College Fees Likely to Rise Under New Plans Government’S ‘Green Paper’ Proposals Would Allow Fees to Rise with Inflation
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ISSUE 1617 FRIDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2015 The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London Tilda Swinton is love. What’s the government Tilda Swinton is life. doing with your metadata? PAGE 20 FILM PAGE 7 COMMENT College fees likely to rise under new plans Government’s ‘green paper’ proposals would allow fees to rise with inflation ast Friday, the government Grace Rahman released its ‘green paper’ Editor-in-Chief on higher education. Promising to put students “at the heart of higher the publicly funded institution is Leducation”, the 105 page document run. If data that can answer their proposes huge changes to fees and question has been recorded, the the way universities are created. institution has to respond. The The fees for home students opposition party have dismissed at the moment are capped at the policy as a way of preventing £9000 per year, after being hiked the public from seeing how the from £3375, in 2012. The green government spends public funds, paper recommends that the best whereas the green paper says institutions should have uncapped eliminating universities from FOI fees, allowing them to increase legislation will save them £10m with inflation. This would allow a year and put them on equal institutions like Imperial to bump footing with private companies in up their prices. the industry, who do not have to The paper also proposes making answer such requests. universities exempt from Freedom The paper also proposes a new of Information requests, that ‘Office for Students’, which... allow anyone to inquire as to how continued on page 2 Chancellor introduces spending review from Imperial fter tagging along on He also mentioned that four question”. George suffered no such come here today, to this science young minds to be taught, the President Xi’s visit government departments – interruptions at Imperial, especially campus, to talk about economics”. chancellor’s comments talking three weeks ago, George transport, food and rural affairs, since FELIX wasn’t invited. At a time when students across the about “world-beating science and Osborne was back at local government and the treasury – Imperial proudly lauded the visit country, including at Imperial, are innovation, turned into commercial Imperial on Monday, but this time will have their spending cut by 30% on its news website, quoting George complaining about their treatment application” somewhat clashed with slightlyA further out at our White by the end of this parliament. as saying he “deliberately chose to as sources of income rather than the setting. City branch, AKA Imperial West. Health and international aid The college also published a picture Speaking from the unfinished budgets will be protected. Spending of President Alice Gast showing the campus, which overlooks the A40, on the elderly and the NHS will Tory MP to the stage. An inherently the chancellor introduced the make up 44% of the national budget, political sight, the press release spending review. in plans the chief of NHS England went on to quote Osborne as saying Ahead of its publication on the has called “unworkable”. Imperial “represents the future of 26th of November, he dropped David Cameron was our economy here in the UK”. some major hints as to the review’s simultaneously speaking at the Considering the spending review contents. He spoke about about Confederation of British Industries has put huge emphasis on spending security, both financial and national, conferences, where he too reiterated for older generations, it seemed reminding the assembled gaggle of the party line, that the focus is on ironic to hold the press conference journalists that despite the internet putting “the security of British at a university. As the ex-Tory being “central to modern life”, families first”. He was heckled by minister of universities put it, the its existence and use by terrorists activists halfway through, and went review “raises questions about the justified the need for an increase in full teacher mode, pleading with future role of the state in boosting the number of spies the government them: “Come on – come on guys, if productivity and supporting young employs. you sit down now you can ask me a adults”. th PAGE 2 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2015 felixonline.co.uk [email protected] Contents A word from the Editor Editor-in-Chief News 3 Grace Rahman ou couldn’t make it The paper’s already been damned Comment 5 News Editor up, this week. George by unions, academics and students Cecily Johnson Osborne, everybody’s across the country for treating Features 9 favourite tax-credit-for- students as consumers. Comment Editors the-disabled-cutting, pro-taxing- The biggest threat here is Tessa Davey and Vivien Hadlow Science 10 tampons chancellor of the exchequer attaching a commercial price Y Science Editors was back at Imperial. Hoorah! to quality of teaching. Only the Games 13 He was here to promote the latest wealthiest can afford the best Jane Courtnell and Lef spending review. After spouting education, or aren’t frightened off Apostolakis Music 14 some shpiel about the NHS and that by the doom of huge loans. Do Arts Editors we need to hire more spies because, we want the best universities to be Indira Malik, Jingjie Cheng and Film 18 like, the internet exists, George-O even more socially exclusive? The Max Falkenberg went on to say that Imperial “doesn’t government’s only just realised that Arts 22 just represent the future of science ethnic names on UCAS forms are Music Editor in the world, it represents the future subject to unconscious negative Cale Tilford Music 29 of the economy here in the UK”. bias during the selection process, First of all, congrats to us. We all and now they’re trying to make it Film Editor Clubs & Societies 27 attend the university that represents harder for the poorest to get the best Fred Fyles ‘future science in the world’, a education. an education the big old payday loan Puzzles 29 Welfare Editor soundbite so muddled it could be a We’ve got a pretty rage-y you’re getting. Noor Mulheron dodgy pitch on The Apprentice. comment piece about ghettoisation Please write in if you go to the Hangman 30 As much as it pains me to say, of halls this week, but it’s much business school and that metaphor Sports Editor Imperial could end up looking a the same story as this one. If you is so factually incorrect, it upset Josh O’Donnell Sports 32 little like the economy quite soon. charge for the good stuff, all the you. Write in if you liked it, because This week we’ve seen the release rich people will end up in one place, it’s mid-term, and everybody likes Puzzles Editors of a new green paper on higher and the poor in another. This is an compliments. Hamish Beck and Roxana Radu FELIX, Beit Quad, education, setting out what will established model for business, but If anything here riles you, makes Copy Editors Prince Consort Road, probably become law within this should publicly funded universities you angry, or better, makes you London SW7 2BB Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi, Henry parliament. If everything in the be adopting it too? want to put pen to paper or stylus Tel: 020 7594 8072 Lloyd Bates, Anthony Long, Printed by Iliffee Print Cambridge, paper does happen, which is pretty It all comes down to the question to tablet, let me know, and we’ll Alexandra Lim, Francesca Winship Road, Cambridge likely, we’d see the top universities, of whether students should probably flipping publish you. It’s Siracusa and James Bates Registered Newspaper doing STEM subjects (two ticks be treated as consumers: their like having a blog, except people ISSN 1040-0711 for us, then) being allowed to employability like the interest rate, besides your mates might read it. Or Cover Pictures Copyright © FELIX 2015 significantly bump up fees. UCAS points your credit score and that’s what I tell myself. by Imperial College London and Cale Tilford Government unveils university funding changes continued from front page that this legislation would allow NUS reports that ‘what employers “market forces [to] permeate” want’ is mentioned in the paper ...would replace the Higher the sector. They also dispute the 35 times, as opposed to ‘what • Universities would be allowed Education Funding Council relaxation of rules for private students want’, which is brought that distributes public funds sector companies becoming up 23 times. to raise fees with inflation to universities. This new body universities. Comparing the new The National Union of Students, would also be in charge of strategy to the model that “caused who are affiliated with student • Easier for institutions to get ranking institutions based on the financial crash”, they also unions across the country, but student satisfaction, teaching, report dismay at the green paper’s not Imperial’s, say the paper is university status and something the green paper emphasis on what employers unfortunate in that it only focuses puts particular emphasis on: want, rather than the opinions on “entry and exit to the system”. • Plans have been called “Trojan employability. of those working within higher The NUS closed a press release A ‘green paper’ is the education institutions. Indeed, the on the paper saying, “this is the horse for raising fees” government’s way of reviewing university hunger games and the legislation before it becomes law. ‘What ones losing out are students and Deputy President (Welfare), said, of universities should be fully At the moment, the Department academics.” “Even at this early stage I am recognised by the Government as for Business, Innovation and Skills, The paper touches on the future extremely concerned about the it develops these proposals, and that manages higher education, employers of student unions, saying they will impact the proposals will have on decisions on the future allocation is asking for feedback on the be subject to trade union reforms students, fees and the future of of funding to universities should paper.