Warwick students continue to protest against fees and cuts

Last week saw a continuation of Warwick’s anti-tuition fees movement, “Warwick Against The Cuts” (WATC), who have been involved in a variety of visible and popular protests against the University’s policy on higher education funding.

On Tuesday 30 November, as part of a National Day of Action, WATC staged a teach-in to provide a free forum of academic discussion of all issues relating to higher education, including the implications of the Government spending cuts and the history of student protests.

WATC were supported by many lectures from the University, including sociologists Steve Fuller and Germinder Bhambra and political historian Gerd Rainer-Horn. Other activities included the signing of postcards discussing WATC’s views on education, to be sent to Vice-Chancellor Richard Lambert, and the discussion of the purpose and concept of university itself.

The teach-in aimed to provide an ironic “day of free education,” holding a series of lectures and workshops, showing what education would look like if provided “for people, not for profit.”

Speaking on the day, WATC member and postgraduate student Ruth Pearce said: “We are not just talking about cuts to higher education spending or higher tuition fees, we are talking about cuts to secondary education and the EMA [Education Maintenance Allowance], and about how lower-income people are being charged more for inferior services… and that is what everybody should be talking about.”

Megan Fortune, the Campaign Forums Co-ordinator argued that the days of events were “fantastically successful” and noted that “normally these events only attract left-wingers and liberals, but today we witnessed far greater political diversity in the attendance.”

Another protester argued that while “these events normally simply involve activists speaking to activists”, the teach-in “attacked the notion that the campus ‘bubble’ of the University of Warwick has led to isolation from the wider student movement.” The overall attendance can only be estimated, but numbered at least in the hundreds, including many who had not attended previous protests, attracted by the non-combative and educational nature of the protest.

As part of a National Day of Action against cuts and fee rises, after 4pm roughly 50 supporters of WATC gathered to discuss the further action that could be taken on campus that evening. Dot Kirk, a French and Italian finalist argued, “Education about the issues must go hand-in-hand with protest.”

After contemplation, the committee moved to the Arts Centre and staged a sit-in, making speeches about higher education, singing songs and attempting to attract the support of passers-by. The protest ended at 7pm as the students circled the Arts Centre, singing “education is a right, not a privilege,” before leaving in the face of the growing presence of campus security and West Midlands police, both of whom declined to comment.

Protests continued on Thursday morning where students gathered outside the Leamington surgery of Chris White MP, the Conservative member for Warwick and Leamington. Although attendance was muted due to the cold, early morning, the protest received significant support from pedestrians and locals. The demonstration ended in the early afternoon, the result of both an increasing police presence and the absence of Chris White.

The next protest will occur on Thursday, December 9, to coincide with the Commons vote on tuition fees.

WATC formed in reaction to the planned increase in tuition fees and cuts in spending proposed by the Comprehensive Spending Review and the Browne Review. The group consists of a coalition of different political and academic societies at Warwick including Pride, Labour and the Socialist Students.

This week’s events are just one example of the nationwide student unity that has been demonstrated in the last few weeks, in protest against what has been described by Aaron Porter, the President of the National Union of Students as an “onslaught on our educational system.”

Around the United Kingdom there have been sit-ins, marches and petitions at many universities including St Andrews, UCL and Cardiff, supported by the NUS. Students at University College London (UCL) have been occupying the Jeremy Bentham room for ten days at the time of writing, and have received support from figures including political writer, Noam Chomsky and musician Billy Bragg.

Doubt still remains, however, over how far these student protests will have an effect on the position of their university or government policy. WATC remains determined to influence a change in the policy of the University of Warwick, whose senior staff have become closely associated with supporting the rises in tuition fees. Peter Dunn, senior press officer, claims that tuition fee rises “remain the only option available to replace the lost funding [from the Comprehensive Spending Review] and obtain the new investment everyone says the university sector needs”.

WATC has planned more action in the coming days. If the protests that have happened so far fail to influence the University’s position, the next steps will involve, according to one anonymous contributor, “anything it takes”.