2 Winter 2019 The Cheese Grater
News & Investigations
UCL Has Lost The Goodwill of Its Staff The Cheese Grater in conversation with Josh Hollands Darcy Bounsall and Alice Fraser Additional reporting by Felicity Wareing
The Cheese Grater Magazine has spoken with Josh Hollands, a UCL Teaching fellow in US History who is also a member of the UCU Executive Committee regarding the recent UCU strikes. Hollands relayed the four fights of the UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association) campaign, which are casualisation, workload, pay and inequality, for those who work very long hours on insecure contracts; but it is also over the huge inequalities in terms of pay and conditions across UCL. The Intellectual Precariat: According to Hollands, “What we’re fighting for is a sustainable future in higher education that is more equitable, that says to people like myself at the very start of their careers that you have a place here and we’re going to put your pay and your conditions and students concerns at the heart of our education system, which is something that hasn’t happened yet.” Only a third of academic staff are on fixed term contracts while the majority are forced to move from one temporary contract to another. The drive behind strike action is clearly a response to a much more systemic problem: the corporatisation of higher education. The average academics pay has fallen 20% in real terms since 2009, as investment priorities have been diverted elsewhere. New billion-pound buildings are seen to attract students instead of the quality of teaching. On top of this, UCL’s expansion (UCL East) will see thousands more students enrolled. This move, which appears to be motivated by financial gain, will see staff bear the brunt of increasingly unreasonable workload
demands. Hollands stated that UCL “can’t afford to pay decent pensions, can’t afford to pay for decent pay and to address the gender pay gap, the disability pay gap, the racial pay gap.” As a teaching fellow himself, Hollands also understands first-hand the unfairness of teaching fellow contracts at UCL. “People will remain on these [contracts] for years and years without any guarantee of permanent employment. PGTA issues, the fact that TAs [teaching assistants], the people that undergraduates see on a day to day basis, who do most of the teaching are paid say under £15 an hour. Preparation time is not actually enough time for them to prepare so what they’re actually being paid is £5 or £7.50 an hour.” For the vast majority of staff this depreciation in the value of their work has made it simply untenable to be able to afford to live in London and teach at UCL. In terms of USS pensions, the current dispute stems from changes introduced since 2011, which mean the average member stands to lose around £240,000 over their lifetime. Hollands stressed that those on strike do not take this action easily. Most will lose hundreds of pounds in pay. UCU are currently negotiating with two employer bodies: Universities U.K. (UUK) for the pensions part of the strike, and UCEA for the pay and conditions and inequality, workload casualisation. Student support: Hollands outlined his understanding, as well as those of his fellow striking lecturers, of the “huge sacrifice” on the part of the students who showed support and that “it’s unfortunate that they are put at the centre of this.” He went on to state that “student support is really important because universities do listen to students” and that letters to
Michael Arthur, the UCL Provost, asking him to negotiate really do help “as it is something he really will listen to.” Hollands also stated it was unlikely there would be any more strike action over this break or that further action would be taken at the start of January. However, if there is no serious settlement offered, then they will be forced strike again, most likely in January. He stated UCU “don’t want to be striking into the new year and especially not into exam time.” As a result of the last strike, employers had set up a joint expert panel to look at pensions, but the recommendations were ignored, in turn angering a lot of staff, pushing them to come out on strike again this year. Uniting with IWGB: In reference to uniting with the cause of IWGB Hollands stated it was an opportunity to raise some of these mutual concerns about how universities are funded and where that money is going. He stated, “we have a different vision for the university than I think senior management do and I think that’s a fairer university.” As a representative for UCU he stated that “the heart of our concerns is education” and that “we still want to be teaching.” Many departments have done teach-outs and been able to “continue having serious intellectual discussions on the picket lines” even though, as Hollands said, “we’re having to do it outside in the cold.” He stated that as lecturers, “we understand the levels of student hardship going on because we are the ones who discuss these issues with students every day in terms of pastoral care.” He added that students “have a right to be angry as it is a disgrace that a university charges the amount of fees that they do.” UCU’s official position is to scrap tuition fees in order to have a “more
News & Investigations
equitable system of funding education, that doesn’t rely on students going into a massive amount of debt.” Although it has been suggested by Hollands that student support for the strikes was strong, The Cheese Grater has seen numerous examples of where perhaps student support falls short. This is understandable, considering the average student in England will graduate with over £50,000 of debt, making it much harder not to see yourself as purchasing ratification from an institution and in turn to equate your education to simply a commodity. But blaming lecturers for students’ financial loss or for jeopardising academic success ignores the bigger picture.
Administrative Globetrotting Joanne Land Additional reporting by Felicity Wareing
Our internship provider friends at Come On Out Japan (COOJ) have been at it again. COOJ have been promoting their Global English Camp internships on campus for the third year running: the unique selling points of this internship last year included dangerous safeguarding failures and hazardous accommodation. Last year The Cheese Grater exposed how COOJ had been promoting their internships on campus in the full knowledge of UCL. When the issue was raised with UCL, they denied all responsibility. Previous interns on the scheme, including UCL students with whom we spoke last year, outlined their concerns in a written report. The report catalogued a host of alleged failings, including the sexual assault of interns and sexual harassment of children by non-UCL students, who continued to have access to the children after concerns were raised. It was also alleged that COOJ failed to take immediate action on reports of racist abuse and
The Cheese Grater Winter 2019 3
Society Bitch As UCL’s lesser fictional gossip-mongers are shutting up shop for christmas merriment, Soc Bitch works late into the night to bring you great tidings of joyous fuckup in UCL Drama Society... Drama Soc’s riotously popular New Writing Festival, you have surely noticed, has not matierialised this term. Like many others, Soc Bitch had been counting down the days until its scheduled arrival on December 5th at Camden’s illustrious Etcetera Room Above a Pub Theatre. But the week of the event came and went with neither peep nor overdesigned Instagram post from Drama Soc... Well as it turns out, Soc bitch was not dangerous accommodation which was located in what interns “feared to be a yakuza-controlled area” where female interns were “followed home by unknown men.” The housing itself was reportedly vermin-infested and included blood-stained mattresses. In 2018 we sought assurances from UCL that COOJ would not be allowed to promote their scheme on campus again, but none were forthcoming. UCL Media Relations did provide a statement, saying that “advice” would be given to all students considering internships in future. To our surprise however, emails promoting a COOJ internship event at UCL premises were sent to students across the university. We contacted the student union and staff at IOE, where the event was to be held, who quickly intervened to prevent the promotion of the scheme on campus and postponed the event “subject to a full investigation by Students’ Union UCL into the matter.” CG handed out copies of our previous article to bemused students who had turned up for the event, not knowing that it had been called off. The
alone in her overwhelmeing excitement to see the New Writing Festival. Members of the Drama Soc committee simply couldn’t wait to see the plays! So much so, that they booked the Etcetera two days early, for Dec 3rd not Dec 5th. On December 1st the production teams taking part in the Festival were given the choice between doing the play in just two days time, or in January. Always the more fiscally prudent of our beloved performance societies (*cough* Musical Theatre *splutter*), a member of Drama’s committee then threatened anyone not falling into line with the new world order with expulsion from the showcase and no reimbursement for their production costs so far. If only this careful number-based prudence had manifested itself earlier, in not confusing the number ‘5’ with the number ‘3’... representative from COOJ, who had turned up anyway, posted on Facebook asking students to meet him on the street outside IOE. COOJ claimed that they had made improvements to the programme, including increased vetting and child safeguarding training, and that the details of this had been sent to UCL Global Internships, part of UCL Careers. UCL Careers have told The Cheese Grater that while they had received details from COOJ detailing improvements to the internship scheme, they had not promoted this internship as per our request of last year. They also told us that the UCL Japan Society organised the event despite being informed about the issues last year. The society has not responded to our request for comment. It is unclear why COOJ have been allowed to hold events on campus following our initial report. The Department of Social Sciences has pledged that they “will ensure opportunities receive further vetting before they are circulated to Social Sciences students in the future.” Time to roll this pledge out across all of UCL, perhaps?
4 Winter 2019 The Cheese Grater
News & Investigations
UCL’s ambiguous approach to Disabled Students Weronika Strzyżyńska In 2014 the minister for Universities and Science, David Willets, announced changes to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) which has been in place since 1974. DSA was a non-repayable government funded grant aimed to cover any additional costs that students may incur due to disability, such as specialist software or accommodation. The changes meant that as of 2016 the onus on providing disability-related financial support to students no longer rests with the government but the individual universities. Whilst in theory the changes should not have had any detrimental effect on DSA beneficiaries, the experiences of UCL’s students suggest otherwise. Zohar, SU UCL’s Disabled Student’s Officer, joined UCL in 2018. Due to disability they require an en suite room, and they knew that under the new DSA provisions UCL were legally obliged to cover the rent difference between an en-suit and a regular room in the same halls. However, when they enquired about their options whilst applying for accommodation UCL vehemently protested, stressing that they did not offer such support. Zohar was left having to prove their legally protected rights themself. Whilst UCL has eventually agreed to reduce the student’s rent, and this academic year has done so for other students, it is unclear whether any qualifying students have received rent reductions in the two years prior to the student’s initial enquiry or if they have since been refunded. A spokesperson for UCL stated only that “all applications which met the eligibility criteria have been granted,” not specifying whether any such applications were made. They went on to say that “UCL currently offers rent adjustments for students with disabilities who have
additional requirements, and (in line with Student Finance England requirements) provide evidence that aligns with their request, where there is a difference in cost from the accommodation they have applied for.” The spokesperson added reassuringly that “UCL currently offers rent adjustments for students with disabilities who have additional requirements, and (in line with Student Finance England requirements) provide evidence that aligns with their request, where there is a difference in cost from the accommodation they have applied for.” Wilful ignorance and disinformation seems to define UCL’s approach to its new financial responsibility. “Their [UCL’s] attitude is ‘I refuse to educate
UCL evades its legal obligations by simply assuring no on ever asks it to fufil them myself about my responsibility and I refuse to listen when I am informed of it’.” Zohar characterised their experience with UCL staff. Whilst some higher education institutions such as University of Manchester and University of Warwick have published comprehensive online guides for their current and prospective students outlining the services and support that they can provide under the new DSA legislation, UCL has barely acknowledged its new duties. Whilst some relevant information can now be found on the Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) website it is not easy to find and pertains only to accommodation. UCL’s Disabled Students’ Network (DSN) has long campaigned for an online guide, similar to that of Manchester or Warwick. Whilst UCL promised to add the extra page to their website by last summer they have postponed doing so due to
‘technical difficulties.’ UCL is now in the process of “working to review how best to communicate these adjustments to ensure all applicable students are correctly supported.” Although an online guide might seem like a minor problem, Zohar stresses that it is fundamentally a question of accessibility. For example, prospective students with disabilities might look at the prices of UCL accommodation which suits their needs and for lack of other information assume that living costs are prohibitively expensive. This may result in these students never applying to UCL or not accepting their offers as they don’t think that they will receive necessary support from the university. Currently the onus on getting support and suitable adjustments is on individual students themselves rather than the university. Students are largely left to their own devices when it comes to negotiating suitable adjustments and accommodations from the university and the system for doing so is unclear. The structures of SSW, the UCL body responsible for these issues, are rather obscure according to students who used their services. Several students with disabilities have observed that whilst many of the less senior members of the SSW team are invested in supporting students they are often both overstretched in their work and themselves lacking resources and support. As it stands, UCL’s ambiguous approach to its responsibilities towards disabled students seems to be financially motivated. By keeping both staff and students misinformed about their rights and avenues to support, UCL avoids having to ever pay for them: students who don’t directly request rent adjustment are never offered it. In short, UCL evades its legal obligations by simply assuring no one ever asks it to fulfil them.
Humour
The Cheese Grater Winter 2019 5
Inanimate Objects Show Solidarity With UCL Strikers In step with UCL’s time-honoured and illustrious tradition of Disruptive ThinkingTM, we may proudly report a 10/10 solidarity rating was won by our Edge Overlords at the Bartlett, for their innovation in supporting the strike. The MA Situated Practice exhibition, which had been scheduled to open during the strike’s second week, covered up. Yes, the inanimate objects came out in force, sweating and quivering in anticipation of liberty beneath their black cloths. The walls, one can advertisement
only imagine, grinned with nervous glee behind their occluding layers of sugar paper. How sad they would have been, despite the swathes of smoking students being indistinguishable from the picket line (#smokefreeUCL), to see so many architects entering the building regardless... Across campus abstract concepts have also followed suit, with solidarity strikes now affecting both their flavour and structural integrity in Students’ Union pizzas.
Boris Did THAT? Consider yourself a bit of a political know-it-all? This quiz is for you! For a score out of 9, circle the numbers which you think our recently reinstated Prime Minister has done during his 55 miserable years of existence! 1. Referred to Africa as ‘that country’ 2. Insulted everyone in Liverpool all in one go 3. Was fired from The Times for making up a quote for his first front page news story 4. Wasted over £300,000 on three illegal second-hand water cannons 5. Eaten human souls for breakfast 6. Recited a colonialist poem in Myanmar 7. Claimed people in Papua New Guinea participated in ‘orgies of cannibalism’ 8. Refused to admit how many children he has 9. Been sued for £2.4 million by a Utah doctor after a ‘ski and run’ incident Answers: 1-8 circled. 9 was Gwyneth Paltrow.
Contributors to this issue: Adam Bloss, Darcy Bounsall, Agnes Carrington-Windo, Sam Dodgshon, Alice Fraser Edwards, Suzy Kingston, Isobel Macleod, Sophia Robinson, Ella Schlesinger, Ella Ticktin-Smith, Weronika Strzyzynska, Anon Ymous.
6 Winter 2019 The Cheese Grater
Humour
Labour’s New Leadership Hopefulls It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for Greater Britain and there is one question on every pair of metropolitan political elite lips in the land: who will replace Jeremy Corbyn? Having suffered the greatest defeat since the 1930s, Corbyn has tendered his resignation, but who will replace him as the next Labour leader to ‘win the argument.’? Here are some of our thoughts... 1. Lloyd Russell-Moyle Brighton Kemptown’s bad boy, this bright young thing was once suspended from the House of Commons for seizing hold of the ceremonial mace. What makes him a strong contender, however, is his recent moves. Russell-Moyle’s hatred of the Tories is such that he has called, nay demanded, that we launch a second Dunkirk to thwart the tyranny of Johnson’s leadership. We couldn’t possibly demonstrate any sort of political bias, this is serious journalism after all, but let’s just say that we’ll have the Cheese Grater lilo on standby in case this sexpot of socialism needs us to do our patriotic duty. 2. Ramsay Macdonald We’re not saying we believe it, but there have been whispers around the office of a few RM sightings in Westminster... Word has it that Labour’s great betrayer has risen from the dead with a view to buffing up his reputation to mount a credible challenge for the
Out of the frying pan, and into the fire
Labour leadership. Already in the running for the next series of Strictly, RM just wants a chance to prove himself to the world, because he has something to prove, and he needs to prove what he has to prove. 3. Michael Arthur We do not know who this man is.
4. The Aforementioned Ceremonial Mace It may be an inanimate object, but this is only a plus. Political experts believe that something with no mental capacity, or emotional range at all, is more likely to rate highly in public opinion than any living politician. We here at CG are not the sort to discriminate against anything for the small matter of being insentient. You have our vote mace.
Humour
The Cheese Grater Winter 2019 7
European Migration: The Cheese Grater’s Plan The latter half of this decade has exposed some of the deep-rooted illnesses that New Labour laissez fester in our society; from increased inequality to rampant corruption, the deregulation of markets caused havoc that we still haven’t recovered from. To add to the mix, Big Tech is micro-banging its head into our privates. So, where do we go from here? The Plan? Dig Belgium out of the ground and fire it to Mars. For the blissfully uninitiated; Belgium is a clusterfuck of bureaucracy, the French, and neo-liberalism. In fact, it’s the principle reason I struggle with theism, as no just God would allow it to exist. The pervasiveness of Belgian hegemony is most apparent in the EU, though like fungal spores, their fumes of self-hatred reach far and wide. Though forced upon them, statehood was not their intention and they still
don’t seem too keen on it to this day – my only point of agreement with them. Despite existing, Belgians are still envious of other countries, notably their ability to experience national pride. It’s this envy that Belgium has projected into the very core of the EU, souring its once noble, British, intentions to that of an equal, globalist, European society. This, my dear reader, is where the real maliciousness of Belgium lies. It exists despite attempts, internal and external, for it not to. Belgium has showcased how a country with two opposing classes; languages; areas; and cultures can persist. A Europe that isn’t united through the conquest of one state, but by the diplomacy and collective identity of many could only be manifested by them. And that is why they must go. Pros – The least interesting Capital in Eu-
rope becomes Luxembourg – though some argue it already was. World’s Fair exhibits will be respectful. The world will enter a new period of peace as we are free at last from the clutches of modern Belgian imperialism. Initially this boost is lauded as a win for nationalist movements, and support is gained round the world. This newfound global support leads nationalist movement into a united global nationalist front (as opposed to a united national globalist front) against the threat of the imperial space Belgians. Cons – The Netherlands create a polder in the area formerly known as Belgium. Imperial Space Belgians are now in a position of almost limitless expansion. 15 years in the future Earth submits to the Belgian Intergalactic Trade Company.
8 Winter 2019 The Cheese Grater
UCL Cheese Grater Magazine Society President—Darcy Bounsall president@cheesegratermagazine.org Co-Editors—Suzy Kingston and Weronika Strzyzynska editor@cheesegratermagazine.org Investigations Editor—Sophia Robinson investigations@cheesegratermagazine.org Humour Editor—Sam Dodgshon humour@cheesegratermagazine.org Online Editor—Rhiddi Kanetkar online@cheesegratermagazine.org Graphics Editor—Isobel Macleod © Students’ Union UCL, 25 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AY. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of SU UCL or the editors.