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subtext ***************************************************** 'Truth: lies open to all' ***************************************************** SUBTEXT ANNUAL REVIEW: 2014-15 ***************************************************** All letters, contributions and comments to: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues at: lancaster.ac.uk/subtext/archive.htm CONTENTS: welcome back, appeal for volunteers, best of subtext 2014-15, letter of the year. ***************************************************** HERE WE GO AGAIN As we reach the welcome end of Welcome Week, subtext offers you the chance to look back on the year that's just ended, with a selection of articles and snippets from 2014-15. The first subtext of 2015-16, lovingly formatted as ever in 10 point Courier, will be hitting your inboxes towards the end of Week 2. Until then, enjoy. ***************************************************** WHITHER SUBTEXT? Looking back on 10 years, 136 issues, 7 specials, a suspension notice and several technical difficulty announcements (for which we really can only apologise, once again), 25 individuals have at some point shouldered responsibility for producing subtext. Some of them have gone on sabbaticals, left Lancaster, produced children, stormed off in utter disgust or collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Our current longest serving editor has been with us (for 129 editions!) since 2006. At present, there are six of us, but the fickle finger of fate could send any of us packing at a moment’s notice. As such, it is imperative that subtext regularly reaches out and begs for new blood to keep things fresh and productive. If we don’t, then one by one we stand to drop off with no-one to take our place. In 2010, the collective was reduced to three individuals. This, not being enough to produce subtext, led to a hiatus lasting several months. In an institutional era where news and gossip comes thick and fast, it is (we hope) vital that subtext continues to exist, to keep everyone informed, and to continue to facilitate free and open debate within the University of Lancaster. The more of us there are, the less work there is to divvy out amongst us – so if any of our loyal subscribers would like to join the collective, or even enquire as to what the working conditions are like, then please do not hesitate to get in touch at the usual address. But, failing that, do also encourage your colleagues to subscribe, contribute and send letters. In the meantime, for the benefit of new subscribers and future historians who wish to have the important things in a compact digest, below are some of the issues that have cropped up over the last year, how they evolved, and what we said about them. ***************************************************** THE NEW LOGO “It would be unreasonable to expect an institution full of both semioticians and the highly opinionated not to have strong views on such changes, and so it has proved. Phrases used in our hearing to describe the new logo have included 'commonplace', 'undistinguished' and 'crap', although on the other hand apparently someone's taxi-driver quite liked it. Politically correct critics have suggested that the lion is gendered and the shield militaristic. More immediately (and perhaps more importantly), Marketing 101 instructs us to consider what a watcher is reminded of when they catch just a brief glimpse of the logo. Subscribers may remember the posters for the first Batman movie, which on first encounter made one think of a set of dangling tonsils, which was probably not what the designers intended…” subtext 123 ***** “The management may say that when it comes to brands it’s not what we think that matters but what the punters think, but universities are supposed to challenge, not indulge, confused thinking, and indeed to speak truth to power. Part of that is distinguishing the good from the merely posh. The university should emphatically reject arguments to curry favour with public schools at the expense of its widening participation commitment…” subtext 126 ***** “Following the example set by the University’s management, subtext has undertaken a study shot through with methodological flaws to determine what applicants are saying regarding their reasons for choosing Lancaster. In our exhaustive survey of admissions tutors we were surprised to discover that the logo (old or new) played no part whatsoever in any decisions (negative or positive) regarding Lancaster University”. subtext 129 ***** … subtext reeled off a number of places where the swoosh is still taking pride of place, including; cufflinks in the SU shop, on materials sent to prospective students, on ‘shh’ signs outside exam halls and the Chaplaincy Centre roof. One concerned subscriber took these concerns straight to the top table, to inquire as to when such erroneous branding would be purged – we can confirm that the Head of Facilities has no plans at present to redevelop the roof of the Chaplaincy Centre.” subtext 130 ***************************************************** COLLEGES “Those raising concerns [about Lonsdale and Bowland Colleges being left without Principals] have also been half-heartedly satiated by the incoming 'College Review'. It will be steered by a panel consisting of external members, senior management and a member of academic staff. As for College representation, that will be made up of the Provost of Colleges and a 'Senior College Principal' (a caveat which narrows things down to precisely one candidate...). Also present are the LUSU Vice-President for Union Development Damon Fairley and the LUSU President Laura Clayson. When the LUSU President asked, at the last meeting of University Council, to be removed from the panel and replaced by an elected College JCR President, she was of course knocked back. We can't have pesky democracy get in the way of what is doubtless a cut and dried process, after all. Evidently, there is very little actual College representation on a panel that ostensibly exists to shape the future of the Colleges, but this issue is being swept aside by promises of Extensive Consultation. Of course, the issue with 'consultation' is that 'Consensus' is usually a big field with one Yes Man standing in the middle of it.” subtext 122 ***** “One of the professed aims of the College review is to assess 'the role of Principal and the attractiveness of the post to senior academics and professional staff'. As a starter for ten, the subtext collective were able to come up with a number of institutional changes which would make a word of difference very quickly. Perhaps if the University didn't consistently show a lack of faith in the College's ability to run themselves by centralising the running of their bars and accommodation provision? If they didn't have their relevance and representation on Senate and other committees consistently undermined and cut? If College involvement were reintroduced as promotions criteria? If central interference were kept to a minimum? If Syndicate resolutions weren't so brazenly ignored and their membership not patted on the head and told 'don't sweat it' as we've seen in the past few weeks? If they weren't expected, as this review seems to wish to further enforce, to demonstrate 'Synergy' (obedience) with central management, rather than to serve as collectives of cross disciplinary individuals who act as critical friends to the University? If they were allowed to democratically elect their own Principals without the need for selection panels largely hand-picked by the Vice-Chancellor put in place to hand pick the least 'troublesome' candidates?” subtext 123 ***** “Responses to the report of the College Review Panel have been somewhat less than enthusiastic. Billed as one of the most comprehensive examinations of the structure and effectiveness of Lancaster’s college system, the Review garnered evidence and submissions from an impressive range of sources across the university. This evidence was considered by a panel that included lay members of Council, an external university representative, senior academic and Professional Services managers, and LUSU officers. There were no representatives from any of the colleges. (We are reminded of Brendan Behan’s comment when informed that he had been condemned to death as a terrorist: ‘They tried me in my absence and condemned me in my absence, so I decided that they could shoot me in my absence as well.’)” subtext 130 ***************************************************** THE ANNIVERSARY LECTURESHIPS “subtext is certain that University Managers have already thought through and anticipated the possible consequences of this influx of academic gunslingers, and will thus have already begun to put in place the most robust of mechanisms to prevent any resentment and hostility towards these leaders as they settle in to work alongside those long-serving colleagues who, while the 50 or so Masters of the Universe have been Fast-Tracking their research, have continued to publish, carry a more than average teaching load, have held junior and senior departmental administrative post, and who despite this have yet to attain the lofty heights of professorship.” subtext 130 ***** “In subtext 134, we erroneously reported that the AL longlist consisted only of three women (out of 47). We accept correction, and wish to clarify, at HR's request, that there were 22 women and 74 men were shortlisted - so, 23%. Which is, er, better. The gender ratio in the first batch of appointments, however, is less promising. subtext currently does not have the exact figures, but understands that a planned photoshoot with the Vice-Chancellor and the new appointments was halted to avert a less than inclusive image of the University.” subtext 135 ***************************************************** LANCASTER DOES LONDON “subtext can't help wondering if the decision to pick Westminster Central Hall, the grandest venue in the whole metropolis, with dozens of world-class higher education institutions literally within walking distance, might have been a little ambitious.” subtext 135 ***** “… we learn that all Undergraduate sessions are cancelled too, and that the entire event has been postponed.” subtext 136 ***************************************************** USS PENSIONS DISPUTE “A disturbing feature of the current dispute is the confrontational language used by both sides in their communications with university staff. It may be said in UCU's favour that they are only responding to the tone set by management. That may be so but 'they-started-it-first' justifications hardly constitute reasoned argument. However, it has to be recognised that the tone and language of recent messages from the HR Director, presumably approved by the VC, have caused widespread alarm, even among those who do not support the assessment boycott. When you are regularly working 60 and 70 hour weeks, giving up your weekends, never taking your full holiday entitlement, and then being told - in that pompous and menacing phrase - that "the university will not tolerate partial performance" you might be forgiven for feeling a lessening of enthusiasm for the job. You may even think that this time you will respond to that staff survey that has just popped into your inbox.” subtext 124 ***** “You’ll have noticed that the University of Lancaster threatened to make staff members who participate in the marking and assessment boycott personally liable if anyone raised claims of damage against the university as a consequence of their participation. LU is one of very few universities who made this threat. The legal foundation for this is very dubious indeed, with few, old and very shaky legal UK precedents. It may well be in conflict with the European Convention on Human Rights. It is also an outright attack on the right of academic staff to take strike action, or action short of a strike as in this case. In short, it is an empty threat and a clearly political, anti-union act.” subtext 126 ***** “So here we have the VC, having triumphantly arrived at the top of the minaret with his donkey, finding that he is on his own and that all the other universities’ minarets are conspicuously empty… His dilemma is simply stated: he knows that he got it wrong in making the legal threat but he is unwilling to give the local UCU a political victory by saying so. This was made painfully clear at the recent meeting of Court (see subtext 128) when he justified the threat while at the same time holding out the possibility of it being withdrawn. However, rumours reaching the subtext warehouse suggest that talks are in progress to see how the VC’s donkey can be persuaded back down those steps. Donkey-lovers everywhere will hope those talks succeed.” subtext 129 ***************************************************** FEES AND RENTS “Concern is growing with the tendency of management to bypass Senate when it comes to important decisions affecting the academic life of the university. The latest is Council's decision of 22nd November to raise tuition fees for postgraduate and all international students by 5% (see below). It appears that there is no compelling financial reason for this move as this year we're set to produce another handsome surplus. The reason given to Council was that, as our competitor 'bench-mark' universities are doing this, so should we. So much for 'Thinking Differently.' In vain did a handful of Council members (notably the LUSU reps) argue that this was likely to have a damaging effect on postgraduate recruitment, already hit hard by the £9K undergraduate fees. They had the temerity to suggest that it might be a good idea to seek the views of Senate before moving ahead. This was rejected. So, in advance of the publication of the review of Lancaster's postgraduate taught programmes (to go to Senate in February), a fees decision has been made that could nullify its recommendations.” subtext 125 ***** “As we write (2:45pm on Wednesday), a group of Lancaster University students are occupying part of C Floor in University House. Many banners supporting free education, and opposing increases to postgraduate fees and accommodation charges, are hanging from the windows. […] The event follows an advertised protest in Alexandra Square at 11:30am this morning. Students were called on to leave their lectures and show support for the protest. Reportedly, a few students managed to gain access to the Admissions part of C Floor University House, where they were challenged by staff and security. In the middle of a speech, a cry of “OCCUPY!” came from the door close to the library, following which a large number of students streamed in.” Occupation Newsflash ***** “When your subtext correspondent was walking round the student rally against fees and rent rises last week, listening to (and perhaps even making) speeches about the history and impact of the rampant commercialisation of higher education in the UK, one thing was clear: this was the very antithesis of the apathy students are often accused of. As the rally progressed, however, it also became clear that some familiar faces were missing; students who your correspondent knew cared about the bigger issues involved, and would have expected to see with megaphone in hand, denouncing what might be seen as damaging changes implemented by the university management without adequate consultation. As subtext readers found out later in the day from our newsflash, some of these students were busy taking their politics upstairs… well, almost as far as D floor, to the part of C floor housing Admissions and the International Office.” subtext 126 ***** “The capacity of the university management to over-react to the slightest hint of student militancy continues to amaze. On Friday last a small demonstration calling for ethical-investment policy took place in Alexandra Square. Given that the university is actually quite sympathetic to such a policy and is even thinking of adopting it, one would have thought the demo would have been welcomed and seen as an opportunity for constructive engagement with student concerns. Not a bit of it. University House went on to complete lockdown, with doors sealed and extra security staff drafted in to repel a possible invasion. The demo, the usual noisy but good-natured affair, went ahead, with no deaths being reported”. subtext 129 ***** “……better sports and social facilities, better catering and accommodation and so on are important but they will not address the central issue that emerged at Court. Students now want a direct say in decisions, particularly financial decisions, that impact directly on them. They expect to be treated with the same respect as the university has always afforded other funding bodies. This is a political reality that senior managers have yet to grasp, as was evident by their demeanour at Saturday’s Court. Casually justifying swingeing increases in rents and fees by the need to cover increased costs, while at the same time glorying in an expensive campus expansion, is not acceptable to the people who have to pay for it through a lifetime of debt. Responding to these changing student expectations is likely to require a re-balancing of budgets and a re-ordering of priorities, as well as a fundamental change in the way the university engages with its students. The George Fox Lecture Theatre is not Omonia Square or the Puerta del Sol, and LUSU is certainly not Syriza or Podemos, but that meeting of Court may come be seen as a significant turning point in the life of this university”. subtext 128 ***** Readers of subtext will recall our coverage (subtext 128) of the unprecedented defeat suffered by University management at the hands of disgruntled Court members over the decision to increase post-graduate fees and on-campus rents. After the passage of the opposing motion, it then found its way onto the University Council. The Chair, Lord Liddle, openly suggested that the motion be voted down, and voted down it duly was. It was a tragic, pathetic, but in no way surprising outcome, with some small victories. Most notably and commendably, the University is to invest far more money into Postgraduate bursaries. Some rather more false-hearted concessions are promises to begin setting fees and rents further in advance and with greater student ‘consultation’, and to offer tuition fee discounts to students who achieve a 2:1 or a 1st. The former is tokenistic, and the sting isn’t removed from the tail if people know further in advance that they’re going to be out of pocket – it isn’t the lack of consultation that people have the biggest problem with; it is the fact that it was done at all, and all this will serve to do is preclude a greater number of people from sharing classified information. The latter is a howling great cop-out, which does nothing to support students during their studies and serves to save graduates at least a couple of grand over the course of about 20 years at little to no noticeable cost to the University […] Meanwhile, in the town hall, councillors are planning to write to the Vice-Chancellor expressing their concerns with the present levels of fees and rents.” subtext 132 ***************************************************** CONTINUING MEMBERSHIP “University Secretary Fiona Aiken presented a proposal calling for an end to the conferring of “continuing membership” on retiring staff members because it was not clear what institutional rights continuing members would have once they leave the university. Mr. Mang spoke against the proposal, arguing that the university was a community and rewarding long serving staff with essentially a tokenistic continuing attachment helped to build that community and did no harm. Instead, he proposed that continuing membership is retained and that Council instead draw up a specific framework that makes clear the rights of continuing members. However, Council chair Lord Liddle dismissed the counterproposal without any discussion or vote. It seems that Ms. Aiken’s proposal has become the new policy and no new continuing memberships will be granted.” subtext 128 ***** “First up was the announcement that no questions on notice had been received “that pertained to the business of Senate” (he stressed. In fact, a question on ending of University membership for retired staff had been submitted but was deemed by Secretariat to be outside the remit of Senate – see subtext 134).” subtext 136 ***************************************************** GENERAL ELECTION “In the previous issue of subtext, we reported that the current voter registration rate on campus sat somewhere in the region of 400. We stand corrected; it actually sits somewhere in the region of 22.” subtext 127 ***** “[…] in February, the number of campus electors showed a very dramatic rise, to just under 4,000, and a sense of optimism was in the air - was this to be the "Lancaster Spring", with thousands of students finally taking a keen interest in the democratic process? Upon further investigation… er, no. The city council's elections office, having removed all last year's campus residents from the electoral roll at the end of December (hence the dramatic drop in numbers from December to January), had decided to reinstate them all at the beginning of February. Remove these entirely fictitious residents from the list and we were left with the same 22 we had in January.” subtext 131 ***** “Congratulations are due to LUSU for promoting a registration drive on the first day of Summer Term that saw over 700 campus students add themselves to the electoral register. The final figure for campus: 1858. "Still less than one half!" we hear you say. Well, yes. But let's try and be positive. The final turnout for the University and Scotforth Rural ward of 74.48% was the largest in urban Lancaster, and many subtext readers will have witnessed the pleasing sight of students queueing at the Chaplaincy Centre to vote.” subtext 133 ***************************************************** LETTER (OF THE YEAR) “Dear subtext, Your "Spot the Swoosh" feature has really highlighted just how much work there is left to do in completely eradicating the red swoosh from campus. If I recall, original plans were to remove swoosh branding before the beginning of September, but departments seem to be getting a shuffle on in recent weeks, hoping for the end of May. UK Student Recruitment and Outreach, in particular, had a tonne of leftover branded items that were deemed unusable. In any case, at risk of getting some rather odd looks from passers-by, my other half and I decided to photograph as many of those damned swooshes as possible. Attached are five photographs, but we have included the complete list below: - The uniform of David Orr (Venue Manager for The Hub, County Bar, Grizedale Bar, and Pendle Bar). Dave must remove his shirt before the end of the month, and County's porters were being measured for their new uniforms last week. (www.tinyurl.com/o7rwtjk) - Internal telephones. (http://tinyurl.com/p6jpyyh) - Fire safety instructions on the back of every single "study bedroom" on campus. Each room also has a sticker with the extension number for Security, left over from the days when rooms were fitted with internal telephones. (http://tinyurl.com/pd4yu8d) - Carpet in the library's entrance. (http://tinyurl.com/pw8c4cy) - Recycling bins. (http://tinyurl.com/oxcopjm) - Entrance sign to the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. - Signs instructing you to use the library's "Phone Zone". - The sign attached to the side of the Roundhouse. - Even the 17 buses that arrive on campus every hour seem to be swoosh-branded. Evidently, swoosh-spotting has been a welcome break from revision over the past fortnight. On another note, I am curious of the likelihood that the shield will be added to the front of the Sports Centre? Mathew Gillings (The County College) Rhiannon Llystyn Jones (President, The County College)” subtext 134 ***************************************************** During 2014-15 the editorial collective of subtext consisted (in alphabetical order) of: George Green, James Groves, Ian Paylor, Ronnie Rowlands, Joe Thornberry, Johnny Unger and Martin Widden. |