News in brief – 15 October

Warwick Students’ Union has withdrawn an invitation to a speaker who had been formerly invited to speak for Black History Month. The decision came after it was found that the speaker, Azad Ali, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum, had been described as an “extremist”.

A student journalist from Plymouth University has expressed concern over being potentially expelled after attempting to expose cuts to support services and alleged overspending. She said that she felt senior figures within the students’ union were attempting to silence her by warning her to stop running stories. More information to follow.

A national alcohol-related drowning campaign has launched following an inquest into the death of a student. The initiative warns students to steer clear of open water under the influence of alcohol when they return to university. The campaign, launched by the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS), week follows the tragic death of York student Megan Roberts who drowned after a night out earlier this year. Around a quarter of all adult drowning victims have alcohol in their bloodstream.

The University of Glasgow, became the first university in Europe to divest from the fossil fuel industry on October 8 2014. Students at Glasgow had been campaigning for a year and their efforts were rewarded after the University Court voted to begin divesting £19 million from the fossil fuel industry and freeze new investments across its entire endowment of £128 million. Warwick University has also been with the Fossil Free campaign. The Sabbatical officers joined the initiative by sending a letter to the University administration earlier in June.

Universities from the West Midlands made the top 30 according to a poll on course satisfaction, accommodation costs and social life. Warwick placed at number 23. The rankings were based on factors including course satisfaction, accommodation costs, employment and earnings of graduates, social life and sport facilities.