UoN UCU TEACH-IN
Wednesday, 13 November, 2:30-5:30pm plus pub drinks after
Room E07 Monica Partridge Building, University Park Campus
Higher Education in the UK is in crisis, as is our own University. There is no shortage of diagnoses and prescriptions for how to resolve the impasse: higher tuition fees, ‘leaner’ institutions, amalgamated university ‘trusts’, less humanities and more STEM, etc. Parsing the options can be overwhelming—and disheartening. Many imply a future of lower quality and higher cost education for students amidst deteriorating work conditions for staff.
What are the alternatives, and how do we organise for them? To help us better understand the current situation, as well as possible future directions for HE, the UoN UCU branch is hosting an afternoon Teach-in. All students and staff are welcome. The plan is as follows.
2:30-4:00pm – Panel discussion – What is the crisis? What can be done?
This panel, chaired by our branch President, Lopa Leach, brings together speakers with a range of perspectives on: the very real challenges facing HE and UoN more specifically; varied reform options (plus trade-offs); and the wider political context influencing likely reform outcomes.
- Howard Stevenson – Long-time education researcher and union organiser, most recently co-author of Harnessing the Power of Post-Compulsory Education, Howard will reflect on his own analysis of the HE crisis and organising possibilities across the sector.
- Joe Kearsey – A former UoN PGR and current post-doc, long-time anti-casualisation organiser, and current organiser with the University Rank-and-File Day School, Joe will focus on how work in universities is becoming more precarious, and what to do about it.
- Marta Aloi – A UCU member from the School of Economies with a background researching labour markets, Marta will discuss our efforts as a branch to develop an ‘Alternative Financial Strategy’ for UoN, which we intend to use in negotiations with management.
4:00-4:30pm – Coffee break and chat
4:30-5:30pm – Organising at UoN – Practical breakout sessions
This session will begin with three brief presentations from branch committee members and organisers on: (1) UoN finances and alternative financial plans; (2) casualisation at UoN; and (3) workloads at UoN. Participants will then join one of three breakout groups to discuss organising goals and strategy relating to these three themes. We will conclude by coming back together into a full group and sharing our ideas.
6:00pm till whenever – Drinks at the Johnson Arms
