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news roundup 10 May 2010

UK universities & colleges
Arts and humanities given reprieve at King’s?
UCL strike action suspended
Other universities and FE colleges go ahead with strikes
Middlesex University students and staff still occupying
Westminster University tries and fails to victimise student activist
Colleges in the north protest funding cuts
‘Summer of discontent’ coming
Sussex VC Farthing says tuition fees must double

International
Students in occupation in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican occupiers injured by police
Strikes planned in California
Students go on hunger strike at UC Berkeley
Protestors in Greece try to storm parliament
*BREAKING NEWS* University of Vienna lecture hall occupied

If you have any links to recent news stories about fees, cuts, or general dissent, please comment below and we’ll add them.

More from Middlesex Philosophy occupation

The latest from the Middlesex University occupation, including activities and discussions this weekend.

Solidarity beats Westminster Uni victimisation

Westminster University management’s attempt to victimise activist Simon Hardy over his part in March’s anti-cuts occupation was defeated today after Westminster students and lecturers protested outside. (We were joined by a handful of non-Westminster supporters, including one NCAFC activist who had come all the way from Brighton!)

Chants of “Workers and students unite and fight” and “They say cut back, we say fight back” from the street outside could be heard in the board room. All ‘charges’ against Simon were promptly dropped.

The lesson, as with the Sussex Six, is that solidarity can win.

Report from Occupied Middlesex University

http://savemdxphil.wordpress.com

The following is a report from Mark B, an activist from Revo (www.worldrevolution.org.uk)

Middlesex Philosophy department has entered its second night of occupation. The occupation began on the 4th May in response to the closure of all the BA, MA and PhD programmes at the department. The closures were announced on 28th April by the Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities, Ed Esche. Ed Esche called a Q&A meeting with students for the 4th May to discuss the closure. He cancelled the meeting at the last minute and refused to show. In response the students decided to go ahead with the meeting and discuss what action they would do to secure meaningful talks with management and try and halt the closure.

They decided the best course of action was occupation and proceeded to occupy the Dean’s office in the Philosophy department. Students locked themselves in the Dean’s office while others occupied the corridor, demanding that the Dean show up and face students. They held the office all day. A discussion took place as to whether they should leave at 6pm, or continue the occupation. Undergraduate students came out strongly in favour of this and following discussion they decided to continue the occupation overnight.

The next day the students tried to hold a department social which they had planned several weeks before, to be held in the opposite wing of the building. In a spiteful act management cancelled the social. In response students staged a solidarity demonstration outside the building. The occupiers then decided to extend their occupation to the whole of the Philosophy Department building. While the crowd outside made noise the occupiers forced their way past security guards and into the rest of the building. Security then gave up and retreated to a side building where they remain. The entire philosophy building is now under the student’s control.

The occupation has organised openly and democratically. After the closure was announced a committee was formed of students to coordinate the campaign. Since the occupation began all critical decisions have been taken collectively in mass meetings of the occupiers, by voting. The occupiers are currently demanding talks with management to discuss the future of the department. A meeting is scheduled for 6th May with the VC.

The management’s reason’s for closing the department display the brutal market logic which is corrupting the higher education system and leading to the destruction of courses and jobs. The management claim that because the department only contributes 53% of its gross income to the central administration, rather than the required 55% it is ‘simply financial’ sense for the closure to take place. The management argue they can make more money by transferring the funds they spend on Philosophy to other areas.

Alongside this the Dean said that the department made no ‘measurable’ contribution to the University, despite being the highest research-rated subject in the University. 65% of its research activity is judged ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, and it is now widely recognised as one of the most important centres for the study of modern European philosophy anywhere in the English-speaking world. It was awarded a score of 2.8 on the new RAE scale in 2008 which guarantees it significant funding for several years. The university administration is cynically abusing funding rules which mean that it can close the philosophy courses, but as long as the department remains open, even in name only, the university can still claim the funding and simply divert it elsewhere. This is the result of the the business logic driving the administration, attempting to maximise income while reducing costs.

There are ideological reasons behind the administrations disregard for the department, as one of the PhD student occupiers Hammam said, “the university as a business is part of a political economic system, high capitalism, and this is a department which handles and develops theory which challenges this system.” It is little wonder the management do not consider it contributes anything.

With the profit motive as the main motivating factor for decisions under capitalism there is little room for a radical philosophy department which critique and challenge the status quo and call into question the whole system we live under. During the recession, as public spending is cut and education is slashed and burned we will only be able to maintain these courses if we are willing to fight for them. Middlesex students have shown they are willing to fight for their education. We must learn from them, follow their example, extend the struggle to every campus in Britain and show we are willing to fight for ours.

PRESS RELEASE – Defend Students’ voice – Support Simon Hardy!

http://www.scribd.com/full/30979117?access_key=key-22ngdnwnirawohujlkco

Defend Simon Hardy: protest 1pm, Friday 7 May

Westminster Uni anti-cuts activist Simon Hardy is being disciplined for his part in the recent anti-cuts occupation.

Join the protest: 1pm, Friday 7 May, University of Westminster Regent Street campus
www.westminster.ac.uk/about/how-to-find-us/regent-street2

Facebook event here.

More details from Westminster activists below…

Middlesex occupation grows

Statement from the student occupation at Middlesex University

savemdxphil.wordpress.com

The student occupation at Middlesex University now covers the entire Mansion Building at Trent Park campus. The occupation was extended earlier this evening in light of continued management refusal to meet us and discuss our opposition to their plans to shut down Middlesex’s world-renowned philosophy department.

Our occupation is in protest at this abrupt, unjustified and unacceptable decision. We want it reversed. Students have been occupying the executive boardroom at Trent Park since yesterday morning. Today, management again refused to meet our representatives or enter discussions with the students affected by their decision to close the philosophy programme.

We affirm that the university is a site for education, not for profit. It belongs to the people who study, teach and work here, not to those who view the institution as a mere instrument for making money or for furthering their careers. As such, we see the extension of our occupation as a restoration of the university to what it should be, and a reversal of what it has become.

We invite everyone to come and visit the occupied Mansion Building at Trent Park and show their solidarity – not just with our campaign, but with all other struggles against education cuts. We view our occupation as an integral part of a wider movement of student protest, and we are proud to have representatives of these other campaigns with us.

We want this site to become an open hub of culture, politics, thought and creativity. We will be organising a cultural programme and a philosophy teach-in, details of which will be released shortly. Everyone who supports our vision and struggle is welcome here.

More information and messages of solidarity: 07799 156 481.

UCU day of action: reports from the picket lines

Reports from a variety of colleges and universities updated as we receive more. Whether you’re an education worker, a student or neither, if you have a report from a picket line or demo post it here as a comment or email it to againstfeesandcuts@gmail.com (pictures also welcome!)

Thousands of lecturers strike tomorrow

Lecturers at four universities and eleven FE colleges will be on strike tomorrow (for the list see the UCU website) against cuts.

Demonstration in London – May 5
Assemble 1pm, King’s College London (The Strand)