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Sorry to those who already subscribe From: Campaign for the Public University [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Campaign for the Public University Sent: 21 May 2012 09:05 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Dear all, The student movement in Quebec against a 75% increase in fees is continuing into its 13th week. For a report see: http://signalfire.org/?p=18942 ------------------------ There is also an initiative in the UK to continue to put pressure on VCs, led by Southampton Students for Education - please see below and attached. People can sign the letter by either emailing George Disney on [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or by adding your name here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/open-letter-to-universtiy-vice-chancellors/ If people want to read more about where the letter fits in with a wider strategy then they can read a blogpost at Liberal Conspiracy here: http://liberalconspiracy.org/2012/05/16/students-help-us-demand-accountability-from-university-vice-chancellors/ -------------------------- Campaign for the Public University http://publicuniversity.org.uk/ To join the Campaign mailing list, click here: http://bit.ly/publicuniversity To follow the Campaign on Twitter, click here: https://twitter.com/#!/public_uni<https://twitter.com/#%21/public_uni> For details on how to launch your own No Confidence motion, please see: http://www.noconfidence.org.uk/ ------------------------------------------------ Which Side are You On? Campaign Introduction The campaign against the Con-Dems higher education reform faces a crucial 6 months as the first cohort of students enter the new system. Our goal is to create a national campaign which puts pressure on university Vice-Chancellors to go on record as either supporting or opposing raising fees and the privatisation of undergraduate teaching. Our aim then is to use any positive responses to put pressure on the Government, or use negative responses as a catalyst for protest on campus. So far, University Vice-Chancellors have received only limited attention from student and anti-cuts groups. We believe this should be changed for three reasons: 1) University Vice-Chancellors hold significant political sway, which they are refusing to use. The response of various medical associations to the NHS reforms shows just how important these kind of professional bodies can be in discrediting Government policy. 2) University Vice-Chancellors offer student groups a focal point on campus where student groups across the country can mobilise anger at their inaction or,should they get on side with us, create momentum. 3) University Vice-Chancellors are fantastically well paid, in a way which makes them particularly vulnerable to pressure from students and staff. The strategy: 1) Circulate an open letter (attached) to university staff and student groups calling on VCs to publicly support or oppose the two clearest harms of the HE reforms (student fees and privatisation). We already have commitments from a high-profile academics to sign such a letter[1]. 2) Once the letter is adequately signed, have it published in a national newspaper in June, and publicly forward it to university VCs at this time, challenging them to respond[2]. 3) Set up a website in which university VCs will be listed (along with mug-shots) as either supporting the HE reforms, or opposing them, depending on their responses[3]. 4) Where VC's fail to respond or respond negatively we suggest using this as a focal point for demonstrations in October with the new cohort of fee paying undergraduates, who (hopefully) are particularly likely to support such action. 5) If and when VC's 'come on side' with us, we can look further into how this can be used to apply pressure to the Government. What we want you to do: 1) Get as many lecturers and staff as possible to agree to sign the letter (and agree to have their name published as having done so) 2) Send us your VC's contact info and picture, and a very quick summary as to where they stand currently on HE reform (to the best of your knowledge). 3) Begin to think about how your group might pressure your VC in the new academic year should they refuse to publicly oppose higher fees and privatisation. Yours in solidarity George Disney Southampton Students for Education [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> [1] The letter we attach is intentionally moderate in tone. This is because our aim is to garner the widest possible support of staff to put pressure on VCs, rather than win any arguments regarding HE reform. There are already plenty of letters and materials devoted to the latter cause. [2] We are in discussions with contacts at the Guardian as to what form this might take. [3] We will count non-response or an ambiguous response as support for higher-fees and privatisation. This is also why the letter is moderate in tone: A VC who is not willing to condemn even the most basic harms of the HE reforms simply has no right to claim they are not supporting the Government's policies.