QMessenger
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Pick up your FREE copy of QMessenger from any of the QMSU outlets. These include QMotion and Drapersbar, Ground Coffee Shop, The Blomeley Centre, and The Village Shop. You can also grab a copy from the library.
Men’s football 2s into ULU Cup final
THE DEBATE: Jan Moir and the freedom of speech Page 6
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QMessenger looks at affordable Mothers’ Day gifts Page 9
Universities hiring ‘three managers per academic’ Amy Bowles Since 2003, the number of managers at UK universities has risen more than three times as fast as the number of academics, official figures disclose. Following these statistics, unions accuse universities that funding is being spent on ‘non-jobs’. Recent figures show a 33 percent increase in university managerial positions since 2003. This compares with a steadier rise of just less than 10 percent in the hiring of university academics. The increase in full-time management posts, from 10,740 to 14,250 is
the steepest rise in any job category in the UK’s higher education sector. The true number of management workers is likely to be higher, as those who qualify as academics, including vice-chancellors, are not listed as managers. The number of academics has risen 9.9 percent to 117,465, compared with a 12 percent rise in other staff to 135,055. Several other categories of non-academic university professions have also grown more rapidly than the increase in academic positions. The figure for “artistic, media, public relations, marketing and sports occupations” has risen by 27 percent since 2003, according to
9th March ‘10 • Issue 22 • FREE
statistics gathered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. By contrast, the number of technicians, laboratory assistants and academic support staff hired has fallen by 1 percent. Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, which represents academics, said: “Universities are seats of learning and research and that is driven by academics. We are already seeing class sizes rising and students receiving less time with their tutors, yet still there are calls to make students pay even more for the service and axe academic staff.” Continued page 2...
Editors Editor: Sam Cunningham editor@qmessenger.co.uk News: Sam Creighton news@qmessenger.co.uk Comment: Bradley Downing comment@qmessenger.co.uk Science & Environment: Richard Dodwell science@qmessenger.co.uk Craig Ferriman environment@qmessenger.co.uk Reviews: Helen Knight & Rebecca Wynter reviews@qmessenger.co.uk Film: Alex MacDonald film@qmessenger.co.uk
Play Sudoku and Crossword Page 13
QM dance troupe win national university dance competition, p13
QMessenger reviews all three nights of QMTC’s New Writing Festival, p8