOX scheme as provided by DIG foods. They deliver fruit and veg. from the local area straight to your door making it really easy to reduce your food miles. See DIG for more info.

 

GREEN LADY STUFF

Using tampons make an incredible amount of waste. Mooncups however provide an environmentally friendly and more comfy way to get through. Available from the women's office for £10. Check out Mooncup for more info.

 

JOIN 10:10

A few months back the Union vowed to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% by the end of 2010 as part of the 10:10 campaign. You can sign up too at: 10:10 campaign

 

MORE ADVICE

And once you've done all of that check out this for more inspiration.

Defend the Rights of Our International Students

The government will soon be announcing changes to the student visa system and we need your help to combat them.

These plans will restrict the rights of international students studying in the UK and will discourage students around the world from choosing to study in the UK.

International students provide Universities with a large amount of revenue that will be increasingly important in light of ongoing cuts to Higher Education. International students are also vital to the research capabilities of the UK.

Through exposure to different cultures we all gain cultural awareness and key competitive skills. In the 2010 CBI Education and skills survey, businesses identify graduates' foreign language skills and international cultural awareness as two of the bottom four skills they are least satisfied with.

Given the significant contributions international students make to the economic, academic and cultural wellbeing of the UK, it is in all our best interest to fight these changes.

How can you help?

1. Let the government know these plans will be a catastrophic error.

Sample Email - Word format

Find your MP by putting your postcode in the box below and send them an email stating your disapproval.*

Find your MP

*Click on your constituency and then on your MPs name and scroll down for the email address.

Don't just send the sample email, look under more info and speak your mind, especially the benefits of the UK continuing to attract the best and brightest students from around the world.

2. Lobby MPs over the phone. Email international@umsu.manchester.ac.uk with your name and subject 'Lobby'.

Main Issues

1. The biggest issue in the proposed changes is the scrapping of the Post-Study work Visa (PSWV).

The Tier I post study work visa allows international university graduates to get up to two years work experience. This massively improves the attractiveness of studying in the UK. Many businesses and charities also benefit from the international competencies and exposure of these graduates.

Closing this route is disadvantageous to both the appeal of studying in the UK and global competitiveness of businesses all over the country.

It is also grossly unfair to implement this immediately when many students currently studying had been marketed to as having this opportunity. 85.7% of the over 1000 international students we surveyed said the post study work visa was a factor in their choosing to study in the UK. The least the government can do is allow those students already in the UK to have access to the post study work visa.

Certain types of courses, including Architecture and Law, require a period in employment before the second part of the course is undertaken, and the post-study work route facilitates this. Post study work route also facilitates post-doctoral research that massively benefits the UK.

There is no conclusive evidence supporting the view that PSW must be closed as it leads to large numbers of students permanently staying on in the UK. Nor is there any evidence of displacement of UK graduates. The damage that would be caused by closure of this route is therefore disproportionate to any imagined benefit the government has of reducing student immigration.

2. The second big issue is plans to restrict the ability of students to bring dependents to the UK and the ability for the dependents to work.

This will be very detrimental to our international mature students, as they would be forced to choose between studying in the UK and their family. Many also rely on income from a partner to cover household expenses.

Furthermore, dependents allowed to accompany students have access to the public services in the UK. It doesn't appear rational to now prevent these individuals from contributing their skills and taxes to the UK economy.

Also, dependants are not entitled to public funds so they are hardly a strain on the system.

We believe the effect of these proposals would be negative on the ability of the UK to compete globally for the best and brightest. While we welcome weeding out abuse in the system, we believe these proposals are not effective in doing so. They would penalise legitimate students, reduce the attractiveness and ability of the UK to compete in the global market without necessarily reducing the risk of abuse in the system.

More Info

Click here to read our reply to the UK Border Agency

Click here to read our submission to the Home Affairs Select Committee

In the news

Telegraph article: Universities 'more reliant on foreign students' despite visa fears

BBC item: MPs warn student visa proposals could 'cripple' sector

Guardian article: Overseas students curb could damage colleges, MPs warn

The Students' Union is encouraging all students to come in to the Union and fill in a Christmas Card to send to key senior Staff within the University to ask them not to raise fees for Postgraduate courses. The cards will be given to key staff members as part of the Union's lobbying to freeze postgraduate fees in 2012.

How to take part:

You can physically fill in a card in the Students' Union at reception or alternatively you can fill in Christmas card details online here and we will create one for you  - please see the examples below for how your card will look and for greetings ideas.

 

 

UCU begin industrial action over pensions 10/10/11

University and College Union (UCU) have begun industrial action on campus in order to get their pension providers back arounf the negotiating table in order to reach a fair and sustainable settlement over their pensions. They have provided a letter to the students of The University of Manchester, which will be displayered here as soon as possible.  They will be flyering on campus today, so please go and speak to your lecturers and find out why they are needing to go to such measures from the people that teach you every day.

We WILL March 10/11/10

On the 10th November 2010, 600 Manchester students went down to London to join the NUS/UCU National Demonstration against tuition fees and education cuts. Nearly 50,000 people turned up, over four times the original estimate. Students marched from Horseguards past Parliament and towards the Conservative Party Headquarters in the Millbank 30 building. 1000s of students occupied the courtyard and several hundred also went into the building itself as well. The day gained national coverage for the national student movement. See the UMSU official statement on the demonstration here: UMSU statement

Protest disrupts meeting on the day of the tuition fee announcement

Protestors opposing tuition fee rises interrupted a meeting with high-profile University of Manchester figures, including Dame Nancy Rothwell, last week. The demonstration came on the same day that the coalition government confirmed its intention to raise tuition fees to up to £9000. Dame Nancy was presented with a pledge to resist the government's proposed £9000 boundary, but insisted, "I won't be signing anything".

Students shut down a Vodafone store in Market Street

Students at UMSU demonstrated outside the Vodafone store on Market Street on Saturday the 30th October in protest against Vodafone's tax evasion. Vodafone were let off paying a •6 billion tax bill in corporation tax, in the same week as the Chancellor announced a •7 billion cut to the welfare budget. This is hugely unfair and will render thousands of people destitute, including many of those in work, and hundreds of thousands of people may lose their homes. We therefore felt it was important to hold a peaceful protest in order to express our outrage at this. We had an extremely positive response from the shoppers who passed by the demonstration, and many thanked us for drawing the issue to their attention. Indeed, some spontaneously joined us!

On Wednesday 20th October George Osborne announced £81bn in cuts to
public spending. This includes a 40% cut (£2.9bn) in higher education
funding. Although we do not yet know where exactly the axe is going to
fall at our universities, from previous experience we can be sure that
these cuts will lead to course closures, staff job losses, support
services cutbacks, less resources and a poorer quality of education.

As a Students' Union we will not stand for these cuts. During the
summer, we agreed to make our priority campaign taking a stand against
the higher education cuts. Since term began, we have been raising
awareness amongst students about the cuts by running stalls at the
Student Fair and every day at lunch-times in the student union
building. We have also been doing lecture shout outs and door
knocking. We held anti-cuts fairground games the morning of the
Comprehensive Spending Review, encouraging students to play Hoop-liar,
throwing hoops over the faces of Nick Clegg and Vince Cable. At the
last General Meeting, the student body passed policy endorsing
everything we have done so far and empowering us to work further on
the campaign. And on the 10th November, in conjunction with the
National Union of Students and the University and Colleges' Union, we
are hoping to take 600 students down to London to demonstrate against
the cuts to our education and the lifting of the cap on tuition fees.
Coach tickets are £5 from the ticket office in the union if you want to
come...

Speaking to people about the campaign against higher education cuts
generally gets a positive response; most students instinctively oppose
the commodisation and reduction in quality of their education.
However, ever so often someone comes along who says, "But what is the alternative?"
It's a very fair question. How can we deal with the deficit without
cutting public services?

The most immediate and effective option is to enforce taxation.

• Every year £70 billion is lost through tax evasion and £25 billion
  in tax avoidance by wealthy businesses and individuals.
• Due to cuts in staff £27.7 billion in tax is uncollected by HM
  Revenue & Customs every year.
• In September 2010, George Osborne intervened in an ongoing dispute
  between the HMRC and Vodafone, and cancelled Vodafone's outstanding
  tax bill of £6 BILLION. Andy Halford, Vodafone's financial director,
  has been "advising" George Osborne on company tax.

That's just enforcing the tax rules that we have already. Introducing
a tax on financial speculation could also raise a great deal of money
without unduly penalising financial speculators. Known as the "Robin Hood tax", a 0.05% levy on risky investments could return almost £252
billion globally a year. Given that risky investments can make a
return of up to 13%, this is hardly squeezing the rich.

Other alternatives include scrapping Trident - mentioned almost
inevitably by anti-government campaigners, but as we really aren't
going to be using a nuclear weapon any time soon, now or in the
future, it's not much of a deterrent. Scrapping Trident completely
would save us £2 billion a year (free education for everyone in the
country costs only £3 billion, remember). We could end the drug war,
on which we spend £13 billion a year prosecuting addicts and
recreational users, and imprisoning non-violent drug dealers. Also, the
systematic privatisation of the NHS is costing us £2 billion a year.

Added together, these alternatives exceed the £89 billion
in cuts that George Osborne has announced that will "bring Britain
back from the brink of bankruptcy". These cuts are a political choice,
not an inevitability. It's important to remember that we are paying
for a crisis we did not cause. The banking sector collapsing caused
the crisis, not the public sector. The coalition government talks
about fairness, but why is it fair for the United States embassy to be
exempted from £382 million in parking fines but we have to pay up to
£7000 a year for an inferior education?

As a consequence of the reduction in public spending, the
Comprehensive Spending Review looks set to create even further job
losses. George Osborne himself estimates that up to 500,000 public
sector workers could be made redundant. What he hasn't factored in is
that because many businesses are dependant or heavily reliant on
public sector contracts, dismantling the state will devastate the
private sector as well - along with the 500,000 public sector works,
nearly 700,000 private sector jobs could go.

This will create even more unemployment and an even heavier bill for
taxpayers as hundreds of thousands of people land on Jobseekers'
Allowance. Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary has
unsympathetically stated that people need to "get on the bus" and look
for work. Duncan Smith and Osborne calculate that by reducing "welfare
dependency", the benefits scroungers they see everywhere will be
forced to find work. However, for the tens of thousands of people who
are disabled, sick, or just desperate to find work and unable to get
it, the coming changes to the benefits systems simply mean more
anxiety and uncertainty over how they will survive.

Because, with businesses tightening their belts and the public sector
being reduced by 19% over the next four years, there simply aren't
500,000 jobs out there to be had. As we are in education, students are
currently insulated from this, but not once we graduate. Graduates are
finding it hard enough to get a job after leaving university: with an
extra 500,000 people with work experience also competing in the jobs
market, the idea of putting yourself in £20,000 worth of debt with no
guarantee of a job at the end of three years seems much less
attractive.

The last Conservative-Liberal coalition government was in 1931. The
government embarked on an austerity programme to deal with the deficit
and promptly plunged the country into an economic crisis so deep only
the massive military expenditure and loans of World War II brought us
out again - and the Prime Minister at the time, Ramsay MacDonald, lost
his seat at the next election. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul
Krugman warned: "The best guess is that Britain in 2011 will look like
Britain in 1931, or the United States in 1937, or Japan in 1997. That
is, premature fiscal austerity will lead to a renewed economic slump.
As always, those who refuse to learn from the past are doomed to
repeat it."

There is another alternative to this scary future. Instead of cutting
public spending, we could increase it. We have plenty of work to be
done that would create new jobs and encourage our ailing economy. We
could invest in renewable energy and high-speed rail links. We could
build new housing for the 1.8m families on council house waiting
lists. We could repair all those dodgy roads that make it a nightmare
to travel on the bus. There's so much public infrastructure that we
could invest in, that would provide a public service while employing
people; employment means people have money to spend, people with money
to spend want services and goods, which are supplied by businesses who
pay tax - and suddenly we have a balanced economy again.

Unfortunately, George Osborne has made a different choice, and taken a
risk with our economy and our future that history has shown does not
pay off. Soon we are all going to feel it, as our GPs become even
busier, as our buses and trains become more expensive, and as our
universities shut down courses, lay off staff, and introduce charges
for once-free services. We cannot take this lying down. So, get your
ticket from the box office, come to the demonstration on the 10th
November, and let's tell the government, and the public, that there
are alternatives to the cuts.

UMSU supports UCU members' call for industrial action - statement 15th September 2011

 

UMSU Statement 2nd December 2010

UMSU would like to extend its gratitude and thanks to those individuals from the politics department who marched alongside many others on 30th November. There were a number of officers and police horses who were stationed at the back of the march encouraging the slowest of the protestors to speed up and walk faster. Individuals from the politics department, including phd students, lecturers, reseachers and staff linked together to form a barrier between the protestors at the back and the police horses so that the horses and their riders could not intimidate those going slower than the front of the march. This was an extremely thoughtful act as those at the back may have had numerous reasons for walking slowly including health or disability related issues. We were disappointed in the police for pressuring this group of individuals to go faster as it was clear that they were not there to cause trouble but to make there voices heard on such an important issue and we're extremely grateful that those from politics were their to offer their support. We hope to continue to support the protests of the politics department and others from around the University against these savage and ill thought through cuts to Higher Education

 

Post 24th November UMSU Statement

A Peaceful protest of thousands is marred by police violence

On Wednesday 24th November students from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, local colleges and schools joined together to march against government plans to cut Higher Education funding. The crowd of over 3000 also included academics, parents and local politicians.

Emma Kerry, the Women's Officer of the University of Manchester Students' Union (UMSU) said, "This is an event where students have taken democracy back into their own hands. Our students peacefully protested throughout the day, they have shown that they believe peaceful protest is the best way to get their voices heard."

University and colleges Students left from the University of Manchester and were joined by staff and students from Manchester Metropolitan enroute. The march then continued to Castlefield where there were speakers. After this the crowd dispersed with many moving to sit outside the Town Hall before moving back towards the Universities.

At this point the police became more intimidating and restless towards the protesters.

UMSU Welfare Officer, Hannah Paterson said, "We worked closely with the police throughout the planning and on the day, however, we were shocked by their violent tactics and appalled that they knowingly charged horses into a crowd of peaceful students, some of whom were as young as 12 and 13."

This was part of a national day of action that will see demonstrations across the country by students who are voicing their anger against one of the biggest shakeups to higher education in the past century.

More protests are being planned for the coming weeks and months.

Contact details 07735490844 Sarah Wakefield, UMSU General Secretary or 077874 22429 Jeremy Buck, UMSU Communications Officer.

In 1989 Universities received £9,553 of funding for teaching and research per student per year from the government, in 2010 it had fallen to £5441. We do not know what it will end as, but it may be as little as £3537.

Teaching budgets are likely to face cuts of up to 80% with Humanities subjects potentially losing all their teaching budgets from the government.

In order to make up this shortfall the government is proposing that students pay by increasing the cap on tuition fees from £3,000 to £9,000 per student per year. This would mean that students are leaving university with upwards of £50,000 worth of debt when maintenance loans are taking into account.

 

Pre 24th November UMSU Statement

Over 1000 Manchester Students to march against Higher Education Cuts and Tuition Fee increases

On Wednesday 24th November students from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and local colleges will be joining together to march against government plans to cut Higher Education funding.

Over 1000 students are expected to march from University Place opposite Manchester Manchester to the Town Hall tomorrow lunchtime.

This is part of a national day of action that will see demonstrations across the country by students who are voicing their anger against one of the biggest shakeups to higher education in the past century.

Teaching budgets are likely to face cuts of up to 80% with Humanities subjects potentially losing all their teaching budgets from the government.

In order to make up this shortfall the government is proposing that students pay by increasing the cap on tuition fees from £3,000 to £9,000 per student per year. This would mean that students are leaving university with upwards of £50,000 worth of debt when maintenance loans are taking into account.

As part of their pre-election campaign all LibDem candidates pledged to vote against any rise in fees and this won them support from students across the country. John Leech MP for Withington has said he will vote against any increase in fees, but Mark Hunter MP for Cheadle has said he will go back on his pledge.

Sarah Wakefield, General Secretary of the University of Manchester Students' Union, said

"The Liberal Democrats have proved to a whole generation of new voters that politicians cannot be trusted to keep their promises.

The students of today are not marching for their own benefit, but for their younger brothers and sisters, for their friends and for those who will not be able to receive the benefits which attending a University can bring.

Over 209,000 prospective students missed a place at university last year as there were not enough places for the demand and with cuts higher education university will become even more exclusive. This is compounded by the fact that cuts in EMA and Adult Learning will mean that many perspective students will cease to have the support to gain qualifications to even apply to University, irrespective of their ability."

The march will assemble 12-12.30 at the University of Manchester's University Place and end at the Peace Gardens in St Peter's Square outside of the Town Hall.

The Facebook event

Contact details on the day 07735490844 or 077874 22429 Sarah Wakefield, UMSU General Secretary or Jeremy Buck, UMSU Communications Officer.

In 1989 Universities received £9,553 of funding for teaching and research per student per year from the government, in 2010 it had fallen to £5441. We do not know what it will end as, but it may be as little as £3537.

 

Post 10th November UMSU Statement

UMSU was part of Greater Manchester Students' Unions effort to take over 1000 people to march in London alongside over 50,000 other students, lectures, staff and parents against cuts to Higher Education and increases in fees. The coalition government is proposing a cut of 40% in Higher Education with the burden falling on teaching and in Arts and Humanities subjects. They are also proposing a tripling of student fees to £9000 a year.

Students are particularly angry at the betrayal of the Lib Dem leadership who promised to not raise the cap on fees as part of their manifesto pledge but also to abolish fees completely if they were in power.

The atmosphere during the main march on 10th November was carnival like and the majority of those taking part protested peacefully.

We do not condone any acts of violence but we are not surprised that some students and young people fell they are simply not being heard threw the formal channels of democracy and that their frustration has reached this point. It is unfortunate that the media have focused solely on these actions ignoring some of the fundamental political reasoning behind the march, against cuts and fees to education.

There were many people from Manchester and across the UK that many did not reach the rally itself. If you were one of the people who didn't get there - know that your presence at the demonstration was enough to let the government know that we are serious in our opposition to cuts and increased tuition fees. We recieved loads of support from the public and the strength of feeling from students and the public was clear today. David Cameron and Nick Clegg can be in no doubt about where the public stand on Higher Education Funding.

Our work is not done yet and over the coming weeks, we will be coordinating the lobbying of MP's to ensure that the widely held views and concerns of students, parents, young people and families are being heard and considered before any change in legislation.