College Changes Policy? The Union have responded angrily to a suggestion that College may change their policy of not forcing students to leave Demonstrate Now! courses due to financial hardship. Students are to demonstrate from 10.30 this morning outside the Rector's residence at 170 Queensgate while College Governors arrive for a Governing Body meeting which may make this change. The suggestion comes in the wake oi the Budget announcement ofa 20 per cent tuition fees rise for overseas students resulting in an almost 30 per cent rise over fe.es at the start of this session. In the past self-financing students suffering financial hardship have received College help with fees enabling them to finish their courses. But the Rector told Union President Mary Attenborough last Friday that College may no longer be able to afford to do this. Mary has written to the already been paid for. Governors arguing against such a Later today at the Governors' change. She points out that lunch, to which all members of forcing students to leave would the incoming Union Council are deprive College ofthe fee income invited, students will be raising they are still able to pay. the question of overseas students' HalfTC's research students are fees and many will display badges from overseas and therefore such with slogans protesting aginst any a policy could prove a severe blow change in College policy. for research at the College, especially coming on top of the £5 OCCUPATION THREAT million Budget cut in Research If the Governors go ahead and Council expenditure. change College policy on students The University Grants suffering financial hardship they Committee met yesterday to could be faced with a student discuss where expenditure cuts occupation next term. could be made. The Rector hopes Deputy President Malcolm that savings can be made at IC Brain has submitted a motion to without endangering jobs. go to the first L'nion meeting of Linstead Hall furniture is, next term proposing that the 170 Queens Gale: scene of today's demo however, not threatened, as it has Union occupy a room in College. ACCOMMODATION BICYCLES John Smith, the new College The Union are to press for NEWS IN BRIEF Secretary, is to meet Union better facilities for bicycle storage PARKING COLLEGE COVER-UP Welfare Adviser Michael Arthur in College following several thefts to discuss ways College can help throughout this year. Because there have been less A Union member has alleged with the student accommodation Departments will be asked to applications for July parking that College is trying to play problem. provide room inside buildings if permits in College than places down the involvement of an IC possible and the Union are to available the Union will not be Student in a toilet role throwing To be included in the consider setting up a bicycle rack issuing permits. incident at the Epsom Derby discussions will be head tenancy arrangements. in the Beit Quad. Instead students wishing to recently. Nightline has also been caught bring cars into College grounds ALTERNATIVE The Jockey Club were furious up in the plight of students will be asked to register with when someone threw a toilet role looking lor somewhere to live. In PROSPECTUS parking attendant John Fuller. at horses, interfering with the their annual report to the College The University of London CHAIRMAN ELECTED race. The media called the man a Welfare Committee they reveal Union Alternative Prospectus moron and an imbecile. The Union Permanent that they get calls from homeless Conference is to take place in Working Party has elected Gary The student was identified students almost every night at the November at Queen Mary Dearmer to be its chairman next from television film of the Derby beginning of the year. They can College. It is being held at the session. All six of its members sit and is believed to be from the only respond by referring students instigation of ICLJ Academic on Council. Royal School of Mines. to other agencies. Affairs Officer Roger Stotesbury. Dear Sir, - In his letter of 15th One more point from Mick's which may or may not agree with capable of drafting a simple little June (FELIX 522) Mr Purewal 5.5 inch paragraph, yes I was at them. policy motion, then that'sjust too bad. The only problem with ICU claims that he knew that I had Smoking Concert and 1 thought Barry Austin is right about the is that there is no system like the written the letter signed that most of the audience was latest motion on Abortion: I had courts to restrain Council or the 'Independent Observer" (FELIX guilty of disruption and excess already pointed out to several Executive from acting beyond 521). In fact, he didn't know until consumption of free beer. But this people including Barry Austin, their proper powers. I told bim. I have borne no is irrelevant to the argument (before the motion was discussed), personal grudge against Mr about undemocratic minorities. that, in that form, it could not be I can only hope that the next Purewal, as he alleges. Indeed, if I wish next year's Revue understood as instructing t In- Council will not be so blatantly he will care to read the India Soc organisers the best of luck in their Executive or Council to do high-handed as to invent new election memorandum, he will attempts to persuade the anything. I had not noticed the powers for itself! If the policy on find that I was one of the people audience to behave themselves. internal inconsistencies that the 'NAC' has been 'deleted' by who proposed him for the Barry has pointed out, although this present Council, then it is the Sean claims that Rich Archer presidency. It was Mr Purewal's these seem to result from the duty of the incoming Council to explained the reasons for the reaction to his defeat, rather than amendment. Neither had I overturn such a decision and, on name 'Highlights Revue', and any animosity, which prompted noticed that the policy could not behalf of their predecessors, to then justifies Rich's lack of me to write to FELIX. affect any existing policy, as has apologise to the next UGM for explanation by saying that the been correctly shown in Barry's having previously acted ultra Yours faithfully. name is obvious. Obvious it may letter. It is no use whatever vires (beyond their proper be to you and many others, but V Dhanak Council saying that the policy powers). there are people to whom it is not meant to do these things - if the Dear John. - Just dropping a line at all obvious. Saying that it is proponents of such ideas cannot Yours faithfully, to let you know that whatever obvious does not in any case find from amongst themselves Sonia may or may not write, or constitute an explanation. Not Tony Leech, articulate, clear-headed persons even if she only thinks it; we everyone watches the same Materials Science 3 disagree with it. television programmes. llllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Rick Archer I am glad that Sean does not Sean O'Boyle mind people airing their views in Chris Fox public. It would be a sad day for SCIENCE RESEARCH Mich Maghar the democratic body which he heads if he did mind. Dear John, - I am glad that my COUNCIL: letter of two weeks ago, of which Finally, having livened up your the prime purpose was to fill a last few FELICES with a bit of RESEARCH STUDENTSHIPS quarter page space on page 2 of not too serious correspondence, I FELIX, has given rise to hope everyone has a good summer correspondence filling half a and perhaps we shall meet again CLEARING HOUSE FOR ENGINEERING RESEARCH page. some day. STUDENTSHIPS - 1979 From the three letters of last Yours sincerely, week it seems that the higher Sonia Hochfelder echelons of the Royal College of The Council's Engineering Board has been concerned at the low P.S. In view of their letter take-up of its quota research studentships in recent years and new Science Union do not themselves elsewhere on this page, may I know exactly what they are to do arrangements are being made for the 1979 awarding exercise to assure readers that I think RCSLI improve the situation. A clearing house for students seeking about the stripper at their is wonderful. 'Revue'. engineering research studentships will operate in the period 11 June- 31 July. There will also be a small reserve of studentships available to So may I venture a final Sir, - I do not recall any response departments that have filled their quota studentship allocations and opinion and say that the featuring from IC Executive or Council have further eligible candidates seeking awards. We hope that this will ofa stripper might be just slightly having been made on Barrv help departments achieve a full take-up of their quota allocations. inconsistent with the intention of Austin's letter in FELIX No. 520. putting on a quality revue. Presumably, Council had just The normal SRC Appeals procedure will continue to redistribute As for Chris Fox, no doubt he quietly ignored the points unused studentships during August in the first instance in accordance will learn during his year as ICU contained in that letter! Well, I with Council's general allocation between Science and Engineering. In President to express himself for one object to such an attitude, previous years the Appeals exercise has been too late for some students accurately and unambiguously, because an important principle is since by then they had made other arrangements - hence the clearing or he will have trouble not only involved.