The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield // www.forgetoday.com
Issue 16 // Friday November 6 2009
Hilary Mantel Fuse pages 6-7
We don’t pay £3,000 per year to sit on the floor Rachel Blundy Union councillor Harry Horton has initiated a campaign for the University to address the cutbacks within the Mathematics department. At Union Council last Thursday, Horton outlined how teaching cuts have led to overcrowding in lectures, meaning many students have had to sit on the floor. He said that the University has failed to restrict the number of places per module after students were forced to choose new modules when one was cancelled, resulting in some now running over capacity. Seminar hours for second year Maths students have also been halved, he said. Horton reports students frequently struggle to find seats in lectures held in the Arts Tower and the Hicks building. He said: “The lecturers seem confused and unsure of how to deal with the new system. “In one module we didn’t have a tutorial for five weeks, and further to that the lecturer told us not to email her with questions about the work. To cut our contact time in half and expect the standard of education to remain the same is ridiculous.” Education Officer Holly Taylor is in talks about the issue with the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Pure Science, the Head of the School of Maths and Statistics (SoMaS), and the Pro-Vice Chancellor for
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Learning and Teaching. She said: “Students do not pay over £3,000 a year for teaching hours that are spent on the floor because there are not enough seats. “For our students who have disabilities this is even more of a problem and I’m shocked that the University has clearly not even considered this. “In the case of overfilling lecture theatres the University needs to be careful because it breaches fire and health and safety regulations.”
Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to letters@forgetoday.com A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “The Director of Teaching within SoMaS will be reviewing the timetable to see if alternative times are available for lectures to reduce possible overcrowding. “The SoMaS courses at the University have grown enormously in popularity in recent years and intake has more than doubled since 2004. While this increase in the number of places has been welcomed, it has inevitably stretched teaching resources and increased lecture sizes.” Continued on page 8
COMMENT
Eurogamer Expo 2009
A Sheffield student is apprehended by security staff after being caught urinating yards away from the city centre war memorial, where Philip Laing (page 2), sparked national outrage. Full Carnage investigation p.14-15
Carnage: all mouth, no trousers NEWS
Welcome to Tapton Islamaphobia Towers hotel justified?
Full report and Would you want your games reviews parents staying in Univeristy halls? Fuse pages 8-9 Comment page 11
Muslim students offended and worried by Debating Society vote News page 3
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