Edd Bauer, the victimised Vice President Education at the Birmingham University Guild of Students and National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts supporter, recently received a letter from Carolyn Pike, the University’s Director of Legal Services, informing him he was banned from campus. Here is an abridged version of his reply.
Dear Carolyn,
Thank you for your letter of 17 November 2011, revoking my “right” to be on campus. Unfortunately I cannot abide by the ban and I regret to inform you that I have already returned to campus.
I appreciate your concern for the “disruption” to students’ education; it would be nice if the university actions matched its words. The real threat of disruption to education at the University of Birmingham is the £10 million worth of cuts and 200 job losses that yourself and the other university mangers are pushing on us, not to mention the disruption caused by raising the university hall fees, which has caused immense stress to students. The continued hikes in undergraduate and postgraduate tuition fees are not only going to disrupt people’s education but will completely deny them the opportunity to come to a university like the University of Birmingham.
I am happy to stop campaigning on campus if the university pledges to undertake these seven steps:
1. To publicly condemn the White Paper and call for it to be withdrawn
2. To guarantee no course closures
3. To guarantee no job cuts and no adverse changes to staff terms and conditions
4. To provide bursaries for all students who need them — not fee waivers
5. To guarantee no cuts to library, student support or learning resources
6. To guarantee no cuts to access schemes or foundation courses
7. To guarantee that the university will remain a public and a not-for-profit body.
All the best,
Edd Bauer
Vice President of Education (in exile)
