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Should the Union participate in the NUS Student Walkout?

 

Name of proposer:

Charlie Hopper

Idea Title:

Should the Union participate in the NUS Student Walkout?

What the idea is about:

The government has shelved the Higher Education White Paper. Arguing that this will make things even worse for students and the university system in England, the NUS have called for a national student walk-out this term.

Students at Leeds University have stated they are against 9k fees, and last year LUU played an active role in trying to prevent their implementation. The Student Executive are putting it to you the student body to decide whether or not a walk-out is a useful action we should organise here at Leeds.

Why have you proposed it?:

Walking out of university in protest to the government could be a successful way of continuing to argue for change to the dire situation HE has currently been left in. Or it could be protesting to the wrong people – with negative implications for students at Leeds. The Student Executive recognises this is a controversial tactic about a critical issue, and want to put it you the student body to directly make the decision as to whether we should participate. 

This idea is going to referendum

After being debated at the Better Uni forum, the student panel voted on this idea 6:9 (yes:no).

As a 75% majority was not reached, this idea was considered contentious and went to a campus-wide referendum.

Voting on this idea did not reach the quorum of 1500, so this idea falls.

 

Comments

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Gemma Coombes
9:27am on 29 Feb 12 I agree that walking out would be a bad idea. Surely by walking out of our places of education we could give the impression that we don't really value the more widespread education we are fighting for. Perhaps a more powerful protest would be to come into uni on a weekend, as a mass crowd, to show that we are willing to go the extra mile to ensure fairly priced H.E for potential future university students?
Stephen Hoffman
12:05pm on 28 Feb 12 Also how can you engage in a debate, by walking out of the debate, seems a bit nonsensical to me. Your walking out of the higher education debate, a tactic your criticising the government for doing. Bit hypocritical.
Stephen Hoffman
12:04pm on 28 Feb 12 I disagree with this entirely. For a start its assuming that every single student disagrees with what the government is doing, which isn't the case. Secondly even if you believe the government is in wrong how exactly does it help you as an individual by damaging your own education and walking out of lectures. Like it or not a lot of our tuition fees go towards the cost of employing lecturers who lecture, so why waste are money even further. Also as the NUS itself doesn't properly put through a one person one vote when it comes to these walkouts, I have a problem with the walkout in general, which assumes that all students agree. To be fair at least at Leeds we're having a proper referendum on it. I will be voting no for the reasons i've outlined.
Ashley Bullard
1:15pm on 21 Feb 12 An issue like this should go to the ENTIRE student body. My personal opinion is it's ineffective. A load of students don't turn up for a day? What is new? How does that change public or government opinion in any direct manner? Oppose 9K fees, fine, but if you want a change, do something that is going to actually make an impact and not just give ammo for people who think students just drink and do nothing.
Clare McCormack
11:56pm on 16 Feb 12 Yes. The increased fees already mean this country has one of the most expensive public university systems in the world and abysmal (and worsening) social mobility. Privatisation by the back door is still a work in progress and still a goal for this government. We son't have many ways to protest open to us but walking out of lectures (and onto a protest) is one.
Timothy McConnell
10:57am on 16 Feb 12 I agree that the union should support a walkout. And yes, a walkout will mean more work for students, but it is about showing the goverment that we are willing to take action.
Patrick Reynolds
1:18pm on 15 Feb 12 Definitely, its not so much about disrupting the university personally as it is about sending a message nationally and student solidarity.
Andrew Webb
10:01am on 15 Feb 12 Even if this action did go ahead, I think we'd be preaching to the converted as it were. The University doesn't have much of a say as to what is enforced upon it by Westminster, so what exactly would be gained by protesting against an organisation that is objecting to their funding cut (amongst other changes) as much as we are? If people want to participate in this walkout, then let them, but it's their education that's going to suffer in the long run.
Ian Marder
8:12am on 15 Feb 12 I don't know if walk outs are the best way. Education is different to every other sector in terms of striking and stuff like that. Student should be actively encouraged to attend protests, and the LUU should set up buses to protests, and maybe even set up a protest themselves, working with the other Unis in Leeds, the schools, and both public and private sector workers.
Thomas Crooks Smith
12:37am on 15 Feb 12 I agree with both the previous comments in that staging a walk out will ultimately result in more negative that positive results, and that the government had no option but to make some changes to how H.E. is financed. However not all changes have been thought through to the point where no student will be disadvantaged by the changes, therefore the fight is not over and needs to be continued until refinements to the system are made. I think it is very important that when this comes to a vote, there is a 'yes we need to support the NUS and protest but should find an alternative method' option.
James Hanson
9:14pm on 14 Feb 12 Will it change anything? No! Will students only be harming their own education for a lost cause? Yes! Have students ignored the fact that the changes are actually progressive, fair and good for social mobility? Yes!
Matthew Amison
7pm on 14 Feb 12 I don't agree with walking out of lectures. Who really listens to it, and who ultimately benefits? if anything, it does the opposite of benefit us, as we still have to catch up with our university studies and get back on track if we are to pass at the end of the year. In the end, it does more harm to the every day student, as well as giving a negative public view on students, who are already perceived generally as lazy. If others wish to take such action, I have no objection to it, but in my opinion, it's less than pointless.
Published: 09 Feb 2012 16:30 , Last updated: 29 Apr 2013 11:40