How students and staff saved Chemistry at Sussex

A TWO-month campaign led by students and lecturers has checkmated
the University of Sussex’s senior management’s plan to close down its
Chemistry department.

Richard Mullin Socialist Students, Sussex

On 12 May, the University’s ‘Senate’ – a deliberative body with
student and trade union representation as well as the heads of the
university’s various academic schools (‘Deans’) voted through a plan
that would retain a pure chemistry degree, despite our arrogant
Vice-Chancellor Professor Alastair Smith’s bullying tactics.

The first most students heard about the planned closure was on the
BBC. The Vice Chancellor’s Office sprung the decision upon students in
the last week of spring term, in March. Many students had academic
deadlines at this time, but well over 200 of them lobbied the Senate
meeting where these disgraceful plans were to be endorsed.

Protests from the academic community poured in, and 55 MPs signed an
early day motion calling for a Commons debate on the issue.
Vice-Chancellor Smith was hauled in front of the Commons Select
Committee on Science and Technology by Brighton MP Des Turner, who sits
on this committee.

However, Chemistry at Sussex was not saved by Parliament but by
students and academic staff who know how to stick up for themselves.
Where were these MPs when Chemistry was axed at Kings College and Queen
Mary College in the University of London? In effect they jumped on a
bandwagon, trying to gain popularity, whilst contributing nothing
decisive to the campaign.

Following the closure announcement, Jonathon Bacon, the Dean of Life
Sciences, the school of which Chemistry is a department, supported the
Vice-Chancellor’s plan. However Bacon’s attempt to avoid damaging his
promotion prospects were stalled by furious chemistry students who
repeatedly heckled him at a public meeting to ‘discuss’ the matter.

A student film-maker captured the scene and incorporated it into a
documentary produced by the ‘Sort Us Out’ campaign. Utterly
discredited, Bacon was forced to change his position by student
pressure.

Current chemists feared their own job prospects would be undermined
if they graduated with a Chemistry degree from a university that no
longer taught it. Two well attended demonstrations were called within a
week of the closure announcement.

Piles of objections to closure were collected and submitted to the
senate, bogging down the closure process. Socialist Students and their
supporters distributed thousands of newsletters denouncing the closure.

The day before the Summer term Senate meeting, 40 students occupied
a ‘Business Innovation Centre’ on the university campus. On the day
itself, 100 students came back to demonstrate outside senate. Senior
management realised they were making a rod for their own backs and
Chemistry was saved.


Lambeth college marches against cuts

FIVE HUNDRED people joined a demonstration through Brixton on 11
May, led by Lambeth College staff and students, against government cuts
of £2.3 million.

Rob MacDonald Lambeth Student Union

The protest, organised by Lambeth College NUS, Unison and Natfhe
aimed to build the anti-cuts campaign in the local community and show
senior management and the government the opposition that exists.

Lambeth students’ rally showed that worker-student unity is strong
at Lambeth. The loudest applause was for the statement that they should
be spending the money wasted on the war in Iraq on education. There was
also a call to unite all local people around a defend public services
campaign.

The cuts in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL),
community education etc. affect the most vulnerable in our local
community. Further Education should mean opportunities throughout your
life. Over 80% of Lambeth college learners are over 19. Many of these
courses help hold Lambeth’s cohesion together, providing service for
people where no others exist.