Tories Plan to Keep Top up Fees
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Tuesday 24 January 2006 Published by the USSU Communications Office. Issue number 1096 It’s Free (So Pick It Up!) The University of Surrey Students’ Newspaper Debate! Saturday saw the action Health week Find out Konsumer Revolt | Is There A first of USSU’s ‘Just Can’t Wait more about the big week of Perfect Pizza? | Page 7 ‘til Saturday’ events with a healthy action that’s coming Arts Section |Film, Music, etc. debate night taking place in to campus very soon indeed! |Page 14 Chancellors - Read about it Don’t worry, it’s not just about Puzzles| What is a Search-for- here! | Page 21 lentils & jogging | Page 11 words anyway? | Page 23 UniS Staff To Strike? By Chris Ward “We opposed top-up fees then, and we op- Staff at the University of Surrey may take industrial action pose them now. We don’t after talks broke down on staff salary improvement. The believe that they are an Surrey Assocation of University Teachers (AUT) have at- appropriate way to fund tacked employers at the University for failing to keep their higher education. But we promise to Parliament that the extra money available from will not allow the em- top up fees would be used to increase staff pay. Industrial ployers to renege on their action could mean that final year students at the University promises. We hope that of Surrey will not graduate this summer due to unmarked they will stand by their assessments. responsibilities, and will The AUT stresses that vice-chancellors promised the start to negotiate properly higher education minister at the time, Alan Johnson, that a and fairly. Disrupting the “substantial proportion” of the extra money available would studies of hardworking be allocated towards improving pay conditions of university students is a last resort, teachers, and has expressed anger that these promises have but one which we may be not been kept. forced to take. The ball is Simon Ungar, Secretary of Surrey AUT said: “The em- in their court.” ployers had made it clear to us and to the government that The general secretary of AUT added: “I am really disap- more, but couldn’t because of a lack of money, were not just extra money would and should be made available to staff. It pointed that the employers have not taken this opportunity to empty promises, and they have blown it.”. was a central part of their case for top-up fees, and we know prove all the cynics wrong. This was their chance to dem- that the money is there now. onstrate that decades of telling us they wanted to pay staff [email protected] Tories Plan To Keep Top Up Fees By Chris Ward limited under a Tory government and would urge all parties to rethink their stance on the future of education.” Earlier this month, the new leader of the Conservatives, Anne Milton, Guildford’s Conservative MP was asked by David Cameron, announced a U-turn on the Tory student barefacts to comment on David Cameron’s recent speech. finance policy, stating that the party will now support tuition She said: “The question of university funding, student debt, fees, stating that “the money’s got to come from some- tuition fees and whether they can continue to be enough to where”. fund university education and also affordability for the less Prior to the general election, Michael Howard introduced a well off is all under review in the Party. I will listen and policy whereby fees would be scrapped and higher education contribute – student debt is of particular concern. It would would be paid for by placing a commercial interest rate on be a mistake to make up my mind before I’ve heard all the the student loan. This was met by staunch opposition from evidence and at this stage I would love to hear from any stu- the National Union of Students, who have recently called for dents or University of Surrey staff and will feed their views David Cameron to reconsider his stance on fees. into the policy review.” Julian Nicholds, NUS Vice President Education said: “The USSU have consistently rejected plans to charge students impact of any policies on students and potential students top up fees, as it would both restrict access to university for must not be underestimated. In recent correspondence with those who are financially incapable of covering the cost, and NUS, Cameron has admitted that a Conservative govern- would introduce a market into higher education. ment would not pursue continued opposition to variable fees. We are extremely concerned that access to education will be [email protected] You weren’t much of a muse, but then I weren’t much of a poet 2 NEWS 24 January 2006 Doctor Doctor... gimme the news! Editorial Team All these addresses are @surrey.ac.uk University Applications Fall (unless otherwise mentioned). Funny that. by Marcin Stylski We are extremely worried. So should the government be.” Editor-in-Chief The introduction of tuition top up Career advisors at colleges have Neil Boulton: ussu.comms@ fees has led to a drop in University warned that there will be a drop in applications for the first time in eight applications with the introduction Editor years, the government has admitted. of tuition fees, with many students Chris Ward: cs21cw@ The deadline for applications closes not understanding the new finan- next week and the minister for higher cial arrangements. These claims Deputy Editor education, Bill Rammell estimates were refuted by Mr Rammell who Joshua Bates: cs52jb@ that the number starting university said the drop in applications was in autumn will fall by 2%. Ministers momentary “When tuition fees first Deputy Editor have constantly stated that with the came in 1998, there was something Sophia Hawkins: li52sh@ introduction of top up fees, of around like a 2.5% reduction in the first £3000 would not put off prospective students. Bill Rammell year - a marginal decrease - and then the trend continued up- News Editor maintained that a 2% drop in applications represents a “strong wards. I’m not into the prediction business but I think it may well Marcin Stylski: li12ms@ performance” with the increase of applications last year. be the case that you will see a similar kind of pattern. But thus Bill Rammell went on to say “This was to be expected, given far a 2% reduction on the back of a 9% increase is not anything Features Editor the very large increase last year of something like 9%, I am not other than a strong performance in terms of applications.” Lia Parker: ps41lp@ anticipating a change from that. I most certainly do not believe Ministers have set a 50% target for 18-30 to attend univer- that we are going to see a major downturn in applications.” He sity by 2010. Many universities will be charging the maximum Arts Editor continued by saying that “Many students would be better off amount of £3000 in fees, which is more than double the present Beth Heale: [email protected] under the new system, with more generous grants and bursa- amount. The difference being that the fees will only have to be ries.” This was disputed by the National Union of Students said repaid after the students start working and that there are more Arts Editor ministers had to admit that the introduction of tuition fees was a generous grants now available. Mr Nicholds still insisted that Nicole Heel [email protected] deterrent. Julian Nicholds, NUS vice president, education, said: “The prospect of top-up fees for courses beginning next autumn “Education must not become a commodity reserved for those will further harm the government’s stated aim of widening par- Fashion Editor who can afford it. However, that is exactly what will happen if ticipation to meet their target of 50%.” Natalie Dowle: ms42nd@ the government won’t admit the deterrent effect of top-up fees. Fashion Editor Jamila Gangadeen: ms41jg@ Webmaster & Puzzlelord Cash Program for Students Extended Colin Everett: ma41ce@ By Marcin Stylski All About U was launched by Uniaid last October. The main aim of the programme is to take students on a virtual year at Postgraduate Editor A £97,500 grant from the funding council Hefce has gone university, with the intention of balancing their academic goals, Position Vacant towards an online resource that helps 16-19 year olds with their finances, time and social scene. Uniaid’s chairman, and vice- finances while at university. chancellor and chief executive of London South Bank University, Adverts & the like The online resource, ‘All About U’ (developed by the Deian Hopkin, said “This project is another invaluable building Aaron Salins: a.salins@ independent students’ charity Uniaid) stated that the money will block as we continue to construct an effective, national be used to create teaching materials. The aim of ‘All About U’ partnership so that young people and their advisers can be is to help students deal with the confusion of student finance given the best tools and the best information for understanding and with the sometime difficult change from school/college to finance.” The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, said university. “It is our priority to increase understanding of student finance, Retractions / Errors This venture is in cooperation with a government funded and I am delighted to see such innovative partnership work. I scheme called Aim Higher, whose main aim is to increase the have been extremely impressed with Uniaid’s creativity and In the last edition of barefacts before Christmas, number of young people from under-represented groups entering innovation, and I would encourage other organisations to work an entry was published in the personals pages higher education.