Felix Issue 406, 1976

FOUNDED IN 1949 NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE UNION FREE' No. 426 Friday, 30th. July, 1976. Tummy trouble at SAC? THE SUMMER Accommodation order to make the scheme was always the "take-home" Centre has got off to a good financially watertight. Nothing wage for the student staff. NUS quit start this year with only two wrong with that since the This year, however many minor disputes between the profits from the lettings go were shocked on the first student staff and the College towards subsidising students' pay-day to discover that this rippling the surface of the term-time hall rents, but the was not going to be the case: Llandudno hotel scheme. charging of £1 to visitors for the wage advertised was Under the watchful eye of a Mooney breakfast has £15.84 and 91p was going to NUS will not be going back to Mrs Audrey Podhajsky, the raised an eyebrow or three. be docked from that as an Llandudno for its conference Bookings Manageress, and However, it was the insurance contribution. The in December, it was announced Capt Lindley, the Domestic extent of the SAC overhaul take-home wage was therefore earlier this month. The Secretary, SAC has undergone which led to a certain amount going to be £14.93 which is decision, it is stressed, is a major overhaul and is now of confusion. In previous 7p less than last year! After not a sign of dissatisfaction being run on new lines in years, the wage advertised quick consultations, the with Llandudno as a venue, or College agreed that the take- with the services offered by home wage for the cleaners' the council staff. In fact, the would be £16.01 and the clerks' facilities in the pier-head wages would be increased pavilion are being re-organised, proportionately. making it unsuitable for the The next source of worry next two conferences. Both for the student cleaners was NUS conferences, December that question of unused meal- 76 and Easter 77, will be held tickets which visitors had in Blackpool. paid for but sometimes did not Since then, however, the wish to use. These have Llandudno council have occasionally been left as tips refused an application by CHE, for the cleaners and in the the Campaign for Homosexual past, under the direction of Equality, to held a conference the scheme manageress, there. The NUS executive has cleaners were allowed to use expressed concern over this the tickets themselves. This decision, and have asked practice has now been stopped. them to consider. When a complaint was made about this previously accepted incentive being eliminated, Capt Lindley insisted that each and every cleaner had (Photo: Nigel Greatorex) been told before starting work for SAC that no such tickets could be used by students under any circumstances. Southside cleared Several of the cleaners however are equally insistant that they A MOTOR driving one of the Ten minutes later the had been told no such thing. lifts in Southside developed a building was cleared and three .Despite the fact that the fault on Thursday 15 July fire engines arrived on the number of meal-tickets which leading to the whole building north side of Princes Gardens could be used by cleaners being evacuated and three only to be re-directed to the would represent a drop in the fire engines arriving to deal south side where they drew up financial ocean, Capt Lindley with the trouble. five minutes later. By now the could not be .persuaded to The fault in themotor caused crowd which had gathered change his mind. RON KILL, Subwarden of a strong smell of burning outside Southside were getting Clearly then, the new Tizard Hall and last year's rubber to pervade certain anxious. policy for the running of SAC IC Union Deputy President sections of Falmouth and The cause of the fire was did not filter through completely was found dead in his flat on Tizard Halls. The fire alarms soon discovered at the bottom to all the student staff. Monday 28th June. At a sub- soon went off at 11.35 am and of one of the lift shafts and Confusion in the chain of sequent inquest at Westminster the message buzzed through the maintenance engineers were communication is surely Coroner's Court a verdict of halls, from landing to landing called in to deal with the understandable however when 'Accidental Death' was and staircase to staircase by problem. By 12.05 pm the there are new people in new recorded. the cleaners who were working commotion was over and the jobs running what the College at the timej it was not a Hall inmates were able to wants to be regarded as a new Obituary; see page 6 practice drill. re-enter the building. scheme. I NUS POST GRADUATE CONFERENCE PG issues must not be ignored in national campaigns THIS WAS the feeling of the NUS be true unless the AUT are prepared to haphazard systems of funding for Postgraduates conference held at offer a new deal to PGs in the foim of a research into arts subjects. Changes in Imperial College on the 2nd and 3rd of better class of membership and a the present system of awards were also this month. For far too long issues such reasonable level of representation for called for, both in the rigid three year as PG grants have been left to go by PGs both within and by the association. award made at present irrespective of the default once the Undergraduate grant The majority of the conference was duration of the course and in the relaxa- level has been set. It will be particularly taken up by discussions of the report tion of the first degree grade stipulations. important this coming year as it is the on the future of PG education presented On the subject of supervision, year of the DES's trienniel review of by the PG Group. The document was an delegates felt that the system needed to funding for education. The usual excuses attempt by the group to respond to the be investigated especially in that the of wanting to do something, but having reports on Postgraduate Training/ present single supervisor set-up can to work on a strictly limited budget will Education which have been receiving a cause several problems. In the even of not apply so strongly this year as the lot of attention over the past year. In the supervisor leaving or even dying DES will have a chance to seek new preparing the report the Group found that during the duration of a student's work funds and reconsider the allocations to merely replying to the recomendations of many problems and even long delays are various sectors of education. the other reports would lead to them often experienced. Also, in the event of In a time of heavy public spending advocating the status quo. To overcome personality clashes between student and cuts it was vital that PGs did not suffer this, they decided to start from scratch supervisor or disagreement over the because there is no voice in their defence. and lay down what they felt were the direction of the research, the student The conference recognised that the essence, requirements and constraints of often finds himself with no one else to campaigning tactics employed for UG all forms of Postgraduate education. turn to for help or advice. Students issues might not attract much support from polytechnics present, where it is among PGs so the Postgraduate Advisory Cheap research labour common to have an academic and an Group will consider ways of building industrial supervisor, said that this an effective campaign, probably involving overcame many of the above problems. The the encouragement of PGs to write to their The discussion considered a great idea of having more than one supervisor MPs and" seeking representation for the variety of issues under the headings on was well received by the conference. Advisory Group to such bodies as the the discussion paper and a great many The report will now be redrafted by DES and the Government. useful additions to the report were made the Advisory Group and should be ready from the floor. One area of particular for circulation in the autumn. concern was the justification of research PGs and Trade Unions both as something useful and necessary More effort on PG affairs to society and the educational system, The Conference opened with Sue and as a more valuable and broader Chairing the meeting on the second Slipman (NUS National Secretary, with education to the individuals concerned day was Steve Moon the NUS Executive responsibility for PGs) in the chair and than is often supposed. The need to Officer who takes over from Ms Slipman far fewer PGs than expected. There were prevent too much stress being put on the the responsibility for PG affairs. He only around thirty delegates representing immediate industrial usefulness and does not have a sabatical position but a still smaller number of colleges and saleability of the product of a PhD hopes he will be able to devote a lot Universities. Initial discussions were project were upheld by the students of time and effort to PGs since his centred on the present state of affairs present. Such stress can often causae other responsibilities on the Executive between PGs and the two trade unions the educational aspects to be overlooked. are not too time consuming. He intends to with an interest in PGs, that is, the The CASE scheme of co-operative start by trying to get more money from AUT (Association of University Teachers studies with industries was cirticised NUS to support the PG Advisory Group and ASTMS (Association of Scientific as being open to abuse and allowing in order that it can be more active and Technical and Managerial Staffs).

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