Leaving Speech

More or less as delivered to Guild Council on 14th June 2010

To me, this is a room and a building full of ghosts.

There was a time I could name almost everyone who sat in this room at Guild Council, and count lots of them amongst my friends, but being at Uni five years means you outlast a lot of those you started with and see a lot of people come and go. Students are so fleeting, and sabbs even more so. The student movement is in a constant and rapid state of flux, and this year has made me realise that more than ever.




When I started five short years ago here I lived in a hall that is now closed because it breached fire regulations; holding an RA bar crawl entitled “Chamberlain Chunderfest” was perfectly OK; it was not unusual for Guild Councils to last well past midnight; the Muirhead tower was pre-refurbishment and you entered it next to a rusted on sign apologising for the temporary scaffolding; the biggest political faction on Guild Council was probably the Paintball club; and the Guild contained two cafés, a games room and a record store; and you could smoke in Joe’s. So much has changed, and I can safely say that the Guild seems to be stronger now than I’ve ever seen it, thanks to the work of hundreds of great students and staff who have passed through it.



I won’t bore you with a life story, but for those of you who don't know me, I did a four year physics degree, and spent my first year living in the now condemned Chamberlain hall getting drunk and going to Snobs and Bar One lot. I only got involved in my second year here; I realised how much I was missing out on and joined the Labour Club. I sat down at my very first Labour event four years ago, next to the guy who quickly became one of my closest friends was later to turn out to be my predecessor in this job, Tom Marley, and before I knew it he’d convinced me to join the society committee and get onto Guild Council; the rest just happened from there. That curry was where I met Tom Guise for the first time and the Guild Council the next week I met Fab and Ed; never did I think we’d all end up here together. There are other people who aren’t here and not many of you will know but they deserve a special mention- Gaz Hughes, for his support and inspiration and believing in me and making sure I knew it, and John Ritchie, the very first person I met in the Labour Club, for dragging me into the student movement, giving me the pushes I needed, being one of my closest friends and never letting me get down. There have been so many other great officers and people involved in the Guild they’d take forever to name, but I haven't forgotten any of you; thank you all for your encouragement, inspiration, support and friendship over all this time.



I have loved every moment of my sabb year. My election was close, and I have never forgotten this- if twenty three voters had changed their minds I wouldn't be here now. Elections are cruel and crude and the best people will not always win- whether I was the best or not I leave to you to judge, but I want to thank Claire, Luke, Si, Siz, Alex, Louise, Pippa, Emma, Kat, Alan, Tom, Mat, Jim, Heather, Mathis, Dora and especially Steve Johnson for getting me here- I would not have won without every one of you supporting me and working so so hard for me, thank you for giving me the best year of my life. Everyone I’ve known in BULS, past and present, you’ve defined my time at University, thank you. And to my friends, my coursemates and most of all my long suffering housemates, all of you from first year to now- my adopted family, I’m sorry I haven’t seen more of you this year but thank you so much for your continued support and for putting up with me for all these years.



The Guild means something different to everyone. I got involved through a society, but my heart will always be in representation. I believe as a Guild we care a lot about representation and campaigning, but we aren’t always able to give it the resource it deserves. I know I can’t name people here but the Guild staff have been incredible to work with, especially R and D department and everyone in the ARC, and the SMT have been so supportive, and I know there is so much more we could be doing if we had the capacity.



Access is a topic very close to my own heart, but I’m going to be honest and say I have done barely anything on it this year. And I regret this; although I had started a couple of projects and ideas, so many educational issues have arisen that all my time has been taken up.



The Sociology affair has defined my term in office, and is probably the most testing thing I have ever had to go through in my life. Fresh from the glory of the flashmob that we pulled off last November, that evening I got a phone call telling me the outcome of the Sociology review and from that moment my life was consumed. There were highs and lows; having to stand in a room full of a hundred students telling me I was wrong and realising I had fundamentally underestimated their strength of feeling was the lowest point, but sitting in Senate and Council and giving a statement on behalf of the students with the noise of them chanting in protest outside throughout the meeting was one of the most tough but exhilarating experiences of the year. It meant sacrificing a lot of my national engagement, like missing a national demo so I could be at the student meetings and missing NUS conference so I could go the University Council and see it through, but I always put the Guild first this year and am proud to have done so.



What did I promise in my manifesto?



Longer library hours: from next year they’ll go up by at least an hour every day



Better feedback on work: me and Fabian also won feedback on exams starting from next year, and have worked hard on this issue throughout



An online bookstore: The book exchange is up and running and soon to be expanding to include other items



An improved Student Rep scheme: We now have online training but while I hoped I could bring you online discussion forums you’ll have to wait quite some time for them



Fairer access: I tried to work on this, but unfortunately everything else took over. Maybe I’ll be able to in my last month.



But this job is about so much more than simplistic manifesto promises. There are times when as an individual and as part of the team I have come in for criticism, and I know I haven’t got everything right and done everything you wanted me to, and I know as a Guild Councillor I often criticised officers in ways that I know now they never deserved. Until you become a sabb as much as you think you understand the job and what we do, you really can’t. While I’d love to see the Guild campaigning on all the ethical issues that get brought to us and have full sympathy for them, I’m struggling to cope with all the issues that are within my remit in the first place and there comes a point when we have to put our own students first. There are thousands of charities that look out for these issues, and I think they are amazing, but there are only two organisations in the world that will look out for the rights of Birmingham students as students and that’s the NUS and us, the Guild of Students, and this is what we have to remember.



You don’t normally see me about the Guild much, and that’s because I spend a lot of time in University meetings. I can’t show you any big campaigns I’ve done or flashy marketing, because the job of VPEA is often a very subtle and behind-the-scenes one; I’ve sat on pretty much every University board that relates to Education, from the Learning Environment Group up to University Council, and I’m there as partly as a watchdog, partly as an equal, partly as the student voice. These meetings are about answering the questions on behalf of everyone, not just the majority, about spotting things that aren’t student friendly that the rest of the committee would never have picked up on, about making sure students get the best deal and fair treatment at every point in their education.



The other half of my job has been helping run the Guild, and I have been so incredibly privileged to work with this years sabb team. I don’t want this to be too much of a mushy love-in, and I’ll say my real goodbyes to you in July, but I’ve shared so much with you and you’ve made this year amazing- Whether its planning a flashmob on the late train back from Scunthorpe with Fab and Tom, driving lost around the countryside at four in the morning with Fordy searching for A&E with no map or satnav; or the cup of tea Ed brought me after finding me asleep on my desk; or drinking far too much with all of you in Harbourne, it’s been the moments with you that have made this year amazing.



Fabian, you are the smartest guy I’ve ever met, the best president I’ve ever seen and I’m in awe of what you do and how you do it, and I could never have done my without you at my side; Emma, never slow down, you do so much and I don’t know where you get the energy to do all the things that you do and do them so well; Katie, never stop fighting, you’re a true trooper and you’ve done so much for sport this year and to revolutionise your role this year, never let anyone get you down because you’re amazing; Ed, from the day I met you four years ago I knew you were something incredible, never lose that sparkle; Johnny, you’ve achieved so much this year and had the guts to re-stand; I came close but couldn’t face another election campaign, but you did it and made history, you have one more year to make so much difference, don’t stop believing; and finally Tom. You’ve been one of my closest friends for the last four years and I could never have run, never have won, and never survived this year or the last four without you. I know it’s been a crazy year for us both but you’ve been there for me for all my four years in the Guild and in Labour and I’m going to miss you so much, please never lose touch.



As for what I’m going to do next, I don’t know, so please don’t ask me. I achieved my life’s aim at eighteen; I got out of my hometown into University. I achieved my life’s ambition at twenty two, getting a physics degree, and I’ve now achieved my dream at twenty three, having a job like this. When I left Eastbourne I never imagined that by this age I’d have met two Prime Ministers, shouted down an Education secretary for getting his facts wrong, led student protests, sat around University Council and our Trustee Board as an equal to all these experienced people be taken seriously, and get elected to a job like this. I have no idea what the future holds but if I’m ever as happy again as I have been in my time here I will count myself incredibly lucky. Thank you for everything, and Rob, I know you’ll do great. Best of luck.

Inequality gap remains

Depresssing, if not surprising news here that the number of children from lower income backgrounds going to University isn't rising.

In the run up to our Town Takeover event last December, two days of planned action against a rise in tuition fees, someone suggested we should go door knocking in an area of low participation rates to raise awareness about the issue. But the problem goes so much deeper than a simple bit of outreach work; lots of these kids aren't getting in because they don't have the A-levels. Private schools currently account for 7% of our pupils but one third of A grades given out at A-Level. Why aren't students getting good A-levels? Half the time they don't have the GCSEs needed to attempt them, and aren't staying on in the first place. And why don't they have those? Because a shocking proportion of children leave our primary schools unable to read and write properly. By the age of two, the educational gulf between a chlild born to well off parents and a child not is there. The problem runs deeper than the articles at the moment are appreciating.

What about those who do make it, who get their A-Levels, who surpass any class prejudice that may or may not exist with the admissions tutors, who get offered a place? Worrying as debt is, the tuition fees are not the physical thing holding them back right now. The issue is the maintenance loan.

Starting at £3564 for next year, there are only two halls of residence at Birmingham that cost less than this annual budget. How a student is supposed to afford food and books on the £306 pounds they have left over is not a concern of the finance system. The full loan would be £4748, which still prices students out of thirteen of our twenty three halls here, and leaves those who do get that cheaper accomodation with less than
£29 a week, which is well below the poverty line. Getting a part time job to support yourself is getting increasingly difficult.

The tuition fee is no doubt a deterrant, but there are deeper and darker factors at play. It doesn't matter how scary a horror movie at the cinema is, if you don't have the cash in your pocket and didn't have the transport to get there, you don't have a choice over whether to see it. To fix the inequality gap at the top of the education system, we have to fix it at the bottom, and then remove all physical barriers that get in the way of people acheiving their potential. It's going to take a bit more than knocking on doors in Ladywood to sort this one out.

Sociology: the last update.

Avid followers of my blog will know that I spent rather a lot of last term working on the Sociology review. This Wednesday at University Council, the revised set of proposals were passed.

Every promise the students received from Professors Edward Peck and Cillian Ryan was kept to; there was an open and frank discussion with all options on the table, and over a dozen students involved. The proposals did change: twice as many staff are now being kept as were originally going to be, and these are more staff being kept for the MCS teach-out than were originally planned. We are in a considerably better position than we were in November.

There are a number of issues that I know students will want to know about, so I'm going to do my best to address them here. If you want to discuss any of them furthe, please do so below or get in touch.

Yes, there are still job losses; that is something I thouroughly regret, but as a students' union officer, my focus has to be on the students. And the staff who are going are not ones who teach students in significant numbers at all; in fact most don't, and many were actually on short term contracts. I am confident from a quality point of view that the course will not be affected adversley by this. I have to leave the staffing side to the staff unions, and that is what I have done.

Yes, the Media Culture and Society course will close, after the four year teach-out has completed. While I know this is not a popular move with students, it is natural that courses change and close. The levels of staff being kept for the teach-out mean that students shouldn't be affected massively. The jusification for keeping it open simply wasn't strong enough, but full credit should go to the students who worked hard to make the case.

No, there won't be a Sociology department; but there will be a Sociology group within the POLSIS department. So the University still has a sociology presence and course; although not in the way we are used to.

Something good that has come out of this review is that student involvement in future reviews is now at the forefront of the University's mind. In the Theology review I have seen great student engagement, and am working to advise the University on future reviews so we don't get into this situation again.

The students who have engaged in this review have done so with fantastic committment and really have made a difference to the department. I know that not everyone is entirely happy with the outcomes, but we really have come a long way and I am satisfied that the quality of the degree has been at the forefront of these changes. Please, any outstanding questions and worries, send them my way to b.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk or write below.

Brij

Finally...

... I have suffered four long years on Guild Council, and I can't tell you how excited I am to see it finally changing.

Council at the moment is an undemocratic mess. I have seen meetings that go on until one in the morning. I have seen meetings that last half an hour, where nothing is discussed.

We have over a hundred seats available to be democratically elected by school reps, but fewer than half are currently filled. We force over two hundred societies, residents associations, and minority associations to send reps, unelected and unaccountable. About half turn up.

We at present have half a House of Commons and a bloated House of Lords sitting side by side in the same chamber.

Now, finally, after months of hard work, research around the country, and unprecedented levels of consultation with hundreds of students from all walks of student life, we have something to replace this with.

We want more referenda on the most important issues that affect you.

We want themed open forums without the bureaucracy where ordinary students can tell us and debate what matters to them.

We want elected Guild Councillors, who are actually trained to represent and hold the Officer Team to account, and where they all actually read the motions before turning up.

We want fewer Guild Councillors, from all walks of student life, with clear constituencies and lines of accountability, so you know and can choose who represents you.

We want the Guild to become a democracy again.

Next week, for the first time in the Guild's ninety year history, you will have the chance to make that change. Vote yes in the referendum, and give the Guild back to students.

One day in the life of the VPEA

6.30 am
Get up. I had a lot of reading to do over the weekend for this week's meetings, but only upon settling down with my highlighter and Family Guy last night did I discover I'd picked up the wrong pile on my way out on Friday. I have a shower, some toast, a cup of tea and head into work.

8.05 am
Arrive in the office. Mugs aren't looking too nice, so wash them as my computer loads. Discover that half the papers I need to read for my 2 o'clock I haven't even printed yet; seventy two sheets later, I sit down with my cuppa and get reading.

8.28 am
There's building work being done on campus, and has been for about three weeks. The pile driver appears to be acoustically directed at my office window and is driving me slowly insane. It's cold in the office as the heating has been off all weekend. What I'm reading is a document entitled the School of Education Self-Evaluation of Quality Processes; more on that later...

9.30 am
Set off to Starbucks for our weekly Sabb catch-up. It's pretty much the only time in the week we'll be all together in the same room at once, and we use it to get out of the office and let each other know what we're working on and what's coming up in the week ahead.

10:41 am
Back at the desk; a bit more reading before my 11 o'clock...

11.17 am
Well my 11am was going to be on looking at the first draft of the Student Voice Report, a QAA style document we are going to be producing annually, critiquing the University from a student point of view. However, it's been a bit delayed and everyone who was going to be in the meeting is snowed under, so we're postponing it til the end of the week. Answering a couple of emails and reading my School Quality Review documents some more!

13:11
Just had a chat with someone potentially running for my position next year. Very encouraging! Still ploughing through these documents, off to get some lunch in a minute to munch as I read.

13:51 pm
Off to a School Quality Review pre-meet for Education. This is where a team of academics, plus myself, goes into each school on a five year cycle and reviews all their quality assurance processes. Takes a lot of time and trees, but means we can be sure your degree is worth the paper it's printed on. I'm going to be leading on the Student Admission, Support, Guidance and Progression section, since students are my area of expertise. We meet to discuss what we want to ask the school on our day long visit there next month.

15:00
Leave the meeting a little early, to meet a group of school children at the Guild. They're from a local school taking part in a Physics Factory project, a specialist teaching lab that gives pupils without access to physics labs and teachers at their own school the chance to study there twice a week. The pupils were on a day long visit to the Uni to see the physics department, and I've been asked to give them a tour of the Gulid and to tak to them about student life.

16:00
That went well! Back at the desk now, daunted by tomorrow's trip to the Medschool as part of their School Quality Review. A lot of reading and prep to do for that. Off to get a coffee, sit on a comfy chair and figure out what I'm doing in it. Probably going to have to read for Wednesday's Learning Environment Group meeting and prep for the Student Rep Staff Liason Contact Forum I've got then too, since tomorrow I'll be out of the office at this day long meeting.

19.28
Spent a while booking tickets to a friends wedding and chatting with the sabbs, and most of the time trying to read up for tomorrow's Medicine PGT review. Tons still to do, think I'll get some fresh air and carry on at home. Also just recorded an Audioboo with Fabian on the National Student Survey!

Hypocrites, hypocrites everywhere...

The number of times I have seem a newspaper headline denouncing "micky mouse courses" and the "dumbing down of education"! The number of people to whom I have had to defend the idea that 50% of kids could go to University, and that having an educated society was the way forward!

But now the public is unanimously mourning the would-be students who are already forecast to not get a University place this year...

I've said it before and I'll say it again, make your sodding minds up.

Did you know...

...You can just put them in the box inside the Lending area between 10.30am and 11.15am without having to queue?
...You can book short loan books to take out on a particular day?

About a third of students queueing to use the short loan service machine  between 10.30 and 11.15 didn't.

...You can renew short loan books at any self service machine in the library?

Two thirds of students queuing to use the machine between 10.30 and 11.15 didn't.

That's why, instead of diving straight in there with an expensive new short loan machine, and looking at a full range of options, the library is going to run a relatively cheap campaign making people aware of the above. If this helps solve the queues, great. If it doesn't, we'll look at it again and see if we can change the time so that it's on the half hour rather than the hour, or maybe get an extra machine.

I decided, given on the feedback you guys have given me at Student Rep forums, that you'd rather have more books than a new machine, so I advised the library to try the cheap option first to see if it worked...

How does that sound?

Term One Roundup...

This term has been something of a rollercoaster, to use a well-worn cliche. I'm taking a few days off over to Christmas to relax, recharge and refocus.

What has my term been?

Sociology has dominated my agenda, well before the announcement was leaked by staff back on November the 10th. That doesn't feel like six weeks ago; everything that's happened since feels like it's been enough to fill six months of a normal calendar. Meetings with students, the Student Reps, the Head of College, the College Head of Learning and Teaching, the University Registrar and Secretary, the Head of Finance, one Pro-Vice-Chancellor and his former deputy, the VC himself, Senate, Council, our student Senate reps, internal Guild staff, UCU reps, hundreds of emails from individual students, their parents, sociologists and UCU members from other unis...

Sociology is now in a relatively quiet place. We will hold elections to elect students onto the discussion panels that have resulted from the review process, and these will report back late March... Just need to arrange these elections.

Appeals, College Misconduct Hearings and Fitness to Practice all took so much more time and emotion than I ever anticipated, but was worth every second of it to help those students.

So what about the old manifesto points?

Feedback has made good progress; I sit on a working group looking at exam scripts in feedback and Fab and I have had a lot of input into proposals to improve feedback going through the Uni committees. Just needs a push in the right direction...

Libraries is an area I've had to save off launching myself into until next term, thanks to a certain troubled department.

Access I am also going to have to wait before tackling, there's been so much on this term it's been hard to get going on it.

Student Reps have a lot of exciting developments coming their way this year, including online training, meaning all of you can access it for the first time ever (and have no excuses!), PSA accreditation, and MyStudentRep, a confidential discussion forum you will soon be able to access via MyBham for just Student Reps and those they represent.

.... The Book Exchange is doing great!

So, thoughts so far, any any questions?

New Look

I hate pink and this looks cleaner and marginally more professional, within the confines of the Blogger templates!

New look, new year...

My and Fabian's report from University Council, as sent to Sociologists and MCS students this week

Hi all,

So here is the report from University Council, where Sociology was discussed last week. The choice before Council was not whether or not to close the department, but whether or not to continue the consultation into the future of Sociology at Birmingham. All the comments made at Senate on the matter were presented in a report to Council to inform their decision.

Fabian, the Guild President, and I were called on to give the student view, and we did so, asking for rejection of the report and explaining why, and a long discussion ensued on a number of the points we raised. They were all taken seriously and discussed; but ultimately we were the only ones to put forward the case for outright rejection (although someone else did bring up the possibility of deferring the decision and several expressed that the preferred option was perhaps not the best) and so Council approved that consultation should continue.

The consultation period was a topic of great discussion and Council members expressed a genuine desire that all options remain live. Professors Edward Peck and Cillian Ryan restated their commitment to involve students as they wanted to be, on what they wanted, and will be continuing discussions with myself and your Student Reps as to how this should take place. More details of this will follow in the week.

So I’m afraid it’s as predicted, that part’s over and the consultation will continue: Now it’s up to us to take all that energy from the protests and the campaign and use it to make that consultation good and get what students need out of it. Please remember, the final decision on what to do with the department has not been taken, and all options remain open; it's so important that you engage in the consultation process now.

Thanks to all who have emailled, contacted us and turned up to the big meetings; although there wasn't time to reply to them all we read and listened to everything and used it all to help us argue for you in everything we've done. Please continue send us your thoughts, and contact your Student Reps who will be setting out the process for continued consultation in the near future.

Best wishes

Brigid and Fabian
VP (Education and Access) and President
Guild of Students

Senate Reps report to Sociologists, as sent to them last week.

Dear Students,

Apologies for the delay in this report reaching you, I thought it had been sent to you on Thursday but there were some administrative issues which resulted in its delay.

The protest last week was very impressive, congratulations on pulling it off; the chanting could be heard from the Senate Chamber! We wanted to give you our report of what happened yesterday.

When it came to Sociology being discussed, the Vice Chancellor first clarified the procedure. He stated that the role of Senate was to give its views to Council, and that all views given in the meeting would be passed in a report to Council to inform their decision on whether or not to continue the consultation. He emphasized that no decision on closure or any other course of action will be taken until April.

The Vice Chancellor further stated that should the consultation period continue, all six options considered in the report, a to f, would remain live, as would any others that may arise from the consultation process, and that all would be given thorough and equal consideration if the consultation moved forward and remain on the table for discussion. Professor Edward Peck confirmed that should the paper go to consultation, weekly meetings would be held for all students to attend to discuss aspects of the options, that weekly meetings would be held for the Student Reps to look deeper into certain aspects, and theme groups of students and staff would be set up to address the key areas of concern that you and the staff have raised. He acknowledged that the consultation with students had failed thus far and that the consultation process would have to compensate for this. These guarantees were confirmed to Senate and minuted.

A representative from the Staff union read out a statement on their behalf, and Brigid gave a statement on your behalf, which included all the concerns you have brought to us from the meetings and via email. It was stated that the view of the student body was that the paper must be rejected. Further comments from representatives were critical of the review process so far and the proposals that had been drawn up, and there was some acknowledgement from Senate members that the procedure for the consultation moving forward was now a positive one.

We were happy to see the new framework for consultation be confirmed by the Vice Chancellor and Edward Peck before Senate and these are now guaranteed should consultation go forward.

Please let us know what you think of this framework, and your thoughts on this moving forward.

Best wishes

Brigid, Claire, Hadrian, Simon, Simon and Vicky
Your Senate Reps

In the last fortnight

• I have attended one Fitness to Practice Hearing
• One College Misconduct
• One Appeal
• Three member disciplinaries (I don't like doing these, please stop doing bad things all of you)
• Met with Sociologists and MCS students three times
• Answered and read God knows how many emails from them
• Attended Senate and Council to represent said students and oversee the covernance of the University, both broadly and academically
• Held five college Student Rep Forums, where Student Reps tell me everything that's going on in their worlds and I ask for feedback on what my priorities should be and get them to feed into what I'm doing
• Attended Educational Enhancenent Group, which is a Uni committee of a fairly self explanatory nature, and am now on a sub group looking at improving module evaluation
• All the other little things that I do inbetween, like attend Sabbatical Officer Group meetings, read for the above meetings, negotiate with the Uni and listen and answer the queries of numerous students.
• Seen the Guild Musical Theatre Group production of Sweeny Todd and had to be told it's not a true story, despite its magnificance (well done guys)
• Drunk the new Real Ale in the Guild! A welcome return, yum yum!

So... any questions? :)

Sociology

Why have I been so quiet on the blog?

Sociology has consumed my life.

My involvement in the Sociology affair began on the 28th August when I met with the Head of the Review Group. It quickly became apparent to me that things weren't adding up, and I soon uncovered the fact that students were at this stage unaware of the review and how this had happened. Since then I have implored the Review Group to give students another chance to have their input.




I've been in contact with the students every few weeks to keep them updated on my actions. Since the news broke two Tuesdays ago I've been working more or less non-stop on Sociology. I was at both the meetings where the proposals were explained to students, and straight after each I held meetings between them and the other Senate Reps for them to give us their view and inform our lobbying. I've been in constant contact with the Student Reps.



My line on the protest has been that students can organise that themselves, they don't need my help; I felt my efforts were best concentrated behind the scenes lobbying people I had access to and they didn't. Since that Tuesday I have met with the Head of the College of Social Sciences, the College's Head of Learning and Teaching, departmental staff, the Registrar and Secretary of the University, the Uni's Head of Finance, the Pro Vice Chancellor for Academic Quality and Students, and the Vice Chancellor, and we have drawn up a framework for the consultation period that will follow, with a level of student involvement unprecedeted in its breadth and depth. This framework was confirmed at Senate last Wednesday, where myself and the other Senate Reps made the chamber very aware of exactly what students thought of the proposals and where it should go from here. In addition to this we have had it confirmed that closure will not be the only option the table. We have got to a stage now where all of the six options outlined in the report, from keeping the status quo through to full closure, are now back on the table.


This work was supported by the President who joined me in much of this and lobbied through his channels too.

From here, the proposal to go into consultation goes to University Council this Thursday. The decision on what to do with the department will not be taken until April and there is no certainity that the debate at that stage will even involve closure.
 
COUNCIL WILL NOT BE DECIDING ON THURSDAY WHETHER TO CLOSE THE DEPARTMENT.
 
Hope this clears some things up. If anyone wants more info, please leave me a comment or drop me an email at b.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk
 
Cheers!
 

Hats

It's funny, all the different interactions you have with people and the hats you have to wear in this job.

On the panel with me at the afore-mentioned School Quality Review, was one person I sit on other committees with, and one person I've had to defend students to in appeals, whilst also helping one of her students in another matter. On the other side, being reviewd, were a couple more people I've met in appeal and misconduct hearings and someone I sit on Council with. Wrapped up in this were the students I represent, including a number of my friends who have studied at different levels in the school. All very interesting stuff...

School Quality Reviews

On Tuesday I spent all day sitting on the panel for a School Quality Review of the History and Cultures Department.

"What's that?" I hear you ask!

Well, a School Quality Review happens to every school in the University on a six or so yearly cycle. The school submits a self evaluation about everything they do, and a panel of academics, plus an external academic from another university and a Guild sabbatical office (normally myself, but I delegate when I don't have the time) goes in and questions them on the whole thing. For you sciencey and PhDy types, it's a bit like a viva.

It's a really interesting; you get to look at everything the school does to make sure their procedures are up to scratch. So we looked at things like admissions, welfare provision, quality assurance in teaching and learning, provision of learning resources, and pretty much everything else. We scrutinise everything, and make reccomendations for change and give commendations for good practice.

Just one of the many fun things I do...

Update

It's been longer than I realised since my last blog! What have I been up to?

I've been on annual leave to Rome. It was lovely.

I've been to and am preparing for a number of student College Misconduct hearings and complaint interviews.

I've been picking up casework from you left, right and centre. Keep it coming though!

I've been to University Learning and Teaching Committee, to discuss, well, learning and teaching strategy.

I've met with Library Services and got some great feedback there.

I've been chasing around after the Sociology Review trying to get some student consultation involved.

I've had dinner with Housing and Accomodation Services at my old haunt, the Vale Hub at Shakleton!

... and today I am largely in the office catching up on everything else.

Anything you think I should be doing or looking into?

A Library to Love?

Longer library opening hours has always been an issue of mine, as has increasing the number of core texts and improving access to IT facilities and learning spaces. I have taken up the issue of another short loan machine too from my election opponent.

Is there anything else you think I should have on my library agenda?

A "Typical" Monday

A friend asked me the other day what a typical day with me would involve. I replied, predictably, that there was no "typical" day, but thought to give you an idea of what I do that for each day this week I'd write a blog on my full itinerary. Here is Monday.

I came in at ten to nine to find Sabb Catch-Up had been moved to ten, so I went to my office, caught up on some emails and read the day's Education News on th BBC. I then realised I was block-booked through to three, so went to Spar to buy lunch in advance. Sabb Catch-Up was nice; it's an hour a week we set aside to talk to each other about what we've been up to, what's coming up and just generally get together, as we rarely have a chance to do so in the week.

At eleven I met with Yogi, our outgoing rep on the Graduate School Management Board, to have a de-brief on his year and adress any thoughts he had about the year. This was most interesting and gave me a lot of issues to follow up with regards to Postgraduate education at Birmingham and also within the Guild with respects to how we gather Postgraduate issues.

At eleven forty five I ate a banana.

At twelve I met with two staff who work on the Student Rep system to brief on the upcoming Student Rep Strategy Advisorary Board on Wednesday, and at one I met with two more staff members to discuss said strategy. In between these meetings I grabbed lunch.

At two I left for Muirhead Tower to discuss some problems some students have been having with their courses. They were kind enough to give me a much appreciated cup of tea.

At three I met with Fabian and other Guild staff to discuss the upcoming Town Takeover event, to be held in December. I then took a break, during which time I consumed one coffee and half a bar of Dairy Milk and discussed some Guild matters with Tom Guise.

At four thirty I met with Fabian and the Chief Executive of the Guild to brief for tomorrow's Council Away Day. I then spent ten minutes resolving a health and safety matter.

And now it's six pm, and I'm going to read some papers for a meeting on Thursday and then go home at half past. Stay tuned for more typical days in the life of a sabb!

Perks

Surely none of you can have missed the Vice Chancellor of Buckinghamshire University calling female students a "Perk of the job" and saying that we use our curves to exploit male lecturers.

I bet the millions of women who will go to lectures this week with male lecurers feel really comfortable and secure right now. And I that for a large proportion of them a lot of the behaviour and attitudes they have experienced in their time at Univeristy suddenly make a lot of sense.

Senate Briefing

Right now I'm reading the papers for Senate, the most senior University Academic board on which five students, plus myself, sit, aong with about thirty five academics from across the colleges and a number of others. All academic policy will pass through here, and it sits underneath the afore-blogged-about Council.

All Student Reps are invited to apply to be senators, so if you're interested for next year, pleae stand to be a Student Rep this year...

Building up the Book Exchange

Hey Folks,

The much maladied Book Exchange has been relaunched and is now totally, 100%, really truely problem proofed.

The Guild Marketing Department have been working hard and have sorted out all the problems you have told us about, from the one week expiry time to the login issues. Ex students can now list books with ease and your book will stay up for one year if you want it to.

Welcome Week is just around the corner so this is the time to get your books up and ready for all the new students to buy!

I also want to know if you have any ideas for the future. I'm already looking at having a section for selling non-book related objects, what do people think of a spare room listing?

Brigid Jones's Diary is International Blockbuster

A special hello to my twelve readers in a small town in Brazil who Google Analytics tell me are avid followers of this blog. I don't know who you are or why you read my blog but it's nice that you do :)

Scouting out Council

In the last week I've had extensive training for sitting on University Council, the governing body of the Univeristy. Me and Fabian were sent away to London for a day for a seminar for student governors, which gave us a good overview of the role, and the next day we had a Birmingham specific induction.

Two student sabbatical officers sit on University Council, along with a number of academics and a larger number of external lay members. The board is ultimately responsible for the University of Birmingham, and has oversight on the accounts, appointments, estates, academic strategy, recruitment and research. While most issues are discussed and developed in greater depth in the committees that sit below Council, the ultimate decision on whether to pass their reccommendations is made there.

It's going to be a very interesting year to be on Council!

Help me help you get better Feedback!

What have I done since my last blog?

I've had a "quiet" few days in the office. My time has been spent mostly planning; setting up meetings, chasing up people and planning the "next step" in each of my projects.

Here I will make a call for student input into one of my campaigns!

What is the feedback like in your department? Is it particuarly good, is it bad, does it exist at all; does your dept. have a standard way of doing it or is it left up to individual lecturers?

Any info please to b.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk will be treated confidentially; if you want to send me an example of a feedback sheet you got back I will anonymise it before using it. This information is helping me to map out areas of excellence, mediocrity and absence when it comes to feedback and will help me work to improve the service you get from the Uni!

Well, that's all for now; I'm off to a meeting of the MedSchool's Curriculum and Welfare Committee...

10:10, TT and LSE

On Tuesday I helped a student with a complaint interview, and then caught a train to London for the 10:10 launch. 10:10 is a drive to cut carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010, and together with Fabian and Tom I was there to see it launched. So far I have annoyed my housemates by unplugging pretty much everything in the lounge before going to bed (there is no off button on most of the appliances, they seem to only do standby or on!) and taken to turning off my Blackberry over night, so I don't have to charge it so often. I will be also keeping up my record of never owning a car (my lack of driving licence being irrelevant to the importance of this sacrifice of mine). What will you be doing?

Having spent the night in the basic and cheap LSE halls, which were deeply reminiscent of but far more pleasent than my days in Chamberlain (more halls like this please Brum) I attended a planning and training day for the NUS's planned Town Takeover days of action on tuition fees. More information will be coming soon, but if anyone would like the info up front to get involved in planning or delivering, my address is b.jones@guild.bham.ac.uk.

Being rather too tired to watch the West Wing episode I was looking forward to I will now retire to bed.

Aldwych goes to Sheffield

Fabian and I spent Friday and Saturday in Sheffield, at this year's second Aldych Group meeting. The Aldwhych Group is formed of the students' unions of the Russell Group of elite (or elitist?) research intensive instituions and was created as a reaction to the Russell Group in 1994.

So why come together? Well, there are a variety of mission groups operating withing the UK University Sector, such as the 1994 group. These are self formed groups of similar universities, which collaborate and lobby the government. The thing that amuses me about the Russell Group is that its members are actually not the top twenty universities in the UK, but that having declared themselves to be special gives them a collective air of importance that it's easy to buy into.

So, this weekend we talked about the future direction of the Aldwych group and looked at the things we had in common, identified problems and issues particular to RG institutions and looked at ways we could solve them together. We talked about the upcoming fee reviews for Undergrads and Postgrads and how we could best react to that and how we could play our part in shaping them. We looked at the great things we were already doing individually and how we could adapt them to work in our own institutions.

The point of a Union is to come together for the common interest and purpose, and unions that opt out of the NUS are sorely missing out. This was evidenced to me from meeting officers from non affiliated unions at Aldwych; they operated very much on their own, with little scope of the bigger picture. I cannot stress how much seeing how other unions operate and how other officers work has helped me in my job so far; there is no point is us sitting in our isolated unions reinventing the wheel constantly, and there are issues we cannot solve on our own and must come together and fight together. Our Universities sure as hell are, and we are only weaker if we don't mirror them and come together ourselves.

But I digress; it's time for me to go back to my wonderfully relaxing weekend and go cook fajitas with my housemates...

National tragedy, or what you always wanted?

50 000 potential students missed out on a place at University this year, despite having the necessary qualifications.

So why is the right-wing press so upset? They hate the target of 50% going to University! They want children to grow up to be plumbers and builders, not to study Micky Mouse courses and incur massive debts in doing so! Why does the press, which has for so long decried the need for people to go to University now mourn that so many are not getting in?

It's the same old story; it's because it's their kids and their reader's kids that may not be getting a place this year. The hypocrisy on the news stands is making me sick.

How many reps did you say?!

Last year the Guild started a mapping exercise, to find out exactly how many Student Reps we have operating across the University.

It turns out we have 900.

Last week a fair bit of my time was spent on looking at online Student Rep training, and the development of online discussion forums so students and reps can get talking. It's all looking rather snazzy, we'll be trialling the forums next year and hoping for a full roll out the year after. These will be facilitated by the University but be a strictly confidential, private space where you and your coursemates can talk about all the things that affect you on your course, so that the reps can take the issues forward. A lucky few will get to try it out from November, I'm keen to know what you think about it...

Week with the Nus

I've spent the week away in Sheffield on NUS training with Fab and Tom. It's been fantastic meeting so many people and the insight into the student movement and and leadership and organisational skills we've picked up will prove invaluable. More info with pictures when I get back to my laptop!

Right to Appeal

One of the most important things the Guild does is to support students through their academic appeals. This week the officer team have spent a lot of time doing just that.

The ARC has dedicated advisers who help students to put their appeals together. If the appeal goes to a hearing, you can elect to take a sabbatical officer with you, to provide support, make sure you get the hearing you deserve and to help you make the best possible case you can. Some of the team have spent their week helping students in this way, and it's proving to be one of the most difficult and most rewarding parts of the job.

For more information, drop int the ARC or look them up on the Guild website.

Getting Started

Well, me and the rest of the Sabbatical team have spent the last month in training and officially took over on the 1st August. Only 360 days left to make a difference!

I've spent my first few days in office getting up to speed on what's going on. I've been planning action on HE funding, following up casework Student Reps have raised with me, analysing their feedback on the big issues of last year, preparing for student appeals and planning my first steps. I've also been trying to coax back to life the rather dry plant in the corner of my office.

That's all for now- I'll be back soon...