Middlesex University in outside occupation!

The University of Middlesex have once again gone into occupation – this time outside the Burroughs Entrance on the Hendon campus. The occupiers have erected a marquee and several tents and intend to stay overnight.

The tent camp is in protest of the suspension of four students and three staff for taking part in an occupation protesting the proposed closure of the Philosophy department. This occupation defies an (incorrectly issued) High Court Injunction issued by the university last week against occupational protests. Ring any bells?

Come join the occupation! Take the Northern Line to Edgware and get off at Hendon station! The disciplinary hearings for the suspended students are tomorrow morning.

Middlesex Uni reoccupied

crossposted from http://savemdxphil.com/

This evening around 50 students and staff from half a dozen different programmes at Middlesex University’s School of Arts and Education occupied the library at Trent Park campus.

This building is full of books on philosophy, literature, art criticism, music and culture. These books – and the courses and departments associated with them – are severely endangered by management cuts. We are determined to preserve them.

The Campaign to Save Philosophy at Middlesex
Thursday 20 May 2010, 7:30pm

Sussex Six receive fines for campus sit-in

From today’s Argus newspaper leader column:

The University of Sussex has prevented making martyrs of the so-called Sussex Six by only fining them for their part in demonstrations.

The six were charged with occupying Sussex House in March and have been told to send a letter of apology to staff for their conduct.

It was the only punishment they could have been given to save face and stop the matter escalating further.

To have expelled the six would have seen a huge uprising of protest and criticism from students, academics and MPs.

Yet to exonerate them completely would have led to further criticism over dragging the students through a stressful disciplinary process at a time they were studying for final year exams and trying to complete dissertations.

The university management will hope yesterday’s hearings will draw a line under the whole saga that has rumbled on for three months.

But both staff – facing 112 job cuts at the Falmer campus – and students are not planning on letting the matter lie.

The University and College Union, whose members have already staged two one-day walkouts, should announce this week plans for the next phase of industrial action.

At a meeting last week members refused to rule out “indefinite” strike action.

As much as university management want the saga to be over, union members are planning on upping the ante.

The students have been told the size of the fines will be decided later this week.

Further updates and a response from the campaign will follow shortly.

Letter in today’s Guardian

Letter in today’s Guardian:

Campus concern

The Guardian, Tuesday 18 May 2010

We write to express our continued concern at the behaviour of Sussex University management towards students and staff on campus. Six students face a disciplinary hearing today (18 May) following an occupation of a campus building in protest against plans to make 112 staff redundant. Such protest actions have a long tradition at Sussex. The current management’s response demonstrates an unprecedented degree of intolerance and narrow-mindedness with regard to legitimate forms of protest. It is clear that these six students are being victimised in an attempt to intimidate other students away from activism against higher education cuts. These six are being unfairly singled out for the actions of many.

We call on those judging the case to ensure that no student is unfairly punished for taking part in legitimate protest.

Caroline Lucas MP Green, Brighton Pavilion, Iain Pears Novelist and art historian, Michael Rosen Former children’s poet laureate, Sally Hunt UCU general secretary, Tom Hickey UCU national executive, Jim Wolfreys King’s College London, Biswadip Dasgupta King’s College London, Jan Toporowski Soas, London, Richard Saull Queen Mary’s, University of London, Michael Keefer University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, Ian Patterson Queens’ College, Cambridge, Steven Barfield University of Westminster, Patrick Devine-Wright University of Manchester, Isabelle Fremeaux Birkbeck, University of London, Esther Leslie Birkbeck, University of London, Ross Adamson University of Brighton, Jelena Timotijevic University of Brighton, Tom Wills President, University of Sussex Students’ Union, Mark Bergfeld NUS national executive, James Heywood NUS National Executive

Next week’s Events.

Demonstration in support of the six students facing disciplinary action following the Sussex House occupation. Tuesday, May 18th. 1pm, Library Square.

what-is-education ‘Science Week’. Events from Monday to Thursday exploring the role and status of science in HE.

what-is-education process 4: science week.

The what-is-education working group – having run two moderately successful public discussions on the current situation on higher education – will this week be running a whole series of events on the (rough) theme of science in the modern university. Programme on the w-i-e blog, along with a recording of last week’s meeting.

DEFEND THE SUSSEX SIX! DEMONSTRATE! LIBRARY SQUARE TUESDAY 18th MAY @ 1!

Last term management attempted to break the Stop the Cuts movement by victimising 6 students and unilaterally suspending them from University after an occupation of the main admin building, Sussex House.

VCEG are now pushing forward with the disciplinaries against the six students. The Sussex Six are still facing charges relating to the events of the Sussex House occupation that are questioned both by Senate and the Times

The Sussex Six are not being judged for their own actions but are being used as a scapegoat by management to exact retribution on a movement that has grown and garnered support from across the world in our actions to defend Sussex University – that is, the staff, students, courses and services that compose our institution. We must defend the right to protest and to defend our education. We will not be intimidated by a bullying management.

We must oppose the disciplinaries and any punitive action that may result from the disciplinary process.

. Join the demonstration: Tuesday 18th May, Library Square @1
. Sign the Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stcsussexsix/six
. Send messages of condemnation to vc@sussex.ac.uk and cc defendsussexsix@gmail.com

The local UCU passed this motion in support of the Six:

Motion 2 – Sussex Six

The branch notes that the students known as the Sussex Six are facing a disciplinary hearing on the 18th of May following their alleged involvement among many other students in the occupation of Sussex House in March 2010.

The Branch notes the very real possibility of some form of punishment being meted out to the students by a management that has so far proved intransigent and utterly insensitive to the views of staff and students across campus. The Branch further notes that students are building a demonstration outside the location of the hearings, Sussex House, for the day. The demonstration will start at 1 pm and will include speakers including Caroline Lucas, Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavillion.

The Branch:

a) fully supports the demonstration scheduled for 18th May 2010.

b) condemns the disciplinary procedure as inappropriate and provocative in that it seeks primarily to deter future demonstration.

c) Calls for the independent inquiry called by Senate into the Sussex House occupation, but which has been subjected to delay by Council, to be initiated without further delay.

DEFEND THE SUSSEX SIX! A BLOW TO ONE IS A BLOW TO ALL! NO TO POLITICAL VICTIMIZATION!

Support Staff Forum (students and academic staff welcome)

what is education? meeting tomorrow: What role for the student in higher education?

Wednesday, May 12th. Russell Building RB30.

i.Speaker on the changing economic role and influence of the student within British universities.

ii.Chris Cocking, lecturer at London Met and Sussex alumnus, on the history of student radicalism (and its malcontents) at Sussex.

iii. Andrew Chitty, lecturer at and alumnus of Sussex, on student life and culture in the 80’s – what has changed and what hasn’t.

iv. A Discussion on the significance of the presentations for us and our context, followed promptly by the pub.

This is part of a series of discussions organised by the what-is-education working group. We aim to foster critical reflection and public discussion across the university community on the university as a place of life and work – its realities, difficulties, and potentials. whatiseducation.wordpress.com

Statement from the student occupation at Middlesex University

Found on savemdx. moving fast up there.
—
The student occupation at Middlesex University now covers the entire Mansion Building at Trent Park campus. The occupation was extended earlier this evening in light of continued management refusal to meet us and discuss our opposition to their plans to shut down Middlesex’s world-renowned philosophy department.

Our occupation is in protest at this abrupt, unjustified and unacceptable decision. We want it reversed. Students have been occupying the executive boardroom at Trent Park since yesterday morning. Today, management again refused to meet our representatives or enter discussions with the students affected by their decision to close the philosophy programme.

We affirm that the university is a site for education, not for profit. It belongs to the people who study, teach and work here, not to those who view the institution as a mere instrument for making money or for furthering their careers. As such, we see the extension of our occupation as a restoration of the university to what it should be, and a reversal of what it has become.

We invite everyone to come and visit the occupied Mansion Building at Trent Park and show their solidarity – not just with our campaign, but with all other struggles against education cuts. We view our occupation as an integral part of a wider movement of student protest, and we are proud to have representatives of these other campaigns with us.

We want this site to become an open hub of culture, politics, thought and creativity. We will be organising a cultural programme and a philosophy teach-in, details of which will be released shortly. Everyone who supports our vision and struggle is welcome here.