|
subtext
issue 104
2 May 2013
*****************************************************
'Truth: lies open to all'
*****************************************************
Every fortnight during term-time.
All editorial correspondence to: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk. Please delete as soon as possible after receipt. Back issues and subscription details can be found at http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext.
The editors welcome letters, comments, suggestions and opinions from readers. subtext reserves the right to edit submissions.
subtext does not publish material that is submitted anonymously, but is willing to consider without obligation requests for publication with the name withheld.
For tips to prevent subtext from getting swept up into your 'junk email folder', see http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext/dejunk/.
If you're viewing this using Outlook, the formatting might look better if you click on the message at the top saying 'Extra line breaks in this message were removed', and select 'Restore line breaks'.
CONTENTS: editorial; news in brief; professorships; concert review; an unforgettable promotional video; an appeal to armchair strategists; letters.
*****************************************************
EDITORIAL
It is easy to feel pity for those entrusted with the task of cobbling together a plausible medium-term strategy for the University in the present context of uncertainty. It would be tempting to come up with a one-sentence strategy: 'Find out what crazy ideas other institutions are coming up with, and then decide which of the various herds we want to follow'. However, even if we are largely at the mercy of events this does seem an appropriate time to consider the limits of our ambition: should we think regionally, nationally or globally?
Consultation on the strategy document coincides with the publication of a THES survey which show a further improvement in the 'national' context – see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22285225 if you haven't received this welcome news. This kind of evidence could, of course, be regarded by some as an incentive to broaden our perspective and 'go global'. At the same time, the draft strategy document laid a commendable emphasis on ways of strengthening our contribution to the quality of life in our region.
While appreciating the opportunities which have been given for 'grass-roots' input into the document, subtext is launching a consultative exercise of its own (see 'U.Utopia' below). We look forward to hearing from armchair strategists, whether or not they have already aired their views in the official exercise.
*****************************************************
NEWS IN BRIEF
Ding Dong the Fees Form is Dead
It has been announced (very quietly it must be said) that that the 'fees form' will be withdrawn with effect from 31 March 2013 and any work undertaken after that date must be covered by either a) an engagement form (if the work is for eight weeks or less) or b) a combination of a variable hours contract and engagement form (where the work is for longer than eight weeks or is envisaged as likely to be repeated). Details can be found at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/hr/recruitment/temp_engagement.html.
The University has taken advantage of the introduction of new legislation to tighten up the engagement process, which apparently some departments routinely ignored, preferring to do their own thing – which led to payment problems in payroll. Under the new legislation the University would actually be prevented from ever being able to pay for work which had been undertaken but not properly covered by an appropriate contract.
All very good, but it is curious that the news was not widely circulated and the new framework (complete with flowchart) seems to assume that persons so engaged will generally be people who are not otherwise employed at the University. subtext is aware of circumstances where the 'fees form' was used for existing employees who took on small pieces of additional work. And staff members have sometimes been contracted to give one-off short courses, often in different departments, and for them a 'fees form' engagement was straightforward and simple. Will they need separate 'variable hours contracts' in future? What about occasions when a member of staff from one Department steps in at the last moment to help out another Department?
Perhaps more seriously, the aforementioned flowchart arguably further institutionalises continued use of 'event contracts' and 'variable hours contracts'. Something that we should be worried about and try to resist, or an inevitable (and irresistible) sign of the times?
******
Ding dong pFACT is dead
After nine long years - it seems longer – pFACT, the research costing and pricing tool Lancaster University provides to 'help' staff cost their research and other proposals, is no more. We know that some will not lament its passing and would be interested to hear readers' tales of derring-do in their encounters with it. We hope that the University recognises the amazing patience and fortitude of RSO staff over the last nine years – a plaque at least.
******
Replacing the Pro-Chancellor
When Bryan Gray was appointed as Pro-Chancellor of the University in 2003, he had recently become Chairman of the North-West Regional Development Agency. In that role he was able to influence the spending of a multi-million pound budget, so his appointment seemed, and indeed was, a coup for the University.
Gray had graduated in chemistry from the University of York in 1974, following which he took up employment with ICI. He stayed with them, working on several of their sites, until he moved to Baxi Group (of Bamber Bridge) in 1993, becoming Chief Executive in 1994, and Chairman of Baxi Technologies in 2004. More recently (2008-2011) he was Executive Chairman of Peel Media, part of Peel Holdings, the company that owns the Manchester Ship Canal and the Port of Liverpool. In this role he was deeply involved in the creation of MediaCity at Salford Quays, which must be seen as a major achievement for Peel in business terms.
There have been suggestions (see http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=99) that Gray's overlapping directorships entailed the risk of conflicts of interest, but there is no concrete evidence for this. However, shortly before he left NWDA, the Agency put a very large sum into the development of MediaCity. This seems a good illustration of the way business works: it's who you know that matters.
Gray was also Chairman of Preston North End Football Club, from 1994-2001. It was in the latter part of this period that PNE, under manager David Moyes, seemed to hold the promise of recovering their former greatness, but alas they always failed at the final hurdle and never made it into the Premiership. Since Moyes (and Gray) left them, PNE have sunk into League One (formerly known as the third division).
Now the University will need to appoint a new Pro-Chancellor. The role has a ceremonial dimension, because it involves occasionally deputising for the Chancellor at graduation ceremonies; but the chief significance of it is that the Pro-Chancellor chairs meetings of Council, whose remit includes the finances, premises and business of the University. With his many links to businesses in the North-West, Bryan Gray would appear to have been ideally placed to do this. He also fitted well into his role here because he and Paul Wellings clearly saw eye to eye on many issues, although their views were not always well received by staff or students, as was evident from the affair of the George Fox Six (see subtexts 1-6). The search committee that has been set up to look for a new Pro-Chancellor has an important job to do for the University - and a very delicate one.
******
As one door opens...
Many readers will already have noticed that Lancaster is now home to what, on official subtext calculations, is Subway's 39,283rd worldwide branch (subtext would like to thank wikipedia for background research with regard to that one). While feeling suitably flattered to have been singled out in this fashion, subtext was also interested to learn that the consultation on opening hours fell an appreciable distance below the best practice of Athenian democracy. No doubt this was accidental. In any case, subtext is confident that residents near the new outlet will either be unmolested by sounds of merriment at unseasonable hours, or will themselves feature among the voluble crowds returning from local leisure facilities, hoping to refresh themselves with submarine-style viands at 4 am.
While Subway's doors are thrown open, Pendle bar is closing except for live events. Although the economic case in this instance seems strong, it is difficult not to regard the closure as yet another ominous development in the battle to preserve our collegiate structure.
*****************************************************
UNADVERTISED PROFESSORSHIPS
A recent piece in the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/apr/22/university-jobs-not-being-advertised) comments on the tendency at Russell Group universities for senior academic appointments to be made without jobs being advertised and worries that a disproportionate number of those so appointed turn out to be white and male (and also, one guesses, shiny shoed, suitably bearded, and generally sort of clever looking). Luckily, here at Lancaster we have a proper equal opportunities policy that is followed whenever appointments are made. The Human Resources website bears the banner 'Lancaster University - ensuring equality of opportunity and celebrating diversity' and has links to our Code of Practice on Recruitment and Selection (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/hr/recruitment/files/rscode.html) which says that 'all posts, where it is reasonable to do so, should be advertised in the public domain and consideration should be given to advertising in specialist journals/ locations where they will come to the attention of members of under-represented groups'.
Sounds good, even a bit fluffy, but what does that 'reasonable' refer to? Oh hang on, it turns out that even though Lancaster is 'ensuring equality of opportunity and celebrating diversity' and all that, not all jobs are advertised after all. One case where standard procedures can be thrown in the bin is 'At professorial level where the University creates an opening specifically to attract an eminent person who is not 'on the market''. So, in other words if there's a slightly rubbish, temporary contract research fellowship going then it gets advertised, and non-discriminatory person specifications get drawn up, and disabled candidates who meet the requirements are guaranteed an interview, and all that sort of stuff happens. But, if there's a really good, well-paid job going then we phone a few of our mates who we think are clever. This sort of thing seems a bit dodgy. It might turn out that the Guardian columnist's fears are misplaced, and that a reasonable number of those appointed to unadvertised chairs are women, and non-white, but there must still be reason to doubt that those appointed are necessarily the best people. Maybe sometimes good people who we don't already know, or who we haven't thought of, would like the chance to come and work here?
*****************************************************
CONCERT REVIEW: TINE THING HELSETH
In her short career - she is yet only 25 - the Norwegian Tine Thing Helseth (pronounced like Tina) has established herself as one of the best-known classical trumpet soloists. She appeared in the Great Hall on 21 March with pianist Kathryn Stott, as part of a tour of UK venues including Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London's Wigmore Hall.
The repertoire for trumpet and piano is not huge, so Helseth and Stott commission new pieces, and also play arrangements of songs and works written for other instrumental combinations. Their Great Hall programme included a satisfying combination of new and established pieces, which demonstrated to the full Helseth's remarkable skill on her instrument.
This concert brought to a close the 2012-13 season of Thursday evening Great Hall concerts, which has seen performances ranging from piano soloists, piano duets, and even trios for three pianos, through chamber groups and choirs, to two big bands. Every concert has been an excellent experience, and with all this variety the series offers something for everyone. We are fortunate indeed to have this concert series here on the University campus, along with the programmes at the Nuffield Theatre and the Peter Scott Gallery. The quality of all of these things is so high that surely they must deserve to have stronger publicity and to attract more visitors.
*****************************************************
PULLING THE PLUG
After the last issue of subtext went to press – if readers will forgive that outdated expression – it came to our collective attention that Youtube was hosting what purported to be a kind of 'alternative' promotional video for the University. Although not in any sense an official production, by the end of March it had racked up more than 11,000 'views', and attracted numerous comments on the site. This apparent good news was tarnished by the expressed opinions, which were divided fairly evenly between horror and incredulity. More than one such critic thought that those responsible for the video must truly loathe Lancaster University.
On viewing the material, members of the collective were satisfied that the video was not a deliberate attempt to put Lancaster out of business, even if that was the likely outcome should it be seen by any potential applicant. The collective prepared to investigate the history of the project; was it, for example, the brainchild of a single, inspired individual, or did it emanate from some sort of consultation exercise? Alas! In early April the University lodged an objection on the grounds of copyright infringement, and Youtube duly pulled the plug on the plug (as it were). Those who were able to view the performance before its removal will never forget the experience; other, less fortunate subtext readers might wish to pay a silent tribute at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6lBumxKE9c.
*****************************************************
U. UTOPIA: A CALL FOR PAPERS
subtext invites wild utopian speculation: What would the ideal Lancaster University be? If everything went right, what could Lancaster be in 20 years? If you were in charge, what would you aim at? What kind of teaching, research, public engagement should the University aim to be doing? What kind of organisation should it be—more businesslike, more democratic, flatter or more stratified? How big should it be? Local or international or somewhere in between? Please send 300-word (max) utopias to subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk, for publication over this term.
*****************************************************
LETTERS
Hello,
Thank you for another august publication. It's a terrific read.
It is important to point out that whilst the University may well lack an ethical investment policy ('Lancaster's Investments', subtext 103), with a few thousand pounds invested in BAE Systems, Royal Dutch Shell and others, the USS pension scheme has hundreds of millions invested in these very same companies. I, and I suspect most of you are members of the USS pension scheme: so, technically, we too are investing in these very same companies, albeit not directly.
For the record:
As at 11:00 on Monday 25th March, 2013, USS investments in the companies you cite are: Royal Dutch Shell £450.6 million; Imperial Tobacco £126.8 million; Anglo-American Mining £87.1 million.
Funds are also invested in BAE (through the USS pension schemes investments in insurances and the like).
I should also point out the USS pension scheme has £207.20 million invested in British American Tobacco (BAT) who are themselves extremely unethical in their drive for profit. Our pension funds are also invested in many other unethical companies, take a look, at (http://www.uss.co.uk/UssInvestments/InvestmentsTypes/Equities/Pages/USStop100investments.aspx).
Many thanks.
Andrew Lucas
******
Dear subtext,
The Chaplaincy Centre welcomes all, of faith or no faith. It was therefore a surprise, and disappointment, to read an anonymous letter in subtext 103 (and why did the collective think that it was appropriate to publish such a letter anonymously?) which stated that we are not a welcoming community. Maybe we should, in the words of Robert Burns' poem written to a louse: 'see oursels as others see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us'. But we don’t see ourselves in the way described. We welcome everyone and seek to provide a quiet and calm space for all.
So why not come and see for yourself? The central lounge does indeed have the facilities described and you are welcome to use them. The kitchen, with a kettle and microwave, may be used: a small donation is requested for use of tea, coffee, milk etc. Users would also, I'm sure, think it not unreasonable to wash their mugs up afterwards. Since the windows and doors have been replaced you will find that the lounge is warm. So please visit us and judge for yourself whether 'name withheld' has an accurate perspective.
Graham Rand
Chair, Chaplaincy Centre Management Committee
******
Dear Sirs,
I enjoyed reading Dr Austen-Baker's impassioned defence of the College syndicate representation on University Senate (subtext 103). I also thoroughly enjoyed his non-attendance to the last Lonsdale College Syndicate meeting, where they did not vote or even discuss who would be their representative from the group or any Senate business. His attendance of Lonsdale College events, meetings and disciplinary hearings has been noted.
'Purple Lonnie'
******
Dear all
On Saturday, I was looking at the University’s webpage for the four Faculties (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/faculties-and-departments/).
The icon/symbol for FASS is a stringed-instrument. I wonder whether this signifies a continuing commitment to music or is just another sign of the lack of joined-up thinking?
PS: this is, of course, a rhetorical question. I have captured a screen shot, in case it disappears.
Bob Jessop
******
Dear subtext,
Ian Reader uses a book written by a leading business school academic, and a former business school Dean to lob a gratuitous insult at the management school here. Uncomfortable though it may be for him as a scholar of religion, the scriptures to which people pay closest attention these days are those piling the business shelves in the departure lounges. Among these, not least, one might find 'Mother Theresa, CEO', and 'What Would Steve Jobs Do' (paraphrasing the evangelicals' What Would Jesus Do').
Intellectually this now common conjunction of faith and reason might be of interest to us both: and indeed, is a small illustration of why our department in LUMS, OWT, is so pleased to be launching joint masters' degrees with colleagues in PPR, which is his department.
Bill Cooke, Organisation Work and Technology
******
Dear subtext,
My first experience of using the new, centralised travel system was for a round trip: Manchester to Milan to Southampton to Manchester. The company concerned seemed incapable of grasping this, and could only offer two return tickets (Manchester-Milan-Manchester, Manchester-Southampton-Manchester) that did not get me to Southampton in time to fulfil my lecturing commitment there. Ten minutes on the web produce an itinerary that achieved what I wanted, at half the price. I believe that this experience is not unique.
Peter Diggle
******
Dear subtext
I have also found that the new compulsory travel system makes life more complicated and more expensive. Students are invariably on a tight travel budget and having to wait (for up to 4 days in one case) for someone to reply from the Travel Team only to tell me they can't find the advance fare I asked for is infuriating. The British Rail ticketing system is complex and frustrating enough as it is - adding another layer to it is driving me bonkers!
Thanks for all the hard work - subtext is a refreshing change from the university corporate-style news.
Yours sincerely,
Name withheld
******
Dear subtext,
I was sceptical about the introduction of a Travel Management System. However, it is, IMHO, one of the few administrative changes made in this university that has actively improved the working lives of staff. The reason behind its success is that it is NOT an automated computer system. Yes, there is a web form (simple to fill in) but the data from that form are processed by humans – and very wonderful humans they are too. I cannot praise the helpfulness, efficiency and all-round-good-eggedness of the travel team sufficiently. They are very supportive of their users' needs. So, when I request a particular room at a particular hotel with goose-down pillows and an extra-size towelling robe, that's what they try to book. When I ring up at 3.50pm saying 'please can I collect my train tickets before 4pm', they do their best to oblige. The system works so well, I really ought not to be bringing it to the attention of the authorities.
On a related matter, my department has yet to receive the e-expenses system but this will be one to watch. From a claimant's perspective, it may be a good thing, simplifying and speeding up the process of submitting claims. However, I wonder what the experience will be for a budget controller? Indeed, how many of us realise that we are budget controllers? In the past, all the budget-controlling needs that I didn't realise I had (as a principal investigator on a research grant) were dealt with by our wonderful departmental officer, who checked that expense claims were claimed by the right person for the right things, that there was money available to pay for them, etc. Under the new system, I do this (apparently central admin thought I was doing it all along….oops). However, I don't find out until the end of the month what has been claimed and by whom. So, when one of my researchers claims for something I didn't know about, do I hold them upside down and shake them till the money falls out of their pockets? I may need training and a risk assessment.
Tom Ormerod, Psychology
******
Dear subtext,
In response to your question about the travel service...I've only used it in earnest for buying train tickets but in my experience it's fast and efficient, saving me the hassle of paying for tickets myself and then having to fill in an expense claim (although that too is a whole lot easier these days). The travel staff are really helpful and I've frequently sent requests at the last minute and been told later the same day (often within the hour) that my tickets are ready to be collected from University House. If you really do have to book your own ticket (say you're already 'on the road' or are not coming to campus) then no-one is saying you can't - you just have to give the reason within your expense claim. Personally I'd urge everyone to have a go...
Rachel Fligelstone, ISS/County College
******
Dear subtext,
I used to maintain Lancaster Leaflets, a website with photos of all the posters on the spine, including seminars (http://lancasterleaflets.wordpress.com). Each poster is added to categories (obscurely selected through a drop-down list on the right) and cross-category 'tags'.
If someone still in Lancaster is willing to regularly provide me with data, I am happy to resurrect this blog!
Peter Burkimsher
*****************************************************
The editorial collective of subtext currently consists (in alphabetical order) of: Sam Clark, Rachel Cooper (PPR), Mark Garnett, George Green, Ian Paylor, David Smith, and Martin Widden.
|