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EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
ISSUE V
WEDNESDAY 27 FEBUARY 2008
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION » 23 Congolese author Alain Mabanckou is shaking up French literature
FREE KOSOVO » 19 Ian Traynor asks if the Balkans are ready for more conflict
» 16
University staff cuts blamed on SNP budget
The politics of AIDS » 24
» 100 redundancies at Dundee University » Vice-Chancellor says decision forced by "poor" funding provision » Opposition parties take aim at government
Paris Gourtsoyannis paris.gourtsoyannis@journal-online.co.uk
OVER 100 JOBS are to be lost at Dundee University in the first case of staff cutbacks blamed directly on insufficient government funding for higher education. Faced with a budget shortfall of £3 million over the next two years, Dundee University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sir Alan Langlands says he has been forced to instigate the current restructuring program as a result of the “poor” funding settlement offered to universities in this year’s Scottish Budget. “Given the disappointing outcome from the government’s comprehensive spending review and the pressures on pay, pensions and utility budgets, the action taken following the university’s own sustainability review and delivery of the targets set in our strategic framework will move us towards a breakeven position,” said Mr Langlands. The cuts at one of the country’s foremost centres for biomedical research and training have raised fears of financial difficulties damaging Scottish universities’ ability to compete for talent in the global arena. Speaking exclusively to The Journal, the Scottish Labour shadow Minister for Education, Ken Macintosh, said: “Dundee University is at the leading edge of Scotland’s knowledge-based economy. “We want to see urgent action to prevent similar cuts at other universities before more damage is done to Scotland’s standing as a centre for excellence.
“To this end we will be calling for a full independent review of the way higher education is funded.” His sentiments were echoed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ spokesman for education, Jeremy Purvis MSP. “There seems to be a feeling in the SNP that the only things students are concerned with is the cost of university,” he said. “In reality, students seek not only cheap education, but the best academic environment possible. “Professors and students are sensitive to the research environment of the institution in which they work, and there is a danger that without proper funding, the best talent could leak out of Scotland to the detriment of academic quality.” Mr Macintosh, whose represents Dundee as a regional MSP for North East Scotland, suggested that there could also be wider economic repercussions as a result of the decision. “Students and staff make an important contribution to local communities in areas like Dundee. This will not be welcome news to residents,” he said. The funding settlement for universities included in this year’s budget represents a fall in funding of 0.2 per cent, a figure debated by the SNP but supported by both the Liberal Democrats and Labour. Scotland’s universities had requested £168 million in the run up to the budget, but are now unlikely to see anything approaching that figure with the budget having already been approved. Continued on page 2
Jon Rawlinson
CAPITALISING ON THE AIDS EPIDEMIC
The differing agendas of governments and aid organisations have been carefully stage-managed, says AIDS researcher Alex de Waal
Cole campaign running anonymous attack blog EUSAless Ben Judge ben.judge@journal-online.co.uk
EUSALESS, THE ONLINE blog notorious for attacking elected officials at the Edinburgh University Students Association, was a “campaign tool” being run by several members of presidential hopeful Harry Cole’s campaign team, an investigation by The Journal can reveal. Alastair Sloan, press officer and spokesperson for Harry Cole’s campaign, has been secretly running the anonymous blog, alongside several other contributors close to Mr Cole, since November 2007. In that time, EUSAless has been
particularly influential in undermining public opinion of EUSA sabbatical officers Josh MacAlister, Tom French and Gordon Aikman while attacking Mr Cole’s political rivals. If elected, Mr Cole will be expected to work closely with the permanent secretary, Graham Boyack, and the communications adviser, Tony Foster, two non-student members of staff at the Students’ Association also heavily criticised in the blog. In a statement released on Saturday, Mr Cole apologised for misleading voters, admitting to “having influence on its direction” and that some may see it “as a campaign tool.” In the statement, he claimed to have worked with the people behind EUSAless “in
the past,” however, after being presented with claims by The Journal, he admitted that current members of his campaign team were writing the blog. On more than one occasion, EUSAless has attempted to appear independent of the Harry Cole campaign. In an entry dated 12 December 2007, it denies suggestions that Mr Cole was involved with the blog, while another post, dated 5 February 2008, attempts to imply that Mr Sloan also had no involvement. Nick Ward, a rival presidential candidate who has come under heavy fire from EUSAless in the last week, Continued on page 16
HAVE SUPERFOODS GONE SUPER FAR? » 19