It is a story so very familiar when a trade union is dedicated to protect its members through the form of a strike. The only problem is that strikes cause disruption and for this I have no desire to support the UCU (University and College Union) ballot.

There is no doubt that higher education is in a little bit of a muddle. Just look at what happens when students decide not to vote. The government is able to withdraw their support for us through funding cuts. Add that to the financial mess the University of Gloucestershire have got themselves in.

It is in my absolute confidence that the University’s management is to blame. Fair enough, the world has a recession and Gordon Brown has not provided medicine for the UK. This recession goes beyond the academic’s hairline though. The University of Gloucestershire is in big trouble. Lots of Universities have debts but I go to a small University with a huge debt. Last time I heard it was over £36 million, an amount which must have been building before the recession.

I would be lying if I said that the University are being completely closed about what is going on. After pressure by the SU (Student’s Union), last semester, they lightened up a little. Still, there is no complete honesty and most details I learn are through word of mouth. Be honest University management; be open about your mistakes. It isn’t difficult, this blog has taken but a few minutes to write and will reach a couple of hundred readers.

I do feel sorry for staff members. During my first year at University I made good friends with the cleaning staff who have seen over half their colleagues lose their jobs. It is heart breaking when anybody loses their job but I feel angry when you hear about management being on vast salaries but at the same time wielding the weapon.

Even though I am sympathetic towards staff members losing their jobs, this is sympathy(…)

Although at times it may seem like I criticise the University of Gloucestershire, this is not the case. As a student at the University I have been provided with many wonderful opportunities. Staff members are friendly, delightful and I consider myself lucky to be a student under them.

The problem is with the management. Absolutely no doubt about it. There will be many factors why the University of Gloucestershire has got a £36,000,000 debt. Cuts need to be made but need to be made intelligently. Not to cut members of staff who are crucial, whose losses will directly impact the education of students.

A friend of mine is currently looking to study Journalism. Currently the University of Gloucestershire is not an option, should not be an option for him. Partly because the University insists on keeping details secret, only to be found out through rumour. Although largely because this University offers no important guarantees for its future. It can’t afford to but neither do the management decide to actually open up and be honest.

I am but merely a student. I do not wish to scare prospective students away from this University. This is not the point of this post. Even though compulsory redundancy letters are being sent around like sweets at a child’s party. Instead I want to share with you an open letter written by a lady called Shelley Campbell addressed to the Vice-Chancellor. As of yet this letter has had no reply.

4th December 2009

Shelley Campbell

Professor Patricia Broadfoot

Vice-Chancellor

Dear Vice-Chancellor,

I am a post-graduate student in Philosophy at the University of Gloucestershire, beginning my second year of research. I would like to address several points concerning my current situation as: 1.  A post-graduate student; 2. A student of Philosophy; and, 3. A member of a community, the School of Humanities, where my colleagues (lecturers and supervisors) are under enormous stress with ongoing threats of loss of work.

Firstly, for a post-graduate student – as you know – there is simply no funding and those

(…)

A huge thanks to the University of Gloucestershire’s communications team. Despite having a hefty workload to deal with they managed to provide me with media coverage concerning my role as CIPR Student Representative for the University of Gloucestershire.

Cotswold News

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The ‘EXCLUSIVE’ tag the student hating Gloucestershire Echo article featured made me believe that the news of Pittville Campus had been contracted specially for them. However, sources close to me have revealed the possibility that the news of Pittville Campus’ closure was in fact leaked. It is then my guess that this news was intended for a much later date, not a date so close to the Open Days.

In principle though the University should have released the information about Pittville Campus closing far earlier, almost once they had the information. For this I can only find the communication team to blame. It is under my suspicions that a member of staff may have leaked the news (if it was leaked) and the communication team then had to surf off the crisis.

It is unusual to announce a story in a regional paper without uploading an explanation to the University’s website, not sending press releases to further local media and even the act of giving the Echo an exclusive story. These lack of actions suggest to me a leak as well. It was only later in the morning/early afternoon that the story was officially announced by the University.

As you would expect in this Web 2.0 age many have already added their opinions to the debate. Residents, students and even anonymous staff members have been adding their comments to the Gloucestershire Echo’s article. Facebook became ablaze in minutes with Pittville Campus protest and support groups. I had been updating Twitter with the news as staff members and journalists privately sent me messages. This digital age is truly active with conversation. Now this blog article fits into the media mix, a mix no doubt the University will be keeping note of.

So the main question is how do I react to this news of Pittville Campus closing? Pittville Campus is where my Public Relations course is based due to its connections with media and communication.

Firstly, without any solid evidence at all, I am(…)

So the University of Gloucestershire has changed its bus service. Those of you who have been following updates will have noticed my two posts on the subject ‘Costs of the 94U’ and ‘94U Update’. Earlier today I attended an Open Forum organised by the student union to allow students to directly ask questions to a representative of the University. This took the form of a question and answer session and on the whole I thought it was very good. I’m sure that providing the talk in audio format will be fine, after all the event was an “open” forum. So for all of you who could not make the session due to the short notice of the event or those who simply want to keep up to date with the situation, here is the audio. I’ll let you make up your own minds and opinions regarding the situation. I have tried my best to make the audio podcast quality, whatever that means, and nothing has been edited out. So without any more waffle from me here is the audio, enjoy…

Can be downloaded as a podcast from: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=320528878

As of writing this blog post I have literally (or audibly) come off Gloucestershire Star Radio 107.5 after having spewed my opinion into a phone about why the University of Gloucestershire’s decision about the bus service is ludicrous, outrageous, abysmal, disappointing and shameful. The recording, along with other interviews and pieces of information to do with the bus service, will be released tomorrow morning. I must make it clear that I love the UoG, but I cannot agree with their decision about the change in bus service. It will affect too many aspects of university life and may even act as a catalyst to put students in danger.

It is difficult to call this bus service new because ‘new’ holds connotations of improvement. What the UoG have just done is downgrade their bus service, without discussions with the Student Union. You may know already the bus service will now cost 70p for each ride and will only run until 7pm. This link has been confirmed correct.

As with my last post I have given some of my opinions on the matter but now I have some new points to make:

1. How can the University have the cheek to charge for buses between campuses at our own University? Part of being on a multi-campus University should mean free transport between campuses.
2. How come our libraries will stay open longer than our bus service will run?
3. How can the University call their self a green University when students will now need to use cars and taxi services in the evening?
4. How come the University did not discuss this decision with the Student Union? This seems outrageous and quite demeaning.

I have enough words in me to write a whole speech about this decision. I will spare you that for the time being. Please join in with our protest on Facebook.

It has been announced that the previously free University of Gloucestershire bus service will now cost 70p a journey. A group on Facebook has been set up protesting against this move, quite rightly so.

70 pence is hardly an expensive charge compared to the £2 charge on London buses. However, as we all know costs soon build up and this will be yet another outgoing. University fees are rising, the terms are becoming shorter and I fail to see where we are getting our value for money from. I believe the University recently injected over a million pounds into a campus in London. Yet last year our main summer ball was cancelled, Space Newspaper will now have fewer additions and now this.

The replacement summer ball was meant to have buses running to Park campus, but this was cancelled 30mins before the event. No buses and so everybody had to get a car or taxi to the event instead. Where exactly are we getting our value for money? What does this say about the University’s Green Policy? Will this charge mean buses will be more reliable this year?

According to the bus timetable there will be no buses travelling between campuses after 7pm. This poses a threat to the safety of University of Gloucestershire students who, will mostly, now have to walk. This seems to have been a careless move by the University of Gloucestershire. We are quite clearly not going to receive our value for money next year and inevitably we will have more incidents as students try to find their way back to campus in the dark.

I say “try” because it will be fresher students who will suffer the most from this idiotic decision by the University. The Student Union has arranged a fantastic array of events for new students to the University in September but the University have removed their support by the cancellation of the bus service after 7pm. How are new students to the area meant to(…)

Originally published April 2009 in The University of Gloucestershire outreach newsletter.

National and local press turned up in their droves as co-writer and star of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg, received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Gloucestershire.

There is a lot more to university than just burying your head in books, the experiences that come with studying at Higher Education can be priceless. Where else would you have the opportunity of hosting your own radio show? Writing articles for a newspaper? And meeting celebrity Honorary Fellows?

Thanks to an opportunity on my Public Relations course I was fortunate enough to attend and observe the frenzied and exciting experience of a press conference with Simon Pegg, following his acceptance of an Honorary Fellowship from the university. Best known for his comic appearances in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run, locally born Pegg, formally of Brockworth School, was recognised for his contribution to the arts as an actor, writer, comedian, producer and director.

Seeing a celebrity in person is quite different compared to reading about them in column inches or watching a film. Simon Pegg was just a normal person, brilliant at what he does, but normal. Where he entered the room full of journalists, photographers and public relations students, dressed in his graduation gown, he seemed to blend in with the crowd. This soon changed with the onslaught of questions, video interviews and photo calls; we observed firsthand the rush of the paparazzi as they clambered to get that killer shot. Later Simon was photographed with our public relations group, and being surrounded by university students he clearly began to relax again.

The press conference was exciting and particularly relevant to my degree. Degrees are important but most jobs also require candidates to have experience of the working world. Studying Public Relations certainly requires a balance between theoretical knowledge and hands on experience. The University of Gloucestershire has been excellent so far, providing(…)

I have now finished first year of University! Although what an inconsiderate amount of time it has been since this blog was last updated. Unfortunately this may become habit since University work was more than I first expected.

So much has happened since I last wrote a blog upon this website and indeed throughout my whole first year of university. Not that years of university are actual years, closer to 9 months, which begs the question why tuition fees are being raised and terms are being shortened. Undoubtly university is the place to be in this abysmal economic climate. It might be sunny outside but the job market is terrible. Many friends of those at university have come down to visit complaining about the death of the temporary job market and how their jobs are constantly on the line. Strangely it is the furniture industry which seems very badly hit. People are just not replacing their furniture, causing a lack of orders and the loss of jobs. When furniture chain MFI closed many smaller manufacturers also went bust. It seems that our country is slowly becoming far more focused upon the smaller businesses as the larger chains fall. Then shock sweeps across my face when people vote for the conservatives to come back in. Much blame could be focused upon Margret Thatcher for creating these problems in the first place. It must be realised though that this economic instability is worldwide. It has been said that Karl Marx is rolling in his grave once the government started injecting industries with money. Like with all theoretical systems it makes sense that a balance has to be found between capitalism and communism. The government has pretty much proved this point through these cash injections.

Now what do we have? A possible swine flu pandemic. The whole world watches the situation carefully as the bitter second wave may wipe out a large chunk of the population. The sceptical part of my mind can’t help but(…)

Last Tuesday I was asked by my course leader at the University of Gloucestershire to show new students around the campus. The students had arrived to be interviewed for the PR course and it occurred to me that exactly this time last year I was having my interview for the very same course. Five we meant to have come but only four turned up. Unfortunately we had a heavy snow storm during the night and so a couple of families admitted to being unsure about making the journey.

Interestingly the four who had made it were all girls which fulfilled the stereotype that PR is a female dominated industry. We had such a discussion in class about a month ago without any real conclusion. However, from what I have seen, the majority of professionals do seem to be females. Perhaps this is because women have all the right emotional parts of the brain to deal with effective communication? Anyway, I’m not entirely certain. What I am sure about was the prospective students I showed around the university, with another student called Amelia, were charming. We had some interesting discussions about the course and I can see them all fitting in. The only question I was unable to answer was about the clubs in town, I hate clubs.

Due to how the interviews panned out I ended up guiding two of the prospective students back to reception. On the way I sneakily and sleekly inquired how they thought their interview went. Both of the girls seemed to be happy with the whole ordeal.