UWE Cuts: Protest

south west | protests | news report Wednesday June 24, 2009 15:58 by Bristol Observer

Students, staff and unions protest cuts at the University of the West of England as the self-styled Vice Chancellor/CEO seeks to McDonaldise education

UWE Languages Student Talks to Reporter

Staff, students and unions protested today at cuts to educational provision at the University of the West of England.

The self-styled CEO of UWE has spent the past year marketing the institution as being "Better Together" but has decided that the only way to run the institution is to impose decisions based on secret reports.

Some 440 students have joined the Save UWE Languages Facebook site and more than 880 members of staff have signed a petition protesting the cuts.

Today a large number of staff and students turned up to a lobby, which was covered by BBC television news. Earlier in the day BBC radio interviewed the University and College Union regional officer, who explained the absurdity of cutting language provision at the same time at which the British Academy released a report urging a rethink of language policy in UK higher education and secondary schools. Local MEP Graham Watson also weighed in to protest the cuts. Even the Bristol Evening Post found time and space to cover the protest.

The main lecturer's union that organised the lobby remains in dispute with the University because of what it calls a flawed and secretive decision, which is detrimental to applicants, students, staff, UWE and the region as a whole.

A spokesperson for the union told the lobby "we are utterly disappointed at the imposition of cuts, which we believe to be based on based on flawed information. The decision can only isolate the South West in the international community marginalise it in the European Union. The Vice Chancellor did not see fit to talk to languages staff or fee-paying students. Nor did he think to discuss the issue with any of the unions. The decision itself was based on a secret report that the Vice Chancellor has hidden from staff, unions and even the student union. Given what we know about the consequences of secrecy in the House of Parliament and in the banking system, we think it rather obvious that secrecy is not the way forward for an institution that prides itself on being Better Together".

A number of students also spoke to the lobby, expressing concern about their future at the institution. One student said "you expect that you pay your fees and can complete a degree without management suddenly deciding to run it down. We are gutted about this and call on the Vice Chancellor to get serious about the student experience".

Sources within the University have suggested that the cuts to language provision are just the beginning of turning the University, which retains charity status, into a profit-making institution whose focus will be on courses that make money.

During the lobby unions reiterated their commitment to continue the dispute until the decision had been reversed pending full and proper consultation with all those affected and suggested that full industrial action looms.

Staff angry at cuts