UPDATE - NEW CROSS: Students occupy Goldsmiths library in protest over tuition fees (From News Shopper)
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UPDATE - NEW CROSS: Students occupy Goldsmiths library in protest over tuition fees
10:10am Wednesday 8th December 2010 in News By Kelly Smale
students occupy Goldsmiths library over tuition fees
STUDENTS from Goldsmiths University have occupied the library in a protest over tuition fees for a second night.
Around 60 people are believed to have been in the New Cross building since 8.30pm on Monday (December 6), preventing staff from working.
The action comes days before a national protest against a rise in tuition fees due to take place tomorrow.
News Shopper visited the library last night (December 7) to speak to the students.
Roisin Armstrong, who studies anthropology, said: “We felt the library was the most visual from the street to get the rest of the community involved.
“We have been sleeping in the library. There were over 150 people for the initial occupation.”
The 21-year-old added: “I feel like the national protest is a way of creating media attention but occupation puts pressure on management at the university.
“The occupation is a way of mobilising the student body to go on Thursday.
“The library has the most traffic throughout the campus so we are able to influence the most amount of people.”
During a meeting last night students voted in favour of allowing library staff to enter the building to carry out their work.
A workshop on practical ways to break out of kettles was also held.
Angelo Matthews, 25, said: “It’s really important that we mobilise and organise for Thursday to show parliament what we think in terms of the fees.
“We are occupying the library to show support and solidarity with the local community.
“Five libraries could be cut by the council. This is an amazing library that people from the local community cannot use. We have opened it up to everyone.”
The anthropology student added: “The university has not responded to our demands. We are going to be here until they start listening to us.”
A statement on the Goldsmith Occupation blog said: “We have occupied the university library in opposition to the increase in university fees and cuts in education as a whole.
“We act in solidarity with all the student occupations throughout the globe and those facing cuts across the social sphere.
“We oppose the proposed change in fees structure and the cuts to teaching subsidy across education in the UK, which will include a 100 percent cut to funding for teaching in arts, humanities and social sciences.”
It added: “We have taken over Goldsmiths’ Library, the most publicly visible and accessible physical space in the college.
“We are opening it as a centre for organisation, available 24 hours a day to students and all those on the receiving end of the government’s assault in the Lewisham community.
“We offer our support to recipients of the EMA grant, benefits and services, all of which are being attacked by local and national government.
“We support library staff at Goldsmiths and public libraries across Lewisham.”
A statement on the Goldsmith website by Hugh Jones, registrar and secretary, said: “The library is not in the control of the College and because of this, we cannot be responsible for the space or for people who choose to enter it.”
Demands
The Goldsmith Occupation blog has listed a number of demands for Goldsmith management.
• Immediately make a public statement opposing fees and the vote for their increase due in parliament on December 9.
We refuse all current and further cuts at Goldsmiths.
• Implement no further cuts to departments and budgets at Goldsmiths, nor any further redundancies.
• Steps forward to defend all those from Goldsmiths arrested or in other ways victimised during the current struggles against the cuts.
We condemn the police’s violent and heavy-handed tactics used against students, staff and their supporters.
• Do not penalise library staff in any way, nor dock their pay during the occupation • Ceases its campaign of cuts against the Goldsmiths Nursery.
• Retract their threat to charge Goldsmiths’ Student Union £15,000 in response to the occupation of Deptford Town Hall.
This occupation, like that one, is independent of the Student Union.
• Do not take any disciplinary actions whatsoever against those involved in this occupation.”
Comments(15)
Familyguy321
says...
2:20pm Wed 8 Dec 10
if only the rest of the moaners smashed up their own uni's. then these boring students would stop bleating about how hard they have it ( even though they dint) and would think twice about smashing up London
Familyguy321
says...
2:25pm Wed 8 Dec 10
who confirmed that the increase in fees isn't paid at the start. this is how hard they have.
the fees are only paid back once they earn above 21k. And only then paid back at the rate of 9p per pound.
so earning 25k a year means they pay back £30.00 a month. yep 30 quid.
and after 30 years the debt gets wiped.
Don't here them quoting these rates when they are chanting in the streets.
Carparkattendant
says...
2:51pm Wed 8 Dec 10
porkpie
says...
3:01pm Wed 8 Dec 10
Familyguy321 wrote:Yep you're right. I posted before about how cheap the loans are. Also unsecured and no or little interest- If only real life could be this easy. How about the tax payer doing a demo and smashing up Goldsmith's, see how they like it when they have to pay for it. If Goldsmiths want them out, turn off the power / heating. Play white noise into the building / set the fire alarm off every now and again. Sleep deprivation is how to do it.
oh and just saw a minister on the news. who confirmed that the increase in fees isn't paid at the start. this is how hard they have. the fees are only paid back once they earn above 21k. And only then paid back at the rate of 9p per pound. so earning 25k a year means they pay back £30.00 a month. yep 30 quid. and after 30 years the debt gets wiped. Don't here them quoting these rates when they are chanting in the streets.
PLR2207
says...
4:08pm Wed 8 Dec 10
Carparkattendant
says...
4:25pm Wed 8 Dec 10
porkpie
says...
4:33pm Wed 8 Dec 10
PLR2207 wrote:When was the last time you filled a car's tank up or purchased a weekly train ticket. Most of the students that get jobs will be on more than £21k as well. £30 per month is nothing. I done more than that on a meal last night.
Familyguy321....How about we take £30 out of your pocket each month for the next few years and see how much you like it? I thought not....£30 may not seem like much but it could be a tank of petrol for the car, a weekly train pass into London....need I go on??
Locked and Loaded
says...
5:34pm Wed 8 Dec 10
Familyguy321
says...
5:40pm Wed 8 Dec 10
if you are studying for a good degree then I assume that you will be very well qualified at the end of it to get a high paying job to pay the fee increase.
also try finding car finance or a mortgage at the rates you will get on these student loans.
or how about this idea we all give up work. Demand a further education. For free. or at least the 1950s prices students think they should be entitled too. And see where that gets us. we could call it a social experiment and do our degree in that. or you give up your study course take a full time job with a mortage and see how it feels to see people moaning about these fees and paying it back cheaply
Mate wake up as things go on the cost things go up. why should people who want a higher education get there on the back of the taxpayer then earn much more than the people who paid for them. what's next demonstrations about how expensive houses are and that it's not fair everyone can buy one
Peony
says...
8:06pm Wed 8 Dec 10
Familyguy321
says...
8:33pm Wed 8 Dec 10
So why should student fees be protected from and increase in cost when it's something that a person chooses to do. ?
if it's that much of a problem for them get a job and do open university from home.
annam85
says...
9:21pm Wed 8 Dec 10
If you are naive enough to think that all plans work perfectly then I doubt you should be in a higher education institute in the first place. I am neither a Labour, Lib Dem, Conservative or any other party supporter.. They are all as bad as each other in my opinion. But let me list a few of Labours broken promises - Maintaining the 2% inflation (actually ended up at 3.5), Not increasing the basic or top rates of tax (broken when top was raised to 50%) Aiming for 50% of students to attend higher education by 2010 (the figure is in fact only 39%)... I can easily go on.
The fact is guys.. we dont live in a perfect or fair world. There are kids dying from hunger and war veterans who are not supplied with enough pensions to heat their homes. Why out of anything should I pick up a bill for your education? You are getting an amazing deal like other posters have mentioned. No other scheme in the UK exists where you will be given a loan to virtually live free for 3 years, then only need to pay it back once you have secured employment. We have free education up to the age of 19. Seriously?? Do you know how lucky we are to even get that? It actually makes me feel sick that the luxuries that young people have got used to, make them ungrateful and expectant of more than the basic human need. If you want cheap or free education go and bugger off to live in Scotland for a year.. then apply for Uni next year or study with the Open University.
And by the way... that £30 you will be paying back when you are earning.. is the £30 that others have been paying to students for the last 20 years. Time to get over it kids. Life is not fair.. learn it now.. it will be less of a shock when you grow up.
Im 25; a full time worker and part time OU PostGrad student.. why stop at Uni... why should I pay for my postgrad.. or even Phd?? How much more do you people want eh?
porkpie
says...
10:10am Thu 9 Dec 10
Peony wrote:So your telling me that a political party promised to do things and then didn't ! Well slap me down with a wet fish ! I can't believe that a political party would do such a thing. Never heard or been done before…… has it ! So really what has happened is the students have been made to look gullible. So these demos are about them saving face. Look up gullible in the dictionary and it has a picture of students on a demo about fees. They have well and truly been mugged up and like most immature kids are now throwing temper tantrums. I remember my 3 year old doing a sit down protest in Waitrose, because I wouldn't buy sweets. Not much difference here then.
You have to look at the wider picture here. The demonstrations are also about how the Lib-Dems promised no hike in student fees before the election and reneged on the promise once they were in government. Remember many students are peacefully demonstrating and not causing damage to property. If they are protesting about lying politicians then I am right behind them.
PCNS
says...
3:19pm Fri 10 Dec 10
Peony wrote:The fact is the Libs are not in government - they are part of a coallition and so promises have not been broken. YOu can see from the vote that many voted against.
You have to look at the wider picture here. The demonstrations are also about how the Lib-Dems promised no hike in student fees before the election and reneged on the promise once they were in government. Remember many students are peacefully demonstrating and not causing damage to property. If they are protesting about lying politicians then I am right behind them.
I was a supporter of the Students after the frist march and the unrest at Tory HQ. (apart from the idiot with the fire extinguisher). Civil unrest is often the only way public can influence change (look at all recent history peaceful marches vs the ones that got out of hand and you'll see my point). After this show of feelings the movement should have returned to peaceful menas such as the one in this story. Yesterdays events were disgraceful and the damage to to London was diplorable (desecrating war memorials - don't get me started on how disgraceful that was). You have lost your fight I'm afraid. The government plans are not as shocking as it was made out. I feel this protest is now purley about protest and destruction rather than any informed or valid objection.
Familyguy321 says...
2:20pm Wed 8 Dec 10
if only the rest of the moaners smashed up their own uni's. then these boring students would stop bleating about how hard they have it ( even though they dint) and would think twice about smashing up London