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1 FEB 2016 | ISSUE 649 | TWITTER: @EXEPOSE | WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EXEPOSE | FREE
• Over 3,000 Exeter students set to be affected by maintenance grant cuts
• Exeter Conservative Association Chairman claims loan system will give students “more cash-in-hand” Photo: Edwin Yeung
O
VER 3,000 Exeter students are likely to be affected by government plans to cut maintenance grants in favour of loans come September 2016. According to University data released to Exeposé, 4,540 students at the University currently benefit from government maintenance grants. Of this number, 3,072 are first and second-year students most likely to be affected by the change to the loan system.
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Of the 4,540 students benefiting from a grant, 67 per cent receive the largest amount of £3,387 a year. Under new plans, students will be entitled to more financial support - £8,200 a year – but this will have to be repaid as soon as the graduate is earning at least £21,000 a year. Under the current system, grants to cover living costs are available to students from families with incomes of £25,000 or less. 83 per cent of students receiving a grant at Exeter were from state school backgrounds while 17 per cent studied at independent schools. On 19 January, Labour forced a Com-
mons debate on the proposed maintenance grant plans, which were not a part of the Conservative party’s election manifesto. However, Jeremy Corbyn’s party failed to sway Parliamentary opinion on the scrapping of grants, with the motion passed by a small majority of 14. On the same day, a student protest blocked Westminster Bridge for more than an hour and a half. Despite the hike in money available through the loan system, there are fears that the increased prospective debt will prevent students from lower income backgrounds applying to university.
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James Beeson Editor
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• Uni Vice-Chancellor and Sabbatical officers condemn government changes
Sarah Gough Editor
Uni spend nearly £6k on biscuits
Abigail Milne, a second-year English and Drama student, currently benefits from a grant and worries the changes will “make Universities more elitist”. Speaking to Exeposé, she said: “If I hadn’t received the grant I get, I would have seriously reconsidered coming to university, especially to Exeter because the cost of living is so much higher in the south.” Gabrielle, a second-year English student, relies on her grant money to pay her rent and also has two part-time jobs. While she welcomes the increase in money available through the loan, she is...
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HE University of Exeter spent almost £6,000 on biscuits in 2015, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. The information revealed exclusively to Exeposé, shows that a grand total of £5,780 worth of funds were spent on providing biscuits for customers at, or attending events at the University last year. The biscuits are not, however, for University staff. Unfortunately the University does not hold record of the exact number of biscuits purchased, meaning a cost-per-biscuit calculation is not possible. However, an investigation by this reporter revealed that had the biscuits been McVitities Hobnobs and purchased at the Guild Shop (priced at 75p per packet), then this would amount to 7,706 packets of biscuits, or 154,133 biscuits in total. Had the University opted for the slightly pricier Maryland ‘Big & Chunky’ cookies (priced at £1.99 per packet), they would have been able to purchase 2,904 packets, or 22,236 biscuits in total. A similar request sent by a UCL student revealed that the London University spent £57,196.75 on biscuits between 1 January 2014 and 7 October 2015, making Exeter’s confectionary expenditure seem fairly modest in comparison. Speaking about University biscuit expenses, a spokesperson said: “Each year, there are thousands of meetings, events and functions involving staff, students and visitors that take place at the University on all campuses. Occasionally, and where appropriate, some small offer of light refreshments may be provided.”
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