The year in brief: what’s happened at Warwick?

Over the past year Warwick has been the backdrop for protests, logo changes and the 7th best nightclub in the world. Just so that you don’t feel left out on all the action, here’s a roundup of some of the biggest stories which every new Warwick student should know about.

The last year of Nigel Thrift’s reign as vice-chancellor could not have been more dramatic. From the #CopsOffCampus protest to backlash over his pay rise, being knighted, and his highest honour of all: being named 2015’s Ultimate Warwick Ten, Thrifty had quite a year.

Every move he made was meticulously scrutinised by the students of the University, none more so than the £42,000 pay-rise he received back in 2014 to take his total salary to £316,000.

Protests

In protest of the vice-chancellor’s pay, alongside a demand for support of the free higher education movement, Warwick For Free Education organised a peaceful protest outside Senate House in December. The protest, however, descended into violence after police were called after an alleged assault by a protester on a security guard.

Protests in December ended in an occupation of the Rootes building Photo: Warwick for Free Education

Videos released showed the violence unfolding between the protesters and police, during which CS spray was reportedly used. Unclear what happened, some students reacted to the University’s lack of support for the campaign nor acknowledgement of their desire for a peaceful protest.

The administration claimed instead that they were “faced with utterly unprovoked acts of violence”. Warwick For Free Education commenced a nine day occupation of the Rootes building in response.

Naturally, when Thrift was knighted by the Queen in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to higher education, students were shocked. This lack of faith in the vice-chancellor resulted in a vote of no confidence passed against him in February at the SU in what’s known as an ‘All Student Meeting’.

Some students weren’t too happy about Thrift’s knighthood Photo: Martin Neeves

Thrift, was also overheard calling the student protesters ‘thugs’ at a summit on protest held by the University. That didn’t go down well.

Over the summer, it was announced that Professor Stuart Croft will succeed Nigel Thrift as vice-chancellor. Croft is currently provost at the Uni. Let’s hope the Warwick veteran is more popular.

Rebranding

The University had students up in arms once again in April when the rebranding of the university was unveiled.

In an effort to make the university unique and more recognisable, the ‘University of Warwick’ design had been replaced with ‘Warwick’, and the apparently too conservative blue with what the University termed ‘Warwick Aubergine’.

There was an outcry in March over the new ‘Warwick Aubergine’ logo Photo: Warwick Media Library

The logo aimed to represent the “infinite possibilities at the University of Warwick” and Warwick’s “bold approach to its communications”, yet students were in uproar over the lack of student involvement and triangular composition of the new logo.

Only 160 members of staff and students, less than one percent of the total student body, were involved in the initiative which cost £80,000 and further damage to student-university relations.

A petition to halt the rebranding process gained 5,459 signatures, ultimately leading to an apology from the university for not consulting students.

Academic success

The year was not all doom and gloom! Warwick achieved great academic and professional achievements this year. Students here are allegedly the third most sought-after by the UK’s top employers, ahead of Oxbridge graduates.

Warwick also placed 61st in the QS World University Rankings, with 15 subjects sited amongst the top 100 courses in the world.

The university is seemingly on the path to world domination, having announced plans to establish a campus in California.

Warwick plans to set up a site in sunny California Photo: Don McCullough / Flickr

Plans unveiled in February showed that the project will begin with a small number of postgraduate courses from 2017.

World’s 7th best club

As a Fresher, you probably chose Warwick for its academic prowess rather than its nightlife.

However, dear Fresher, you are now living just 20 minutes away from the seventh best club in the world, as ranked by the website Guest of a Guest.

Smack is the ‘7th best club in the world’ and Sansa Stark likes to chill out there Photo: Jamie Gray / Flickr

According to the site, their favourite room was the ‘famous LED room’, where the lights are ‘synced to the music’. I think, however, their ranking was based more on the likelihood of seeing Leamington’s own Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).

So, here’s to hoping that every time we walk into Smack we might see Sansa Stark.

Here’s to hoping that this academic year is road-work free, with a more communicative administration and a vice-chancellor who has a more positive relationship with the students.