-----Original Message-----
From: French Studies Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kate Tunstall
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 12:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [FRANCOFIL] UK National Petition for Higher Education
Dear Colleagues,
On 7 June, the sovereign body of the University of Oxford passed a near
unanimous vote of no confidence in the higher education policies of the
government. For details, see here:
http://www.noconfidence.org.uk/the-campaign/the-oxford-campaign
While the Oxford University Campaign for Higher Education (OUCHE!) was
getting support for the resolution that succeeded in Oxford, the Warwick
campaign (WUCHE) was gathering signatures for a petition that was worded
similarly. They gathered over a thousand signatures in a very short time.
Representatives of OUCHE!, WUCHE and the Campaign for the Public University
met on 14 une. In anticipation of the White Paper, widely expected to
contain provisions damaging to Higher Education, we agreed that it would be
a good idea to have a single national petition with a single, simple
message.
"We the undersigned have no confidence in the Higher Education policies of
this Government."
We are inviting the thousands who already expressed support for the Oxford
resolution and for the idea of a national campaign to sign the petition,
here: http://www.noconfidence.org.uk/petition
We will soon make it possible for you to search for people from the same
institution, and/or the same learned society. This is in the hope that
people will get together to campaign for similar resolutions at their
universities and professional associations. Already, over 130 Cambridge
academics have submitted a Grace to Cambridge University's sovereign body,
The Regent House, also calling for a vote of 'no confidence' and a number of
UCU branches at various universities have passed motions of 'no confidence'
at their meetings. A group of Sussex academics have also formed a campaign
group Sussex University Defends Higher Education. For details, see:
http://publicuniversity.org.uk/2011/06/17/sign-the-national-petition-of-no-c
onfidence/
The No Confidence site will also be expanding to provide access to more
campaigning resources and the Camapign for the Public University continues
to publish short pieces of analysis on the CPU website:
http://publicuniversity.org.uk/
Please pass this information on to colleagues and friends.
Kate Tunstall (on behalf of the No Confidence Campaign)
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