Felix Issue 504, 1979
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THE NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE UNION 0/S Students' Fees Up 20% Huge cuts in education expenditure and yet another massive fee increase for overseas students are the order of the day following the first Conservative Budget on Tuesday. Instead of the 9 per cent fee increase for home and overseas students announced by the previous Government, overseas students will now be faced with a 20 per cent rise on this year's fees. Overseas postgraduates will now be paying over £1,100 to attend British Universities. There is no further rise in home students' fees which remain as listed below. This means that the fee differential which the College is pledged to oppose is now even greater than before. Union President Mary Attenborough is to meet the Rector on Friday and is hoping for a joint statement opposing the increases. Among the cuts is a massive reduction in university capital expenditure from £17.6 million to £9.9 million, part of a total capital expenditure saving in the whole of the education sector of £14 million. Mary Attenborbugh is worried that the College may now be forced to delay furnishing the Linstead Hall extension. A £5 million cut in the research council grants is bound to have its effect on postgraduate grant awards and research projects. The Union are also worried that the 1 - 1.5 per cent reduction in Union Welfare Advisei universities' general expenditure will mean a further cut in the IC Union budget for next year. ACCOMMODATION With these devastating announcements coming just two weeks before the end of term the Union will find it difficult to organise the mass protests which should be every student's response to this Government. PROBLEM But Mary Attenborough says that the Union will continue to oppose Imperial College students are likely to face an even worse discrimination against overseas students stepping up their campaign. accommodation problem than last year when they return to London in September, and according to Welfare Adviser She had warned that a Tory Government would attack overseas Michael Arthur the College is doing next to nothing about it. students but was shattered by the extent of the education expenditure cuts. While many other London Colleges are contacting Local Authorities, taking on head tenancy schemes and setting up This Conservative Government came to power on a platform of housing associations, Imperial College have only taken on one opportunities for all. Just six weeks after their election they have totally head tencancy scheme in Lexham Gardens, and that only after given the lie to that claim as far as higher education is concerned considerable pressure from the Union. Imperial College Sessional Fees 1979-80 MichaeI Arthur is worried that il the College sit back and do nothing Undergraduates: IC students will lose out as other Colleges take up the limited housing UK Students £595 available. Overseas Students £770 The College attitude is summed up in a statement by the Postgraduates: Administration quoted in the Union's Alternative Prospectus'. UK Students £890 They say: '(.are should he taken in conducting publicity campaigns about the Overseas Students £1,010 scarcity of accommodation for Imperial {.allege, students in order not to discourage potential students from applying lo Ibe College'. The College will operate a Hardship Fund to assist students still on courses who entered the College before October 1978 and who have And a senior member of Administration is quoted as saving that so been adversely affected by the increases in fees in October 1976,1977 long as students can lind somewhere to live no matter what or where, and 1978. No allowance will be made for the October 1979 fee increase. there is no problem. Assistance will be in the form of partial remissions of fees and will be Michael Arthur believes that College have no idea what rent restricted to those students who are responsible for paying their own students are paving and in what conditions they are living. In an fees. accommodation survey carried out last term he found that 40 percent Students proceeding from a first degree to a higher degree or from of students responding were paying over £15 per week in rent alone. MSc to research in session 1979-80, will not be eligible for assistance Many students are living far from College like Hackney and from the Fund. Streatham and large numbers live in Hats and bedsits where there are Forms can be obtained from Mr J Bevan, Rm 344, Sherfield Building. inadequate working facilities. conld. on back page Dear Sir, - I was amazed and My supporters suggested I Archer's most commendable protesters in Rich A's letter, but I suprised, etc, to read in last week's should get signatures of people letter of the week before referring do detect bees in the Hochfelder Snooker club article that Kit Nair who were dissatisfied with the to Sonia's article of the week Bonnet, which seem to be the not being a committee member way the election was conducted. before that. raison d'etre of the whole letter. was the best thing to happen to The motive for obtaining Firstly, she complains that her I do not mind people airing snooker Club in a long time. signatures was to register a protest report did not say that the motion their (misguided) views in public not to force a re-election. I could What has this poor creature done mentioned the stripper, this is except when they try to twist the that Mr Teelock, Sanjit, have forced a re-election since I highly unlikely because it didn't, meanings ol a sensible person and President (2nd class) should had more than enough signatures. and anyway Rich agrees with the views of a democratic body. In victimise him so? The nameless observer likes to this. Also she complains about Mr other words 'up yours'. Archer's interpretation of On a more serious note, I was cower in the security of his Sean O'Boyle, glad to see under Rag that next anonymity. If he had the guts he 'undemocratic minorities'. She seems to think that women RCSU President-elect years minor charities will include would have revealed his identity. protesters were the only such Alcoholics anonymous rather Sincerely yours, group in Mr Fox's mind at the than the national organisation, Dear John, - I feel that I owe your Satinder Purewal time. If Sonia can divine Chris' Alcoholics Anonymous. I 'ace reporter' an apology. Whilst Chem Eng thoughts, good for her. I see it personally welcome a move such attending to my daily chores, Dear It, only as Rich trying to explain the as this, which will benefit the some time ago, she approached I feel I must correct the errors in changes taking place. average student, sell included. me and asked for interpretation Sonia Hochlelder's correction of Again Ms Hochfelder seems to of a motion passed by an RCSU Yours sinecurely, Rich Archer's errors last week. think that adequate reason for the Joint General Committee that I KJ Fenning. Firstly, (to take the points in the name 'Headlights Revue' was not had seconded. (Un) fortunately, Physics, sort of. order she took them) the motion given. However, Rich Archer like life itself, a motion passed by a P.S.Justin Newland could make a did not mention the stripper, and explains at length the reasons for caucus of nearly 50 is not without fortune writing American TV. if Chris Fox said that the motion the change. The name itself is sell- its ambiguities. This, combined would 'probably' (Sonia's word) explanatory but perhaps Sonia with my rather inept use of the Dear Sir, - On behalf of India! entail the exclusion of the has no 'esprit de camaradarie' English language, led to Sonia's Society I would like to condemn I stripper, then he was talking out with our provincial colleagues. misunderstanding. I would like to the attitude of the Independent! ol his arse as he commonly does close with a fun but wouldn't Observer who wrote about India In case anybody really is (Hi! Chris). Rich was merely know how to have pun. (Brought Soc Elections (FELIX, 8th June). wondering to whom Rich is putting forward a statement of to you by 'Smoking Concert referring when he said 'the people The observer, though well- intent, namely to drag the sketches the world never saw who go to disrupt and drink free informed in some aspects, wrote Smoking Concert up out of the beer', well I think he meant the inc.'). about events which occurred shit which I and my preceding people who go to disrupt and Yours ( U n) repen t a n t ly three weeks ago. The situation oilicers had allowed it to sink into. drink free beer. ambiguous, had changed considerably by the He reckoned (quite rightly) that time he wrote his letter. the standard of sketches in recent Further, I can detect no Mr Fox years has fallen far below the untoward references to women (but you can call me Chris) After the elections there was standard acceptable to the still an outstanding post in the Union, and has decided that his committee. Mr Purewal stood for way of getting decent IIIHHIIHMIIlllHHHrlWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIlllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIHWIIIIIIIIII and was elected to that post after entertainment value is to which the situation was back to completely redesign the concert, normal. starting with the name. Though I The Huxley Club The 'Independent Observer' disagree entirely with the name apparently did not care enough change, I applaud his motives for A small but significant number of IC graduates and postgraduates to find out what was happening.