Students occupy uni buildings
Manchester and Sussex students stage sit-ins to protest cuts to higher education
Around 70 students from the University of Manchester and over 170 from the University of Sussex have staged sit-ins and occupied university buildings in order to protest that government’s near 80% cut to teaching budgets.
Students at Manchester university occupied an ‘admin’ building on the 11th of November, the day after the NUS march in London. They demanded that the university open its finances to the students, and properly explain: “where the cuts will fall, how many voluntary redundancies have already been made and to highlight the fact that the vice Chancellor is paid 20 times the average salary”. They also added “We are here to support lecturers and administrative staff who will be losing their jobs. To oppose the rise in tuition fees that will price out most working class students. And to oppose the privatisation of our Universities.”
At Sussex university, students occupied a lecture theatre and put on a number of events including talks by the Anarchist Society, the Student Worker Student Society and an event entitled “Boycott Israeli Goods”. The students decried the rise in tuition fees, coupled with the cuts in government funding saying “This marketization of education will destroy the prospect of free and critical academic enquiry, on which universities should be based”
The sit-in at Manchester university ended relatively quickly. After 3 hours of occupation they left to “better organize the next steps of the campaign”. University of Manchester Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell sent this message to the protestors, “As an institution embracing academic freedom, we welcome the expression by students of strongly held views, and accept the right of those advocating such views to assert them,” and added that “The University will clearly need to adapt to future financial challenges – but we will do so in a way that fulfils our key commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience.”
The Sussex university sit-in lasted for at least two days but is unclear exactly how it ended.
