LEEDS Ummisny 0.G.M. !STUDENTCC Tuesday 21st Jan. INDEPENDENT LEEDS AREA STUDENT NEWSPAPER Riley Smith Hall — 1pm STUDENTS SET TO LOSE £300 A YEAR NO CHANCE Report by Helen Slingsby Two particularlyFOWLS nasty Christ- the student will receive in the out of their courses altogether. ter, Deputy President of LUU, president of Park Lane college mas presents' were given to stu- short vacation is the difference Phil Woolas himself admitted is "disgusting" for it means that predicts they will lose approx- dents over the break which con- from the average student rent that faced with these prospects the government is treating stu- imately £7.00 per week if the stitute the "biggest attack to of £15.75. Students will there- when he was a student he dents as "one group" when in- proposals go through. date on student finance and in- fore lose approximately £6() couldn't have afforded to stay fact many students are dis- Asked if they intend to take dependence" according to rent rebate per short vacation. at college. abled, single parents or pen- action NUS replied they have Vicky Phillips, VP Welfare for They will also have to be resi- It is no secret that Mr. Nor- sioners. Under the new propos- suggested that students get NUS. dent in their property if they man Fowler. the Social Services als these people will find it diffi- their parents to write to MPs if Firstly students can no longer claim housing benefit over the Minister wishes to take students cult to claim any extra benefits they disagree with the propos- claim housing benefit or summer. out of the welfare sector because they are labelled as als, that there will be a day of supplementary/unemployment Because the short vacation is altogether and to make them `students'. action on 24th January and that benefit in the short vacations seen as term time then the stu- the sole responsibility of Sir Another set of atypical stu- a national rally is being and secondly the Department dent is defined as not being Keith Joseph's Education De- dents are the unemployed from arranged for early February. of Education and Science available for work and subse- partment. This says Anne Bax- the FE sector. Steve Todd, See page three for editorial. (DES) has increased the grant quently not entitled to unem- by 2 per cent which NUS Presi- ployment or supplementary be- dent Phil Woolas claims will nefit even if the student has mean a fall of 20 per cent in real paid enough tax and is thereby terms. entitled to claim. Students face the prospect of Added to the grant is a lump a £300 drop a year in income if sum of £36 a year paid to all these proposals are allowed to students regardless of their in- go through, dividual circumstances and According to the White Pap- wealth. er the short vacations arc now With the fall in grant and the defined as 'term time' for be- removal of state benefits. stu- nefit purposes and therefore all dents. particularly those whose claims for assitance with rent parents cannot afford or do not will he treated in the short vaca- wish to make up their childrens tions as in the rest of term. This grant may have to move home means that the only rent benefit to save on housing costs or drop SHAKE UP FOR POLY FINE ART • University teachers picket campus entrances in one day strike. See page three. visit that issues of concern pin- and scope of the Fine Art directed towards science and In the Hake of a year of doubts The Fine Art Department pointed in 1981 and 1983 re- course and although specific technology. Mr. James con- and worries in Leeds has been the subject of in- ports had not been sufficiently complaints were not expressed cluded that art schools must Polytechnic Fine Art Depart- creasingly unwelcome media dealt with in the interim period. in the CNAA letter. which was "ask themselves serious ques- ment, a visiting party of the attention over the last year with It has been acknowledged sent by Mr. Hywel James, tions and cut their coat accord- Council for Natival Academic allegations of sexual harass- that the tutorial system, staff CNAA Registrar fur Art and ing to their cloth." Awards concluded in a letter tb ment of students by staff, staff attitudes, student morale and Design to Mr. Donald Davin- the Poly that '...until the course drunkenness and course mis- general approach by all parties son.. Assistant Director of It is widely agreed that Poly is made the subject of a thor- management dating back to Academic Affairs at the Poly. a Fine Art and the Poly revise ough reappraisal... no further 1981. Report by detailed report is to follow. The system have a gargantuan task ahead of them to revitalise the intakes of students after the cur- A review body was estab- CNAA visiting party views, as rent session can be permitted'. JOANNA WALTERS expressed in the letter, culmin- department, but Jeff Tease- lished in December 1984 to re- dale. Director of Studies of This decision by the CNAA ceive views from students and concerned has been very much ated in the decision that it could not approve student recruit- Fine Art said he feels -optimis- has generated major concern staff and make recommenda- on the way up. However, the ment to the course for 1986/87 tic". amongst staff in the School of tions in the light of issues course is endangered in although pri:sent students Creative Art and Design at the raised. Serious allegations of academic and financial terms as In contrast to the turmoil at would be allowed to finish their Poly and although no official professional misconduct and the CNAA reported that: "the directorate level, students in deadline has been set for radic- course discrepancies were made visiting party was seriously con- degrees. the department had no com- al improvement the department and these prompted extensive cerned that the polytechnic had plaints to make about their hope to show that they have Improvements in the depart- not yet addressed itself to a Mr. Hywel James expressed course or department staff. implemented the necessary ment during 1985. critical reassessment of the Fine the view that fine art courses Former allegations against staff changes by May when first Despite evidence that the Art course in the light of... re- must he prepared to adapt in seem a myth to present students choice student applicants are situation for present students, sources available to teach it." order to survive. In the light of and all evidence suggests that normally given firm place in their view, is good. the Their main dissatisfaction the Government Green Paper the question of misconduct has offers. CNAA felt on their December centred on the whole structure pushing for education to be faded into the past. • TRAIDCRAFT NUS Christmas SILENTNICHT PRESENTING - SCGM Conference Report INSIDE STRIKE ANDY KERSHAW • All the regulars PAGE 8 PAGE 9 PAGE 14 PAGE 4 pal l NEWS HARASSMENT Tory poster NUS TRY AGAIN saga finally The problem of sexual harass- next. How es er, she described it as well as students. There have ment is once again receiving the as when "The action of one been alleged cases of female laid to rest attention of the NUS. Leeds individual infringes upon the students being harassed by The FCS poster storm finally blew over this week. but not Polytechnic is one of a number rights of another." She said that male members of staff. and without some controversy. The University Conservative of institutions conducting an the problem was "incredibly female lecturers suffering Association agreed not to defy executive decisions, in the NUS survey on the issue, and widespread", since it affected harassment from male students. future. by breaking union bye-laws. NUS Women's Officer, Linzi men as well as women, and staff The survey is therefore a "mas- The union froze the association funds at the end of last Brand, spoke at the university's sive undertaking", but she term after they persistently displayed an FCS publicity poster Women's Centre about sexual hopes that the results will be which had been banned by the union as potentially offensive. harassment on Tuesday. useful in NUS initiatives to cre- At an executive meeting last Monday LUU publicity secret- Jill Smith. president of the ate formal procedures to deal ary, Paul McCard. proposed that Tory funds should be poly union. said that as well as with cases of harassment. The unfrozen if they could promise not to do anything similar in taking part in the national NUS NUS hopes to work with the the future, and also agree that to break union bye-laws is not survey they hoped to he car- trade unions on campuses to set a legitimate way to oppose executive decisions. rying out a similar one of their up clear disciplinary codes with The Conservative Association Committee voted to follow own. She added that sexual which offenders can he dealt, to the executive's proposals, and so the funds have duly been harassment was a misunder- include a right of appeal. She unfrozen, much to the chagrin of the dryer Tories. The wets stood term, but that "Many added that the consequences of won the day in voting not to be naughty again, but chairman women suffer sexual harass- harassment must be made clear Mike Simmonds, and friends. were not happy. Adrian ment every day of their lives." to everyone, and individuals, Savage. association vice-chairman, felt "quite astonished" The extent of the problem had particularly women, should be that the chairman "should support a flagrant disregard of law been shown at a women's group given support to cope with the and order".