Put People First G20 demo on 28 March
Come join us on Saturday, 28 March. Meet at 10:30 in the student bloc at Temple, or at 11AM at Embankment. For more info on Put People First, check here. For more info on other G20 events, look here.
minutes of the 25 March executive meeting now online
Access them here or download them as a Word document
(.doc)
Re-organisation of the Administration
The proposals for the restructuring of the Administration are available here (.doc)
Despite repeated requests for more information, we have yet to receive the final final proposals but are in touch with Head Office about the potential ramifications of the proposals.
Please email Hugh Jones with any responses and suggestions.
Banner Design competition
We are holding a design competition for our new banner. Details here.
Job Cuts in Education
There are several important events coming up in response to a growing
attack on jobs in the HE sector.
1. EMERGENCY LOBBY OF LONDON METROPOLITAN GOVERNORS MEETING, WEDNESDAY 18
MARCH, 4.30-5.30PM, COMMERCIAL ROAD BUILDING (ALDGATE EAST TUBE)
London Met (LMU) faces a jobs massacre with the equivalent of 550 full
time posts under threat because of a perceived financial crisis. Yet
freshly revealed figures show that the University has £25million in
capital receipts, a £3.5million contingency fund and a £4.7million
operating surplus sitting in the bank. The job losses are more to do with
management's plans than genuine financial need. Please do everything you
can to attend the lobby.
2. POSSIBLE CLOSURE OF PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES, AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
Because of poor RAE results, the above departments have been threatened with closure or relocation to other universities. A huge lobby of the Senate last Wednesday forced a postponement of any final decisions but the situation is still critical. Please consider sending a statement opposing the cuts to the VC signed by people (not just UCU members) from your Department and feel free to adapt the one that we in the Media and Communications Department are just about to send out.
'We, members of the Department of .... Goldsmiths, University of London,
are dismayed and outraged by the announcement of the closure of the
Departments of Politics and Communication Studies, Philosophy and
Statistics at the University of Liverpool. We are particularly concerned
about the closure of the Department of Politics and Communication Studies
that we know well and we believe has contributed greatly to the field of
media and communications in both research and teaching. We strongly oppose
any attempt by the management to close the School or to relocate its
teaching and research to other institutions (departments?). This would be
a disaster for students and staff and an ill-considered and short-sighted
reaction to the results of the 2008 RAE - results that are often the
outcome of tactical error and mismanagement.'
3. MAJOR LONDON UCU RALLY 'DEFENDING EDUCATION, DEFENDING JOBS': 6pm
THURSDAY 2 APRIL
Following the recent flood of proposed course cuts, departmental closures
and job loses, UCU is organising a major rally which will take place at
6pm on Thursday 2 April at the University of London Union (ULU), Malet
Street, Central London. Confirmed UCU speakers from current campaigns at
London Met and Liverpool and many more to come. A host of external
speakers have also been approached.
Des Freedman
President Goldsmiths UCU
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
London SE14 6NW
Education under occupation: the experience of Birzeit
A lecture by Dr. Islah Jad and Amirah Silmi
Tuesday 10 March 1pm, Warmington Tower Room A
Archive of previous news items:
December 2008 and January 2009
Any questions? email Kirsten Forkert, GUCU administrator at
