Sussex University Cuts
It was announced last week that the following cuts are proposed at Sussex University:
- 115 planned staff redundancies total
- Losses in the schools of Life Sciences, Informatics, English, Engineering & Design, the Centre for Continuing Education, and History
- Redundancies or reduced staffing levels in the Library, IT Services, lab technicians, portering and catering.
- Closure of Unisex, the sexual health and drug/alcohol awareness service
- Redundancy for 11 out of 16 of the university’s student advisers
- Closure of the subsidised childcare service
- Closure of InQbate, a pioneering high-tech learning space
- A 5% cut in Union funding
- Further cuts planned in early 2010
The official position is that these cuts are necessary, and are given alongside management claims that the the student experience will be improved (while somehow cutting services that students need and reducing lecturers) and that the university remains committed to research. Emails which say things like "In a number of schools we need to seek financial savings, which will mean reductions in staffing. However, in all cases we will be investing in developing new areas of research and teaching in these schools as a positive approach to the challenges we face" are not helping matters.
40% of academic staff (below professorial level) in Informatics alone are due to be cut. Somehow there are also plans to increase student numbers in the department. I admit to being baffled about who will be left to teach these students, or how it could possibly work.
The week that this all was announced it was noticed that all large meeting rooms at the university had been blocked out so they could not be used - the supposed reasons having since proved to be an 'administration error'... Alongside other incidents this has prompted some to become concerned about the possibility the management are trying to curb freedom of speech.
The drama continues.
In the meantime, this entire thing, while badly managed by upper management, has served to move several groups into action, and appears to be uniting people within departments and across the university in a way that is truly inspiring.
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