Lucy Sherriff2013-05-21T07:35:19-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=lucy-sherriffCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Lucy SherriffGood old fashioned elbow grease.Student Rights Blames Newspapers For Backlash Over 'Inaccurate' Campus Extremism Headlinestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-20T03:52:27-04:002013-05-21T03:17:03-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Student leaders hit out at Student Rights after it published a report titled 'gender segration on university campuses', which was covered last week by the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and the Sun, among others, as well as being the front-page splash of the Times.
But now Student Rights has accused the media of misreporting, saying it had "simply highlighted" information. Links to all the articles in question are linked from the organisation's website (see below image).
Despite criticising newspapers' coverage of the report, Student Rights has published them on its website.
The group released a statement which read: "At no point did we try to claim that our figures were representative of all student events, and those... who have an issue with inaccurate headlines should remember that for many media outlets the temptation to round up to the nearest exaggeration is often difficult to resist.
"This is not the fault of Student Rights, and to use this fact to attack our work without responding to the fact that some universities are allowing discrimination to take place on their campuses is the height of intellectual dishonesty."
In the report's conclusion, the group, directed by the Commentator's executive editor Raheem Kassam, says: "The fact that such a large percentage of the events logged by Student Rights during this timeperiod either explicitly advertised events as segregated by gender or implied that this would be the case underlines claims that events highlighted are not ‘isolated incidents’ but rather form a part of a wider, discriminatory trend on UK university campuses."
Aked raised her concerns about Student Rights drawing a link between extremism and segregation after Kassam told HuffPost UK: "This report neither aims to, nor does it, demonise Muslim students, it seeks to protect them from extremism, in this case in the form of segregation."
The Bath student, who is researching the pro-Israel lobby, says: "Because of its erroneous claim that it does not conflate segregation and extremism, Student Rights has been forced to blame the media for the coverage resulting from its report which the organisation admits contained 'mistakes' and 'inaccurate headlines'.
"They attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility."
Kassam has publicly verbally attacked Aked, tweeting:
Kassam has now blocked Aked on Twitter, telling her: "Done with you thanks," and calling her a "hilbilly". Kassam also denied involvement with the response published by Student Rights, saying: "I didn't write that. It's not MY claim, it's the organisation's claim."
Several media outlets have also been criticised for the interpretation of the report. Aked maintains the Times report linked segregation and extremism.
Nico Hines, author of the Times article, wrote:
"Radical and intolerant Islamist leaders preached to crowds of students at almost 200 official events in the past year, according to a study of external speakers at universities including Cambridge, Birmingham and University College London.
"Segregated seating for male and female students is understood to have been implemented for at least a quarter of those public meetings held by the Islamic societies at 21 universities.
"Two institutions have announced investigations into segregated meetings. But research by Student Rights, which was set up to tackle extremism on campus, indicates that the practice is prevalent across Britain, despite university equality rules forbidding it."
Aked says she has asked Hines if the story he wrote was pitched by Student Rights as an "extremism story" or whether this was the angle taken by the newspaper, but has yet to receive a reply.
The second paragraph of the quoted Times article has since been changed to replace "the public meetings held by the Islamic societies" to "those public meetings," although a correction notice has not been issued by the newspaper.
Aked adds: "Sadly, Hines declined to say that the paper would print a correction or clarification, despite the fact that the error in the first edition will have grossly misled thousands on this highly sensitive issue and even though the second edition still lends that 'one quarter' figure a meaning and significance it does not deserve given the methodological flaws previously exposed. One wonders whether, without the 'typo' in the original version, the story would have been front page news at all."
Hines was also reprimanded by Hamza Tzortis, who he describes as "one of the most prolific of these radicals.. a compelling and good-looking young speaker.. the former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir".
Tzortzis has now said he would be looking at legal action if the article is not corrected. "This is lazy journalism, and may indicate an intent to malign," he told HuffPost UK. "I repeat, all of these issues were clearly clarified on my website.
"We are in contact with the Press Complaints Commission and our lawyers, we have been advised that we have a case on the basis of accuracy, defamation and unfair reporting. However, I just want Nico and The Times to retract or change the article in light of my clarifications which were already available on my website before they published the piece.
"What highlights their lazy journalism is that Nico admitted publicly to have gone to my website but somehow missed the clarifcations page. My main concern is establishing positive relationships with the press regardless of wrongs."
Following the piece in the Times, Tzortzis emailed every student union in the UK to "clarify and ease the situation". The full text of that email can be read below.
A spokesperson for the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) said: The PCC has received one complaint about the [Times] article headlined: Extremists preaching to students in Britain on which it is seeking further information from the complainant before being able to consider the matter further under the Editors' Code."
A Times spokesman told HuffPost UK: "The complaint has been drawn to The Times ombudsman and we are happy to run a clarification on the story.
"Dear Student Unions,
cc: National Union of Students, FOSIS
"May the peace and blessings of God be upon you all.
"My name is Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, and as many of you may know, I deliver lectures on the invitation of Islamic Societies (iSocs) at a myriad of Universities across the UK and abroad. For example, this year during the Islamic Awareness period, I delivered lectures at 24 universities in the UK. My experience during these lectures has been very positive. I have positively engaged with many students from various backgrounds, and due to the nature of the topics that I speak on, the discussions have been nuanced and intellectually demanding. I really enjoy speaking to students, and the topics I focus are based on the rational foundations of Islam, which includes God's existence, the Prophet-hood of Muhammad (upon whom be peace) and the Divine nature of the Qur'an.
"The main reason for this email is to firstly thank you from the depths of my heart that most of you have facilitated my presence on campus and have defended my right to speak - even though some of you may have received pressure from a some people to prevent or bar myself from speaking on campus. Secondly, I want to take this opportunity to clarify some of the issues that people have raised as a justification to prevent myself from speaking on campus. These include:
1. Past affiliations with Hizb ut-Tahrir
2. Views on Homosexuality
3. Views on Freedom of Speech
4. Views on Gender Segregation
5. Views on Violence and Terrorism
"I have a dedicated page on my website that clarifies all of these issues, and should you wish to read it for yourself, please access the link here.
"However I would like to summarise my clarifications in this email. Concerning my past affiliations with Hizb ut-Tahrir, I used to be a member 5 years ago, but left the group due theological and spiritual reasons, and felt the narrative of mainstream Muslims to be more powerful and in line with the spirit of Islam. On homosexuality, I do not advocate hatred, discrimination or injustice towards the LGBT community. I have been very clear about this at many campuses this year, notably the University of Nottingham. Regarding freedom of speech, I have changed my views that I held 5 years ago. I do not reject freedom of speech, to do so would be self defeating. On gender segregation, I have not been involved in the enforcement of gender segregation. My position on this issue is to advocate a more tolerant position that all choices should be offered. If some women regardless of religious background wish to sit with women only, that should be accommodated if possible. My views on violence and terrorism are very clear. I categorically condemn all acts of terrorism, whether committed by individuals or states, regardless of religious or political affiliation. Killing innocent human beings is a heinous act, so much so that God in the Qur’an has explained to us that killing one innocent human being is tantamount to killing the whole of humanity: “…it is as if he kills all mankind, while if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind.” [Qur'an 5:32]. The Scholars unanimously agree that our duty in this country is to live peacefully as compassionate engaged citizens and to humbly provide a sense of moral leadership.
"I hope many of the issues raised concerning myself have been clarified. There has been a recent campaign by Student Rights, who I believe are a neo-conservative backed group, to slander and defame myself. A recent article in The Times raised many of the issues above. I have written a reply, and I am considering legal action. Here is a link to the reply.
"Thank you once again, and if you feel it is necessary to forward this email to other relevant parties, please feel free to do so.
"If you have any further concerns or require further information please do not hesitate to contact myself at any time.
"Warmest Regards,
"Hamza Andreas Tzortzis"]]>York University Student Officer Mike Anstey: 'Enough Of This Feminism Nonsense'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-15T09:41:43-04:002013-05-17T06:35:17-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Mike Anstey, the international student president at York University Student Union (YUSU), focused his Twitter tirade on student Helena Horton, a member of York's feminist group.
According to Horton, Anstey said "he wanted me pushed off a cliff" - something which Anstey has strongly denied.
York University, whose student union Mike Anstey is international student president of
Anstey retweeted Horton's reaction to the statement adding: "Enough of this feminism nonsense please."
One male York student then replied to Anstey, tweeting: "Militant nutjobs not even on committees give feminism a bad name."
Addressing Horton, Anstey added: "jack has a point. If it wasn't for your ranting constantly and attempting to shame officers ppl may actually want to help you."
Anstey then tweeted:
Speaking to Huffington Post UK, Horton, who campaigned to have the Sun removed from York union's shop, said: "It is disgusting how Union Officers such as Mike Anstey are attempting to silence me. It is such a joke that they are calling me 'militant'.
"What saddens me the most, though, is people thinking that I am just fighting to get publicity for myself and not for the cause.
"All I want to do is get feminism on campus. I couldn't care less whose face it is attributed to. Sadly there will always be a straw man involved in a debate for the opposing side to beat to breaking point, and this time it is me."
Anstey told HuffPost UK: "I have supported the feminist movement at York whenever I can, but throwing cheap shots at officers and circulating fake emails hardly constitutes good campaigning especially when we support all societies equally. Feminism has its place on campus but the militant activism of one member of the Union is having detrimental if not opposite effects on student's atitutdes towards feminism.
"[Horton] misinterpreted the entire situation and made this personal which was absolutely unneeded and pretty inappropriate if you ask me."
The statement on YUSU's website was written by welfare officer Bob Hughes, who said: "I would like to start by saying that YUSU is an unabashedly feminist Union..
"..Both the YUSU Women’s Officers and the University of York Feminists’ committee have dealt with this situation admirably, and we’re really looking forward to having the University of York Feminists work as part of the YUSU Women’s Network and to help promote feminist discourse on campus in a way which better supports them and also maintains the autonomous leadership of self-defining women students’ representation and discourse by self-defining women students."
Anstey added: "In response to the blog: I agree with Bob that men should always be welcome to engage in debates like this. I completely agree. The feminist movement has obviously been successful over the years and will continue to be successful.
"But I stress the point again, with the individual in question- constant slating and bashing elected officers hoping to get a rise out of them and then instantly labeling them as misogynistic wont give her campaigning any credibility and will not help the campaign in anyway. There are other ways to make a point, and she should try a less abrasive approach in my opinion.
"YUSU is and will remain to be a feminist friendly organisation."
YUSU has yet to respond to a request for comment.]]>York University Feminist Society Founder Alex Wilson 'Repulsed' By Verbal Attackstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-14T10:48:58-04:002013-05-15T09:20:53-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Alex Wilson, an undergraduate and president of the University of York Feminists group, was the target of a Facebook page called the Men's Rights Society. Although now believed to have been set up as a hoax and has since been shut down, Wilson says the content posted on the page, directed personally at her, was highly offensive.
A lot of the things said on the Facebook group I found deeply repulsive," she told HuffPost UK. "The admins of the page defended the right of [the page's contributors] to use homophobic and racist slurs and various gendered insults."
Alex Wilson, president of York's FemSoc
"They even tried to claim that the use of the words 'fag' and 'faggot' as insults was not homophobic," Wilson continued. "One admin claimed that it was not proved that women had the 'same intelligence' as men and another poster used this to argue that women were not as good at science and maths as men. Various 'discussion points' were raised by [Facebook posts] that suggested that gay and lesbian people should be made to use separate changing rooms and that women should not be paid as much as men.
"Additionally an admin claimed that the media exaggerated the levels of disadvantage women face in society and tried to suggest that this was a way that men were discriminated against."
One of the individuals involved in the men's society page, which Wilson says "came out of nowhere", had formerly been a member of the feminist group.
One of Alex Wilson's post on York University Feminist's Facebook page in the wake of the abuse
"A lot of the posts in the group were directed in me personally," Wilson continues. "At the same time as the Men’s Right’s Society page was made the York Feminist facebook group was inundated by a large number of trolls who were often abusive and on one occasion openly used homophobic slurs.
"My attempts to deal with these posters resulted in my being accused on the Men’s Rights page of banning anyone who disagreed with me. I was accused of having 'extreme views' and saying 'questionable things' was called a bad role model for the rest of the group and it was suggested that I ran the facebook page like a dictatorship."
York student Sholto David has come forward to admit founding the men's page but said it was "all a joke from the start". He said the aim of the page was to provide support for the feminist society and insisted he was not a page admin for the majority of the time the group existed.
Speaking to student paper Nouse, David said: "I would like it to be known that I have realised how much upset this has caused, and am truly sorry that the group I started got so out of control. I’ve woken up to the reaction this morning and am truly horrified."
Sholto David's apology on his Facebook profile
David has also written an apology piece in fellow York student paper York Vision, which read: "MenSoc was set up by my friends and I to parody YUSU’s decision to refuse ratification for FemSoc but also to criticise FemSoc’s continued overreaction and aggressive censorship of dissenters."
Student journalist Josh Allen, who covered the story, told HuffPost UK he had been aware of the Facebook group's existence for "at least a week".
"I saw the discussions between the people in the group and some were quite seriously offensive. They were misogynistic, racist and quite unpleasant towards those in the feminist society," the third-year history student said. "The members of the men's society group accused the feminists of being authoritarian.
The feminist society has received numerous messages of support on its Facebook group, with several students condemning the actions of the unnamed students who set up the men's rights page.
Student Gillian Love wrote: "The horrible thing is, these people don't even *remotely* understand what that means. And they wouldn't care if they did. So, no remorse from them."
Another male student added: "This ordeal has caused harm not only to women in general but to specific individuals who have worked tirelessly to provide a safe space for discussion and learning."
Helena Horton, the student behind the campaign to have the Sun removed from York union's shop, told HuffPost UK: "The fact that it was so readily believed in and out of femsoc that a mensoc existed (and one which promoted bigoted and hateful views) on campus shows just how much we need feminism.
"The hoax was unfortunate and the people involved said such hateful things to Alex in particular, who had spent so much time on femsoc, with such conviction makes me wonder whether the people involved knew it was a hoax or if they genuinely believed there was and wanted to get involved with a hate group."
Wilson said despite the page being a hoax, the comments were irreversible.
"A lot of damage has been done to the reputation and perception of both me personally and the Feminist group that I have worked extremely hard to found. I have no desire to be known as a dictator and it is demonstrably false that the group refuses to listen to views that differ from their own.
"I also worry that the deeply offensive things said on the Men’s Rights page by students have influenced people’s views of the University of York. It worries me, as a proud student at York, that my university could now be known as a place where people openly espouse such views and that students from diverse backgrounds will be put off from applying here."
Bob Hughes, YUSU's welfare officer, said: "This is a live case, and so I can't comment on any disciplinary actions that may or may not be taken in the future.
"I think that the level of personal verbal abuse aimed at Alex and her peers by this group and others is disgusting and harassing, and should not be tolerated. Disagreeing with others is natural, however, sinking to personal attacks and discriminatory language is simply unacceptable on all sides."]]>Muslim Students' Anger At Student Rights' Extremism On Campus Claimstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-13T06:00:24-04:002013-05-20T03:33:26-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
The study by Student Rights, which links extremism with gender segregation on campus calling it a "serious issue", has been slammed by one anti-racism student officer.
Mohamed Harrath, a student union executive at the London School of Economics, told Huffington Post UK the pressure group was trying to "ramp up" the effects of Islamophobia on Muslim students.
"Organisations such as Student Rights, supposedly a "non-partisan" group, have continuously sought to ramp up fears of 'extremism' having a detrimental impact on the welfare of Muslim students. [The groups] feed into a pernicious campaign which increasingly demonises [Muslim Students], contributing to a climate of fear and suspicion of Britain's 100,000 Muslim students who work tirelessly to build more inclusive and respectful campuses.
"There is only one voice that is speaking about extremism on campus and is completely distorts everything. Other voices must be heard."
Harrath highlighted the need for a "legitimate voice" for Islamic students, "rather than keeping silent and being demonised by someone else".
The second year government and economics student criticised the idea university campuses are "hotbeds of Islamic extremism".
"Trying to focus all the attention on universities is not right. Muslim students have become defined by extremism and terrorism and it's not fair. Extremism exists no more in universities than it does elsewhere. This idea that universities are a "breeding ground" is just not true.
"Muslim students are just normal students."
Pete Mercer, vice-president welfare officer for the National Union of Students dubbed the report a "witch hunt".
“We would welcome an open and balanced discussion about gender issues and religion but it’s important that contributions aren’t hysterical and that the word ‘extremism’ isn’t thrown around without justification," he said.
"Unfortunately this report appears to conflate events organised for women to meet separately with those where genders are forced to sit separately.
"When events are open to the general public or student population forced segregation is entirely unacceptable, however where the event is closed and all those present have agreed to segregate, they should have the freedom to make that choice.
"A witch hunt which makes sweeping judgments about student Islamic societies without knowing the details denies the women involved the very equality it claims to wish for them."
Mercer added the NUS was not aware of any complaints made by students to universities or student unions about gender segregation.
Earlier this year Harrath helped organise a recent conference on campus extremism, which was held at LSE and featured experts on extremism, freedom and security.
Pete Mercer (Vice President (Welfare), NUS) Omar Ali (President, FOSIS) speak at the conference
"There was a consensus view amongst the speakers that the debate on campus extremism has been exaggerated and distorted creating a climate where Muslim students are increasingly demonised," Harrath says.
Raheem Kassam, director of Student Rights, told the Times: "I am distraught that, in the 21st century, British university campuses can be used to segregate and denigrate women. The acceptance of segregation on campuses is a far more serious issue than previously thought."
The report lists events which have segregated men and women and says they are "not ‘isolated incidents’ but rather form a part of a "wider, discriminatory trend on UK university campuses".
"Student Rights has shown that in recent years this kind of forced segregation is not an isolated phenomenon. Student Rights only logs events which feature speakers with a history of extreme or intolerant views, as well as those events which explicitly promote gender segregation."
Reyhana Patel, a journalist and researcher specialising in Muslim communities, told HuffPost UK: "This latest accusation is just another attempt by Student Rights to bash the Muslim community and create the fear that Islam is not compatible with western society.
"As a Muslim woman, I’ve attended numerous events where there have been the optional segregation seating and where I’ve chosen to sit in the female-only section and other times where I’ve chosen to sit in a group of males and females together. Have I ever felt denigrated or discriminated? No, in fact the complete opposite, it is actually empowering to be able to have the choice.
"It is also imperative to point out that segregated seating is not only practiced and encouraged in the Islamic faith, but also in various other faiths, such as Judaism," Patel continues. "Student Rights has a long track record of trying to ‘expose’ student Islamic societies. It is groups like Student Rights which use every opportunity they can to create fear and anxiety amongst the British public towards Islam and Muslims."
The pressure group, which describes itself as "dedicated to supporting equality, democracy and freedom from extremism on university campuses" also urges universities to monitor Islamic society events.
Harrath rubbished insinuations made by the Student Rights report extremism and gender segregation were linked.
"Some members of the Muslim community, due to their religious convictions, wish to sit in a gender- segregated manner at events while others do not feel this is a necessity," he says. "Thus, Islamic societies endeavour to ensure that all services are accessible to their members irrespective of their religious or social inclinations and that each member has an equal opportunity to partake in events without disadvantage."
"Islamic Societies often reserve one side of the room (such as the left side) for men and the other side for women. Depending on the anticipated audience, there is often also an area in the middle for those who do not wish to segregate, or for families."
In a speech delivered in 2006, Murray said: "Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board: Europe must look like a less attractive proposition. We in Europe owe – after all – no special dues to Islam. We owe them no religious holidays, special rights or privileges.
"From long before we were first attacked it should have been made plain that people who come into Europe are here under our rules and not theirs.. If.. some Muslims don't have a mosque to go to, then they'll just have to realise that they aren't owed one."
A student paper voiced its concerns about the links between the society and Student Rights - who also questioned the banning of the BNP from LSE's student union in 2009.
The London Student's front page splash "exposing" the Student Rights group
Nicola Dandrige, chief executive of Universities UK, has previously said there is no evidence to link Muslim "student radicals" with violent extremism.
"You cannot draw the conclusion that because wild things are said at university that automatically equates to radicalisation," Dandridge told the Daily Telegraph in 2011. "We have to be really careful about what we are saying about cause and effect.
"I don’t think there has been any evidence suggesting that speakers who are offensive to many people cause violent extremism in the student audience."
Dandridge added she had been advised by MI5 and police who say there is not necessarily a link between open debate at university and violent extremism.
Her view has been reinforced by the Home Affairs committee report on "Roots of Violent Radicalisation", which stated: "Too much focus in the Prevent Strategy is placed on public institutions such as universities, and that it may be more accurate, and less inflammatory, to describe them as places where radicalisation 'may best be identified'.
"We consider that the emphasis on the role of universities by government departments is now disproportionate.”
Dandridge added: "Things do get said that are completely repulsive and you utterly disagree with them nonetheless I think that is part of what universities are about and that’s not a bad thing."
The Student Rights "unequal opportunities" report cites an incident at Leicester University as part of the issue. Although the report quotes Leicester's equal opportunities policy, it does not include the university's comment.
At the time, a spokesperson from the university explained: "university spokesperson explained: "[We] will not interfere with people's right to choose where to sit. If some people choose to sit in a segregated manner because of their religious convictions, then they are free to do so. By the same token, if people attending do not wish to sit in a segregated manner, they are free to do so. To our knowledge, no one was forced to sit in any particular seat."
Harrath adds: "This, in essence, best captures the appropriate balance that students’ unions and universities ought to keep on this issue and is the approach Islamic Societies have taken for decades.
"In a free society, male and female students should be free to sit separately if they wish to do so and we ought not to cave in to pressure to enforce mixed seating against the wishes of students seeking reasonable adjustment based on their religious convictions. What is important, however, is that by the same token, nobody is compelled to sit in a segregated arrangement involuntarily."
A spokesperson for Student Rights told HuffPost UK the claims it is attempting to "demonise" Muslim students are "simply not true" and encouraged student union executives to investigate the report's findings.
Raheem Kassam, director of Student Rights, added: "As a Muslim student at Westminster University, my colleagues and I were frustrated and despondent about the continual harassment towards us from extremists of all kinds. It is on the basis of this that I founded Student Rights in 2009 to protect all students.
"This report neither aims to, nor does it, demonise Muslim students, it seeks to protect them from extremism, in this case in the form of segregation, and we have had countless testimonies from Muslim students thanking us for our work”.
"We are committed to exposing all forms of extremism on the UK’s campuses, including that from the far-right and Christian groups, and are keen to work with Muslim students who are targeted by these groups."]]>Earth Sciences Shut Down Protest At Oxford University Over Shell Partnershiptag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-10T05:27:39-04:002013-05-10T07:29:59-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/Oxford University to celebrate its controversial new partnership with oil company Shell was dramatically gatecrashed by protesters campaigning against the "irresponsible" deal.
The uninvited guests, who were part of a larger protest against Shell financing a new Earth Sciences laboratory, say they were "dragged out" by security despite their peaceful approach.
On Thursday, students, staff, experts and alumni gathered to greet Energy Minister Ed Davey as he attended the new Shell Geoscience Laboratory opening ceremony.
The deal will include research on the location of black shale, which, according to campaigners, will be of "great assistance" to Shell in locating and extracting more fossil fuels "at a time of climate emergency". However Oxford University insists this is just "one part of a big research programme".
Two protesters gatecrashed the celebratory dinner held by the Earth Sciences department, Shell and the university's vice-chancellor, to "politely" explain why the protest was taking place. One member of the UK Tar Sands group, who helped organise the protest, told HuffPost UK: "One of [the protestors] started to calmly and politely explain why there was so much concern about the partnership, but got dragged out by porters."
Footage of protesters interrupting the dinner at St Edmund's Hall
High profile climate change campaigner and Oxford alumnus Jeremy Leggett said he was "ashamed" of his former university's decision to shake hands with Shell.
"Shell has abandoned all pretence at playing a role in saving civilisation from the ruin of six degree global warming. Universities are increasingly part of the problem too. 'Most have become complicit seekers of funding, for short-term perceived interests, when a liveable future is at stake for the very students they educate.
"This union of my alma mater with Shell is a potent symbol of the suicide pact we are all now part of.
"I have such fond memories of my time in this department. Now I am almost as ashamed of it as I am appalled by Shell’s desperate defence of a deadly status quo, despite everything climate scientists know and warn of."
Ellen Gibson, an undergraduate at St Hilda's, was one of several students to take part in the protest against the partnership - which she described as "frankly irresponsible".
"Shell is a company with a long history of human rights abuses and environmental damage, as well as having an important role in the exploitation of fossil fuels and the consequence of this - potentially catastrophic global warming," she told the Huffington Post UK.
"As a research institution and university of world-class standard, this partnership certainly does no favours to Oxford's reputation as being morally and ethically world-class, as well as just worried about their pockets. Considering Oxford's own climate scientists have consistently warned of the dangers of burning fossil fuels, I see the partnership as frankly irresponsible on the part of the university.
"[Oxford] has a duty, in my view, to take this research seriously and set an example as an institution acting on such concerns in order to preserve their future and that of their students."
Students protesting their university's new partnership with oil company Shell
The university approached Shell to ask for financial support from the oil giant to fund research into sedimentary basins, the origins of source rocks and the geological storage of CO2. Shell will be giving the university data worth millions of pounds, in a move the university insists is crucial to its research.
A spokesperson for Oxford University said: "All Oxford University research is rigorous, independent and objective, and the terms of the partnership with Shell protects that independence. Shell is supporting research the University already wanted to pursue, both financially and through providing crucial data that will enable us to tackle fundamental research problems it would be impossible to study otherwise.
"The role of the research is to increase understanding of fundamental geological processes. The potential application of that understanding by industry and wider society includes not only meeting future energy needs, but mitigating and combating climate change."
Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK and also an Oxford alumnus, accused Shell of "consistently failed to own up to its responsibilities".
"By picking Shell, Oxford University has chosen an odd bedfellow," Allen said. "Amnesty International has consistently highlighted Shell’s poor human rights record in the Niger Delta. Large parts of the region, home to more than 30m people, have become a polluted wasteland due to the activities of oil companies.
"Numerous oil spills have left local communities with little option but to drink polluted water, eat contaminated fish, and breathe in air that reeks of oil and gas. Yet Shell has consistently failed to own up to its responsibilities.
"If Oxford is to continue with this new relationship, the university authorities should exert all the pressure they can to persuade the oil giant to own up, pay up and clean up. Failure to do so will not only let Shell off the hook, but will tarnish the good name of Oxford University and betray the millions of people who live in the Niger Delta.”
An open letter published in the Guardian and signed by campaigners, Oxford students and university staff, read:
"We are united in our opposition to this new partnership and the growing trend of oil companies funding, and thus influencing, the research agenda of our universities. Shell is a particularly inappropriate choice of funder for an Earth sciences laboratory.
"Shell's core business activities and political lobbying are pushing us towards a future with a global temperature increase well in excess of 2C. Oxford's own climate scientists are warning us that we need to leave the majority of known fossil fuels in the ground, and yet this new partnership will undertake research that will help Shell to find and extract even more hydrocarbons."
A spokesperson for Shell said: Shell recognises that certain organisations are opposed to our industry. We respect the right of individuals and organisations to engage in a free and frank exchange of views about our operations. Recognising the right of individuals to express their point of view, we only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others, including Shell personnel, in mind."]]>Michael Gove Attacks Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series, Says Children Should Read Middlemarchtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-09T06:52:17-04:002013-05-09T07:46:43-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/Michael Gove has incurred the wrath of an army of angry Twilight fans after rubbishing Stephenie Meyer's hit series, saying he'd rather his children read Middlemarch.
In a speech at Brighton College on Thursday, the education secretary told his audience: "Too many children are only too happy to lose themselves in Stephenie Meyer."
"There is a Great Tradition of English Literature, a Canon of transcendent works, & Breaking Dawn is not part of it," he continued.
Michael Gove criticised children who read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series
Fans of the vampire trilogy rushed to defend the Twilight author, while others took the chance to criticise Gove and his waspish tongue.
"You come home to find your 17-year-old daughter engrossed in a book. Which would delight you more... Twilight or Middlemarch?," Gove then added, according to a Financial Times reporter.
But taking on Twilight wasn't enough for the minister, who then gave the game pool a pummelling shortly after launching an attack on the most downloaded game of all time - Angry Birds.
"You see your son is totally absorbed, hunched over the family laptop," Gove said. "You steal a look over his shoulder - and what would please you more - to see him playing Angry Birds, or coding?," Politics.co.uk reported.
"Your son says he wants to spend more time with one particular group of friends. Which would be more inspiring - because he wants to improve his pool or because they're in the cadets and he wants to join?"
On hearing of Gove's speech, HuffPost reader Simon Gosden even created a meme:
Gove appeared at Brighton College, recently named the UK's independent school of the year, to deliver a speech about the government's attempts to address the educational attainment gap.
Perhaps Gove would prefer children read his special edition King James Bible, to which he has provided the foreword?]]>Serigne Tacko Mbengue, NUS Activist, Granted Asylum After Being Asked To 'Prove' He's Gaytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-08T09:09:28-04:002013-05-08T09:45:37-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/ Serigne Tacko Mbengue, known as "Tacko", fled his home country, where it is illegal to be homosexual, after being tortured over his sexuality. After arriving in Britain in 2008, he spent 18 months in detention centres, and has fought deportation ever since.
Now Tacko, who is an LGBT representative for the National Union of Students' (NUS) black campaign, can live in the UK in peace after the Home Office dropped the case.
Tacko has been granted asylum in the UK
The 26-year-old fled Senegal, where homosexual acts are illegal and carry a punishment of up to five years in jail. There is also no legal protection for those who are discriminated against due to their sexual orientation.
Antonia Bright, an organiser for Movement For Justice, a student-led civil rights group who campaigned for Tacko's right to asylum, told Huffington Post UK the case was "ridiculous".
"The Home Office didn't have to give a reason as to why they changed their mind," Bright explains. "The Supreme Court is clear if you're perceived to be gay, you will be in danger. Tacko is publicly out, everyone who knows him personally knows he's gay. He is well known as an LGBT representative and an open campaigner for LGBT rights.
"It [the case] is ridiculous."
The group called the decision a "huge victory" following a four year battle, writing on its Facebook group: "Because of Tacko's tenacity and determination we won this case."
Aaron Kiely, NUS' black students officer, said: "This is a big blow to a racist immigration system that continues to blight the lives of thousands of people in Britain.
"This really is fantastic news and a real testament to the hard-fought campaign lead by Tacko. I am so glad that he now will get to stay and continue to expose and take on these reactionary and backwards immigration laws."
Bright adds: "It would be highly dangerous for Tacko to return to his home country. As an open activist he would be known as gay in Senegal. There's no reason why he shouldn't continue to be open, why he should have to hide in the closet. You should be able to be who you are without living in fear."
"It's an impossible task to prove you're gay. The Home Office could just keep saying they don't believe you. He had friends, a family member, former partners, the student movement, testifying for him. What do you have to do to prove your sexuality?
"The ordeal for Tacko of attempting to prove he was gay was traumatic in itself. There were over 50 people who came to the hearing to support Tacko as they just couldn't believe this sort of thing was happening.
"We're hoping to encourage others to come forward and get help.
"If Tacko couldn't win, who on earth could?"
The Home Office has been contacted for comment but has yet to respond.]]>Queen's Speech: Will Immigration Bill Deter International Students From Studying In The UK?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-08T05:57:15-04:002013-05-10T03:28:42-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/international students as a "political football" following the Queen's Speech which laid out proposals for tougher crackdowns on immigrants.
Measures to control immigration are at the heart of the government's legislative agenda for the coming year, including restricting access to the NHS for illegal immigrants and making it easier to deport people from the UK.
Daniel Stevens, international students officer at the National Union of Students (NUS), expressed concern the renewed focus on cracking down on immigrants would deter foreign students from considering studying in the UK.
He told the Huffington Post UK: "Yet again the government have demonstrated the huge gap between their professed enthusiasm for international students and the reality of policy. International students are an important addition to UK universities but the government continues to make them feel unwelcome with ever more onerous restrictions."
On Wednesday, the Queen told MPs and peers an Immigration Bill will aim to "ensure that this country attracts people who will contribute and deter those who will not".
Measures in the Bill will regulate migrant access to the NHS and ensure that temporary visitors make a contribution, prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driving licences, introduce tougher fines for businesses using illegal labour, and require private landlords to check the immigration status of tenants.
The Bill will make it easier to remove people from the UK, limiting rights to appeal against deportation and specifying that all foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes will be removed except in "extraordinary circumstances". Legal force will be given to changes to rules announced by Theresa May to prevent the abuse of the right to family life by those seeking to avoid deportation.
Stevens added: "The Home Office have set arbitrary targets for reducing immigration and international students are a soft target despite the huge academic, cultural and financial contributions they make to their universities and the communities in which they live.
"Ministers must stop treating international students like a political football by recognising their value to the UK and removing them from immigration statistics."
Hamza Jawaid, an undergraduate and international students' officer at the London School of Economics, told HuffPost UK overseas students are "already apprehensive" about coming to the UK to study.
"Increasing their costs of living and studying in the UK is only going to deter international students," he said. "Keeping in mind the scrapping of Post Study Work visa, international students are already apprehensive about making such a big investment for three years and facing the possibility of not being able to work or look for attractive work opportunities after studying.
"I have personally encountered many prospective students indifferent between a relatively high ranked UK university and an average Canadian/American university. Scrapping of the Post study work visa, introduction of mandatory student interviews for visa applications in many countries and increasingly stringent application process have all created a general perception that it is no longer viable to opt to study in UK.
"After all it is a big monetary investment and having little or no return on that investment is a big deterrent," Jawaid, who describes himself as a "proud Pakistani", continued "Since the past couple of years and given the current economic climate, international students feel under a constant threat and a sense of insecurity while or choosing to study in the UK.
"It is absolutely imperative for the government to rethink its stance on international students and not deal with it in the same manner that it does with the general immigrant bracket."
Jawaid, who has been in the UK for a year, said he had come to "respect and admire the excellence of British educational institutions", and added: "It will be highly unfortunate that these world class universities begin being viewed as unwelcoming places for eager and talented students from around the world."
Several MPs, including Boris Johnson, have already appealed to the government to be more welcoming to international students and exclude them from migration targets.
On a trip to India in 2012, the Mayor of London said: "The policy on visas is, in my view, sending out the wrong signal. There are so many stipulations that we are starting to lose business to Australia, America and Canada.
"As I have written several times to the home secretary, we need to see a strong statement of welcome to make sure that the visa system is not a deterrent to international students."
A quick poll by HuffPost UK in January showed the majority of our readers felt overseas students shouldn't be included in net migration numbers.
In a letter to David Cameron, the chairmen of five select committees, including home affairs, business and public accounts committees, urged "further action to encourage international university students to study in the UK".
The letter, sent to the prime minister earlier this year, read: "Doing so has the potential to support economic growth in the immediate and longer term, supporting jobs in university towns and increasing export earnings," the letter read.
"International students who study in the UK also build relationships which last over time, laying the foundations for future business opportunities in emerging economies, and supporting our foreign policy objectives."
The PM was also asked to reconcile the "remaining tensions between visa policy and aspirations for growth by removing international students from the net migration target".
Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: "Our recent survey of universities' international student recruitment showed that new enrolments [the clearest indicator of future numbers] have remained broadly flat this year.
"This is clear evidence that there is now a need for more joined up thinking and better messaging in terms of international students."
She added: "Many live in shared, student accommodation, which places less burden on council services. And owing to their age profile, they are less likely to require NHS care or have dependants.
"If the government's aim is to make the UK a country that attracts people who will contribute, they need look no further than international students and international university staff."
]]>University of London Votes To Shut Its Students' Union, Angry Students Vow To Fighttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-03T07:50:34-04:002013-05-03T09:50:30-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
The university (UoL) voted to close the union on Friday, a move described by the vice president of the student union as a "disgrace" and "destructive". The reason to shut the University of London Union (ULU) was to "save money" - which has angered students as the vice-chancellors have a combined salary of £4.1m. According to the union, the cost of funding ULU is an annual grant of £800,000, most of which is paid directly back to the university as rent.
The University of London's student union is to close
Michael Chessum, president of the ULU said: "This decision is totally illegitimate and will have a majorly negative impact on student life and representation in London: no student sat on the review panel, no student got a vote on the decision, and student responses have been ignored or brushed aside throughout.
"It’s not that we won’t go down without a fight – we simply won’t go down."
The decision comes after a review group recommended the abolition of the ULU, stripping students of their facilities and building. The current building in Bloomsbury will be turned into a "student services centre" run by the university.
The ULU represents more than 120,000 students from 18 colleges and 10 research institutions, including the University College London (UCL), making it the largest student union in Europe. The changes will take effect next summer.
Daniel Cooper, ULU's vice president, added: "The decision by the University is extremely myopic and destructive. It is an attack on the students’ union autonomy and independence. If it can happen here, it can happen at any other students’ union in the country. The decision is a disgrace - we will be fighting this decision tooth and nail.
"The University have said they will facilitate the setting up of a new pan-London representative structure. We will not allow the structures, history and expertise, that have been built up over many years, be thrown away in this vandalistic way. We will continue to represent the interests of all London students."
One former sports club president described the ULU's clubs and societies as a "breath of fresh air".
Graham Miles, former President of the ULU Fencing club, said: "Many [students] remain in touch long after graduation, forming an informal global network of contacts and friends that is hugely beneficial to all members of the club, new or old. Marriages, careers and lifelong friendships have been forged from this network.
"ULU societies are uniquely placed to provide such a network because they bring together people from such varied backgrounds, a breath of fresh air for students attending small specialist colleges.”
Others, however, weren't so angry at the decision, tweeting:
Chris Rogers, executive editor of London student newspaper, The Beaver, asked: "Just really, who in their right mind wants to save ULU?"
He added: "If @ULUnion spend a fraction of the effort being useful as it is fighting its closure, maybe it wouldn't be closing down... In what conceivable way has ULU ever fought for its members.
"Asked a student for a quote on the ULU situation, I received the response "What's ULU?" - sums up the situation nicely."
Many students have now pledged to fight the closure, with ULU planning to set up a London-wide student assembly to contest the decision.
One UCL student added: "We have a proud heritage of fighting for our rights. If the university thinks that it can simply start stealing our buildings in 2014, it has another thing coming."
The UoL has been contacted for comment but has yet to reply.]]>Molly Case, Nursing Student, Defends NHS At Conference With Nursing The Nation Poem (VIDEO)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-02T11:27:16-04:002013-05-02T12:02:11-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Molly Case, a 24-year-old from South London, who's studying at the Royal College of Nursing, read her "Nursing the Nation" spoken word poetry to a packed room of professionals, doctors and nurses last week - and got a standing ovation for her efforts.
She tells The Huffington Post UK just why she did it.
What made you feel you had to speak out?
"The unrelenting bad press around the whole of the NHS was beginning to frighten me. I think everybody was becoming accustomed to the negativity, almost desensitized to it as if it just ‘goes with the profession.’
"I was entirely guilty of this myself, meandering along, noticing the awful things being said but just getting on with it regardless. A few particular words were spoken on a popular daytime TV show that became the catalyst for the poem, but really it was only when the people close to me, my cohort, my colleagues, revealed how upset and disheartened they were, that I sat up.
"That’s when I felt this fierce protective spirit over them, over myself, over all of us taking a beating for the bad care that is around, when most of us strive every day to do all we can for our patients. Of course there is bad care, but from my experience I’ve also seen such goodness and I felt I simply had to do celebrate it in any way I could."
Molly speaking at the NHS congress
Have you been the subject of any negativity?
So far I’ve been quite lucky. Whilst my poem is political in the sense that it’s talking about a topic ‘in politics’ at the moment, it is not intended to be a criticism or a slating of any political party. I assumed there would be people who took it this way and I’ve seen a few comments describing the poem as 'a rant', or 'a moan', and that’s fine too.
"To me, it’s a celebration but of course, I can understand how it could be viewed as controversial. On the whole, the response has been incredibly positive."
Molly was a regular spoken word performer before she decided to concentrate on nursing
What reaction did you expect from the audience?
"I can honestly say I never expected the reaction I have received! It has been totally overwhelming and I’m so happy that it’s resonated with so many people. It was an absolute privilege to stand up at Congress and perform.
"I’m in my element when it comes to poetry anyway, but it was such an important event to speak at and I’d love to do it all over again!
"When the crowd stood up I was simply speechless, it was quite a sight seeing so many people rise from their seats, I’ll never forget it and I’ll never forget the month of April when I went viral! I’m so incredibly grateful to everybody who has watched it."
Have you had any messages of support since?
"The support has been huge. I’m having to be very disciplined and am doing my best to reply to all the emails and invites I’ve been receiving. I hope that I can live up to the expectations that everybody has for me.
"It’s wonderful to see the interactions on social media sites, even a few celebrities getting involved and people uniting with the same celebratory message. It still doesn’t feel like it was me that set all this in motion."
How long have you been doing spoken word poetry and why did you feel it was a good medium to get your point across?
When I was studying for my first degree in English Literature and Creative Writing I became a spoken word artist and performed all around the country including for the BBC Radio 4 Poetry Slam heats. I did that for about two and a half years but wanted to focus entirely on my page poetry and my novel.
"I haven’t performed spoken word in three years but my colleagues gave me the inspiration to start again.
"I write poetry in response to experiences; I can’t help it, it’s just something I do. It is always an organic process. Poetry is such a perfect, distilled medium, dew-drop clear and has the power to evoke such change. My life changed when I discovered poetry, I saw the world in a whole new way.
"This poem came to me almost completely formed and then I listened to some of my favourite hip hop artists to get the rhythm as tight as I could, almost like writing a song. The flow of it always has to be just perfect in order to do justice to the words and the timing of the poem.
"As one of my favourite spoken word artists says: 'A good flow is like a fossil it preserves the time/And the only thing of worth you can learn from mine/Is that the spaces between words deserve to shine.' (Polarbear).
"I think spoken word is great for public events, not only do you have the actual words but the rhythm and the rhyme is exhilarating to watch and listen to: a falcon gathering momentum, a petal falling to earth. It can be anything you want it to be."
Molly's pen name is R.I. Macey. Her short story is available to purchase my short story at the Amazon Kindle store.]]>York University Student Union Refuses To Recognise Feminist Societytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-02T06:35:43-04:002013-05-03T03:08:42-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/York University's student union has refused for a second time to officially recognise a feminist society, leaving students angry, frustrated and excluded.
Students campaigning for the York University Feminist Society (FemSoc) to be ratified by the student union have vowed to fight on, accusing union workers of being "hypocritical" and having "ulterior motives".
The university's student union (YUSU) told FemSoc members they had failed in their second attempt to be recognised because the society did not display "a unique need to become an exclusive society". The union also cited a concern about a "duplication of efforts" due to the presence of the already-established Women's Committee - a liberation and welfare committee and a branch of the union.
Helena Horton, who first wrote about the issue for student newspaper the Yorker, told The Huffington Post UK: "We found it strange when we were told that we are duplicating aims as a society, as LGBTQ Liberation and Welfare Committee, and LGBTQ social society, both exist separately, one as a Liberation and Welfare network and one as a ratified society.
"It seems slightly hypocritical of YUSU to allow this, as the two seem far more similar than FemSoc and WomCom, and not us."
Horton, the student behind the campaign to have the Sun removed from the union shop, added: "We have two ratified campus newspapers, who cover the same stories and the same sports. Why is this not counted as a 'duplication of interests' and our society is?
"There seems to be an ulterior motive at work here."
FemSoc describes itself as a political group, and, if recognised as an official society, would "meet weekly to discuss Feminism and Feminist issues in a welcoming, informal and inclusive group".
Alex Wilson, president of York's FemSoc
On the society's Facebook group, student Sam Lindsay asked: "There is a Labour Society on campus that YUSU ratified, despite there being an actual Labour Party. What about the 'duplication of efforts' there?"
The FemSoc society is now gaining support from students across the UK, with one University of East Anglia student Victoria Finan tweeting:
YUSU issues guidelines to societies seeking ratification which include:
"Does a society with similar aims and objectives already exist? Or a society that already attracts their target membership?
"Does the society have the potential to develop its members?
"Does the society display sustainability? Is it financially viable and sustainable? Membership
levels?
"Is the society inclusive? I.e is it open and accessible to all students?"
One York student suggested the Women's Committee and the FemSoc join forces:
But concerns were raised about the inclusivity of male feminists in the group:
An email from YUSU's activities officer Chris West to FemSoc's president Alex Wilson following the failed appeal read:
"Dear Alex,
"Thank you for coming in yesterday to present your appeal.
"Unfortunately, the panel decided to uphold the original decision to not ratify the society. They were happy with your explanation of the way it would work, and were satisfied with the demand for such a group to exist, but did not feel it displayed a unique need to become an exclusive society, and were concerned about the duplication of efforts.
"The suggestion we would like to make from here would be to arrange a meeting with myself, Bob Hughes and the Women's Officers, and see how the two groups can link together, which we see as a great opportunity to expand the ways women are represented and how feminism is expressed both on and off campus. The ideas and messages you portrayed in the appeal would be extremely valuable in potentially changing the way that the Women's Network is run, and we would love to get the two groups together and see how we can arrange this. At the meeting I would also be happy to discuss how we can offer you some of the benefits that we discussed at the appeal, such as email accounts and Freshers Fair stands, which will help you to continue with your goals. I am happy to coordinate such a meeting for next week, if you are able to let me know when the best time is for you.
"You are welcome to re-apply to be a society in the next round of applications, which will be in the Autumn Term, but we would suggest trying the link with Women's Network first.
"Please let me know when you would be available next week for the aforementioned meeting, and if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch."
West told HuffPost UK: "At York, we have a Societies Committee who decide upon society applications, and then an appeals body that hears any appeals for unsuccessful applicants. There is a list of criteria that is available to all prospective societies when they apply, which is used by both panels when making their decisions.
The FemSoc's Facebook cover photo
"The application for Feminist Society was rejected on the grounds that the proposed society was not "exclusive from other areas of the Union", in this case the Women's Network, which is active and holds very similar aims and objectives. As a Union, we have limited resources, and so it's important that we don't replicate effort when it comes to student activities.
"Obviously, we also don't want to turn away enthusiastic students, which is why we're now working to bring the proposers of "Feminist Society" together with the Women's Network, so that they can achieve their objectives within the existing setup."
Do you have an issue at your university you feel needs talking about? Get in touch: ukstudenteds@huffingtonpost.com
]]>UCLU Officer Accuses Students Of 'Scabbing' For Organising Starbucks Macmillan Cancer Charity Event On May Daytag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-01T07:26:08-04:002013-05-02T09:49:55-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Edwin Clifford-Coupe called for University College London (UCL) to reject using Starbucks at the fundraiser, which was taking place on May Day, due to the coffee company's tax arrangements.
In a blog published on the UCL union (UCLU) website, Clifford-Coupe, the education and campaigns officer at UCL, wrote: "Volunteering your time to raise money for charity and help your fellow students is good; allowing a corporation to cynically get on board so as to advertise to students, while it apparently cannot accord its staff a paid lunch break, is scabbing, and you should stop that.
"Reject Starbucks’ offer, and I will come and join you."
Edwin Clifford-Coupe's bio on the UCLU website
The event was originally set up to provide coffee for students affected by UCLU's decision to close its cafes in honour of May Day.
Organiser of the charity event Louisa Townson told The Huffington Post UK: "Following the announcement that UCLU would close its facilities for international labour day, I took the initiative to run a coffee morning for a charity very close to my heart, Macmillan Cancer Support.
"Organisation was manic and revolved around asking any cafes for donations. Many couldn't. Starbucks, however, offered to filtered coffee. In my mind, good coffee sells - which meant more money for Macmillan, so of course I accepted!
"If UCLU had bothered to ask me before labelling me a scab, they would know:
A) That I asked other cafes, including independents, for donations
B) That no donation was given on the condition of "cynical" requests for promotion (that was my own advertising, to try and raise more money)
And C) There was other coffee on offer! But as it was, they never once contacted me and never once offered to "stand with me" before Starbucks' donation.
"I find it incredible that my own union can label me with such a heinous term without even looking into the event properly. Events like these are exactly what UCLU should encourage.
"I'm proud of what we have achieved today - over £650 we raised today will go a long way for a charity that got my family through one of the worst periods of our lives. That is what matters."
Clifford-Coupe told HuffPost UK: "I made statements about Starbucks’s poor ethical history in relation to workers’ rights and corporation tax.
"My point of view is that using Starbucks coffee unfortunately and unnecessarily undermines the good work that the charity stall did this morning to raise money for a vital charity. I was hoping through the blog post to persuade them to not use Starbucks coffee."
The event on Facebook, which has around 230 people attending, was inundated with offers to bake cakes for the fundraiser - however UCLU "refused" to donate coffee cups.
The Macmillan Cancer charity event at UCL
In retaliation to Clifford-Coupe's blog, Townsend tweeted: "It’s not like any @UCLU sabbs offered any help before SBX donated (only YESTERDAY): dont play the I’ll stand by you if you ditch SBX when you never offered to stand by me in the first place.
"At no point did I make my event or its planning political. It was @UCLU who decided to poop politics on a good will charity event."
She continued: "Beyond the incredible help of the non-elected full time staff, who were wonderful (your VSU is amazing), NO-ONE from the elected @uclu offices got in touch to support.
"It would have been nice if ANY of you @uclu had spoken to me about it all first, before launching a student wide statement slandering the event. Aggressive much? If you had emailed, you’d have a little more insight and we could have avoiding this unpleasantness."
"Sincerely, The girl organising an apolitical charity event you just made highly political."
Ruairidh Ferguson, a UCL student told HuffPost UK: "I think it's outrageous that the union has tried to politicise the event. I don't think we're 'scabbing' by accepting a donation from Starbucks. What matters is this money is going to those cancer patients and their families who need it most. "
A Starbucks spokesperson said: "We’re sorry that some students have chosen to boycott the charity event we’re supporting today. We have listened to our customers and are making a number of changes in our business to ensure we pay corporation tax in the UK."
A Macmillan Cancer Support Spokesperson added: "As with all fundraising efforts, we are extremely grateful to the students at UCL for arranging a coffee morning for Macmillan Cancer Support.
"Without fundraising events like this Macmillan could not provide vital services to people affected by cancer which help ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.”]]>Maxwell Dlamini, Swaziland NUS President, Imprisoned And Tortured For 'Peaceful' Campaigningtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-30T10:00:58-04:002013-04-30T11:15:53-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/
Maxwell Dlamini has been charged with sedition against the Swaziland government after taking part in a Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) rally earlier this month, it was was revealed over the weekend.
On Tuesday, the National Union of Students (NUS) told The Huffington Post UK Dlamini had been tortured since his arrest last week but could not disclose its sources. The union has now written to Mark Simmonds MP calling on him to urge the UK to pressure Swaziland to free Dlamini.
Maxwell Dlamini has been arrested and tortured due to his involvement in student protests
Dlamini is currently the general secretary for the SWAYOCO, a youth wing of The People's United Democratic Movement. The group regularly holds peaceful pro-democracy rallies. In 2011, Dlamini was arrested the night before he planned to lead thousands of students on a protest, and charged with possession of illegal ammunition - something which he denies. The government have been accused of driving a smear campaign against Dlamini, a popular figure among students who campaigns for free primary school education for all.
According to the petition, which is addressed to the government of Swaziland, Dlamini has also been forced to sign a confession which says he is guilty of possessing explosives during the Swazi Uprising in 2011, a movement inspired by the Arab Spring.
Dlamini recently spoke at the NUS' national conference earlier this month, highlighting his group's work for democracy, the "respect of human rights" and education for all students in the country.
He told delegates: "Today as the student’s of Swaziland, we ask for your solidarity and the hand of friendship to the students, youth and oppressed people of Swaziland."
Maxwell Dlamini speaking at the NUS' national conference, shortly before his arrest
Mere days before Dlamini was arrested, the SWAYOCO published a call to arms aimed at the country's youth to "stand up in action and demand their freedom".
No freedom can come on a silver platter; no freedom can be achieved without men and women, especially the youth, committing themselves to struggle," the statement read. "Let us not give this brutal regime space to breathe, let there be no normal business in this country until victory is pronounced."
The Swaziland Solidarity Network issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the actions of the government and Swaziland's king Mswati III:
"The youth wing of The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) held a short lived rally on Friday at Msunduza. Unfortunately, the king’s police disturbed this rather educational and peaceful gathering by firing teargas and stun grenades at the youth without any provocation...
"...Since the purpose of the rally was to make potential voters aware of the fraudulent nature of the Scheduled Tinkhundla lections, it is important to note that the population has been systematically denied access to information, which already renders any future election held under these conditions neither free nor fair...
"...We have also noted with deep concern that two members of SWAYOCO were arrested at the rally and are yet to be formally charged. We condemn this extreme show of brutal force on unarmed and peaceful youths. We hope that the world sees Mswati for the monster that he is."
Dom Anderson, vice president of society and citizenship-elect, said: "This year at NUS National Conference we were lucky enough to be sent a fraternal greeting by a truly inspirational activist, someone who has fought for education against an absolutist regime and someone who despite every setback refuses to be bullied into silence. What an inspiration to our movement here in the UK.
"Sadly the odds he and his allies work against are much higher than ours and he faces persecution from his government regularly.
"If we as a movement sit back and allow this to happen without giving our utmost in support and solidarity then we are sending a message that education is not worth fighting for."
]]>HuffPost Conversation Starters: Is Feminism Taken As A Joke On Campus? #HPFemtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-26T06:54:39-04:002013-04-26T12:27:10-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/Feminism on campus is still taken as a joke, many students feel, with one describing the cause as " laughed at, mocked and generally ridiculed".
Ahead of HuffPost UK's discussion at Cambridge Union about modern day feminism, which will feature Claire Perry MP, Julia Simpson, chief of staff International Airlines Group and Lucy-Anne Holmes, founder of No More Page 3 campaign, on the panel, we asked whether feminism is taken as a joke at university.
Students at Glasgow University protest against the sexist behaviour two females were subjected to during a debate
But beyond the headlines, female students who have to deal with daily jibes and taunts, which seem to be part and parcel of "declaring" yourself a feminist, say they are simply fed up.
"The word feminism is continually confused with the stereotype of a braless, hairy legged, man-hating woman, vociferously trampling over any man who happens to behave in some way that may contradict her beliefs.
"Yes, there may be feminists like that. There may be people holding any number of beliefs that behave like that," she added.
"There are also plenty of us who are far too generously endowed to go braless, purchase makeup with more regularity than attending lectures and spend those last few days before our loans come in batting our eyelids at anyone - regardless of gender - who might like to buy us half a pint of Strongbow (never said we were classy)."
The French and Italian student also attributes using "feminist" as an insult to the problem.
"When I hear people sound affronted as they are 'accused' of being a feminist or denouncing their opinions as feminist before they begin speaking I get very, very angry.
"Are you really not a feminist?" asks Cavendish, who writes for her student paper the Hullfire. "Do you really, truly believe that women shouldn't have the right to vote, or have a bank account without their husband's permission?
"If you can properly argue your side of the argument on this one, let me know because most students I've challenged can't, but they know that there are enough connotations attached to the word 'feminist' to make it a dirty word to fling at their female counterparts when an argument gets too heavy ("Oh for goodness' sake, Abbie, stop being such a feminist and get your tits out for the lads/get back into the kitchen/insert other stereotypical comment here").
"Feminism on campus is laughed at, mocked and generally ridiculed by those who can't bring themselves to see it for what it is - a movement designed to afford women and men with equal opportunities, the legal right to respectful treatment and the ability to protect themselves against discrimination.
"I, for one, am proud to call myself a member of any movement which stands up for the above, and will continue to do so. I'm still not giving up the bra, though!"
Bath University student Lily Morris feels the word feminism has been tainted by radical 20th century campaigners and says she's had "so many" experiences of feminism being misunderstood.
"In a lecture about feminism as part of a first year core Politics unit, the question ‘are you a feminist?’ was asked and about a third of the girls and none of the boys raised their hands. The lecturer had to use the tactic of asking ‘right, boys, how many of you have sisters… would you like them to be able to earn the same as you? Would you like them to be able to walk down the street at whatever time they liked wearing whatever they liked without being attacked?’ A few boys replied to the second one, ‘But that’s not feminism!’
"That, I think, really showed me just how misunderstood feminism is among young people."
Morris says another aspect is the "casual attitude" to what she describes as minor sexual assault.
"I’m talking groping of bums in bars, really. I got groped the last time I went out clubbing (and the only time this year…) and when I complained to a friend, he said, ‘Well, you really don’t understand how clubbing works, do you…?’"
Morris, who admits she doesn't see progress being made until there are changes in attitudes in society, has a novel solution to the problem.
"Mandatory screenings of Legally Blonde and everyone getting a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale to read?," she quips.
"Honestly, I haven’t a clue. I don’t think quotas on managing boards are the answer: they fix the symptoms (few women getting to the top of business) but not the root problems (ingrained sexism).
"I think lots of the issues originate at school, and maybe more could be done there."
She told HuffPost UK there was light at the end of the tunnel.
"Feminism is definitely alive and well on university campuses. The response to our work on lad culture and the Everyday Sexism Project just goes to show that people are prepared to stand up and challenge sexism.
"That we’ve seen so many men take up the campaign has also been really encouraging and shows that feminism is incredibly relevant to university life. Obviously, we’re a long way from eliminating sexism but students all around the country are showing us that they are ready to challenge it."
But Alexandra D'Sa, a student at Exeter University, voiced her frustrations at the reluctance for young women to label themselves feminists, as well constantly being depicted as a "crazed lunatic".
"A misconception of modern-day feminists is this: we’re not angry all the time," she tells us. "Okay we’re angry a lot of the time. And we have a right to be.
"These accusations are often made by men who can never understand what it’s like to be a woman, to be worried about walking alone anywhere for fear of rape or sexual objectification. If we’re not angry then how are we supposed to fuel our activism?
"I know a lot of other feminists too who don’t walk around with a grizzly face and shout at every man who passes by," D'Sa continues. "Stop depicting us as crazed lunatics. We have valid points and should be listened to.
"We need to shout to be heard on campus, and just because we’re shouting the word “feminism” doesn’t make us insane."
D'Sa addresses the issue of pigeonholing women who identify as feminists. "How many times have you heard, especially young, women say: 'Oh I think women should have equal pay, but I wouldn’t call myself a feminist'?", she asks. "Believing in equal rights for all genders, believing in equal pay, equal treatment, an end to sexual harassment… that’s what feminists want."
Although D'Sa says feminism is starting to be treated seriously in lectures, she argues it is treated as a joke "when we step into public spaces".
"Feminism starts to be treated as a joke when we step outside the lecture theatre and the seminar rooms, and into more public spaces. Lad culture, ladies and gentlemen and everything outside and in between, is not a myth.
"It’s there groping my friends when they go out to a club, it’s there justifying blatant misogyny under the label “banter”, it’s there in the party theme Pimps and Hoes. And when you speak out against it, expect to be laughed at, or called a “dyke”, “frigid”, or maybe “boring” if you’re lucky.
"This is also true online; when I post statuses on Facebook or Twitter advocating for what I believe in, some people say to me that they don’t want feminism rammed down their throat — well I don’t want the Patriarchy rammed down mine so I guess one of us is going to have to give.
"And it’s not going to be me."
We'd love our readers to come along to the Cambridge Union event (see below for details)
But if you can't make it please join the conversation on @HuffPostUK and @HuffPostUKStudents and via the hashtag #HPFem
Event details as follows:
Cambridge Union Society, 9A Bridge Street, Cambridge, CB2 1UB
The event is on Monday 29 April and starts at 19:30
It is a non-ticketed event, on a first come first served basis
]]>Suli Breaks, Spoken Word Poet, On Success Of 'Why I Hate School But Love Education' (VIDEO)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-24T06:10:50-04:002013-04-24T10:37:34-04:00Lucy Sherriffhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/lucy-sherriff/Suli Breaks, the spoken word poet taking YouTube by storm.
The "twenty something"-year-old is rapidly becoming a voice for young people trapped in a society where success is only measured by exam grades. In his latest viral video, "I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate", Breaks chastises parents, teachers, and the government for focusing on exams - instead of nurturing raw talent.
"I first started spoken word poetry when I was at university in my last year," Breaks tells the Huffington Post UK. "I did it instinctively on a whim and it generated a good response. Even in my last year I found I wasn't engaged in what I was studying and I was distant from it. I found the spoken word is what I enjoyed doing so I decided to pursue that."
Suli Breaks with one of his inspirational mottos
Breaks says he never gave his career much thought; "I just did what I was good at."
"My emphasis is on people changing their attitude towards education - whether they're students or teachers," he explains. "You don't have to reform the whole structure of the curriculum but people need an understanding that just because you're not good at a subject doesn't mean you're not going to succeed.
"Likewise, as in my circumstances, just because you are good at something doesn't mean you should pursue if it's not what you want.
"There's so much potential which people never really realise because they're stuck in the constraints of society's thinking. My emphasis is on the mentality."
Although Breaks says he never expected to be a success, his "Why I Hate School But Love Education" performance has had more than two million views on YouTube.
Under the video, Breaks asks: "What is the value of mainstream schooling? Why is it that some of the most high profile and successful figures within the Western world openly admit to never having completed any form of higher learning?"
"I didn't really put the video out there and expect a response," Breaks continues. "What I did want was to empower the people who hear it. I remember feeling low in myself, working certain jobs such as cleaning, and I had no-one to tell me there was light at the end of the tunnel.
"I'm not saying drop out of school or university but I want them to know there is someone here who knows what you're going through and can help you find another way.
"I've had people message me saying they finally understand why they couldn't do certain things in class and they used to feel dumb but now they realise they're not. Some guy messaged me saying he's never been good at maths and he's always felt bad but he's realised his strong point is english and politics. For me, that sense of empowerment is what I've been looking for."
"One mother messaged me and she said her son has been having so much difficulty in life as he's felt inadequate in school but since he heard my piece he realises he's OK and there's nothing wrong with him. For me, that message really stood out - the fact that I can add value to someone's life just by saying something like that.
"At the end of the day I'm an artist who just likes expressing myself and if someone;s enjoying my work that's enough of a satisfaction."
And so how old is this wised-up young man?
"I always tell people I'm twenty something," Breaks says. "I prefer not to go into my age - I feel like when I do, people base their perspectives on that."
