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Nine Things We Wouldn't Have Discovered If Universities Were Exempt From FOI

9 Stories We Would Never Have Uncovered If Universities Were Exempt From FOI
Lucy Sherriff
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If Jo Johnson's recently unveiled university reforms go ahead as planned, higher education institutions will no longer be required to respond to Freedom of Information requests.

The Conservative government believes that if private companies aren't subject to FOIs, universities shouldn't be either.

There's been a huge outcry over the proposals, with Mark Leach, editor in chief of Wonkhe, saying taking away the ability to FOI universities will "lower trust in the sector".

Dr Alice Bell, writer and campaigner with a strong interest in the politics of science, told HuffPost UK universities shouldn't even need FOI requests.

"Any decent university, indeed any organisation who takes education and science seriously, should be open as a matter of course," she said. "When I see a uni being FOIed, let alone trying to refuse FOIs, I just think their public engagement strategy has failed.

"In a way, universities shouldn't need Freedom of Information requests."

We've learnt a lot about universities thanks to FOIs, and without it, these nine stories may never have been uncovered...

Things we learnt with university FOIs
Links Between Universities And The Arms Trade (01 of09)
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In 2004, the Study War No More report was published, naming and shaming universities which were involved in lucrative research deals with the arms trade industry.

The Guardian reported: "The researchers found that between 2001 and 2006, more than 1,900 military projects, worth at least £725m, were conducted in the 26 universities they examined, 20 of which are in the elite Russell group. The largest number of contracts were placed at Cambridge, Loughborough, Oxford, Southampton and University College London, with a total value of £139m." (credit:Cpl Steve Bain ABIPP/MoD/Crown C/PA Wire)
Cambridge University Fined Students For Bedwetting(02 of09)
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Slightly less high-brow, perhaps, but nevertheless still important.

An FOI by student site The Tab found students at Cambridge University had been hit with more than £16,000 fines for theft, drunkenness, theft, drug taking and bedwetting between 2011 and 2013. (credit:Getty Images)
The Arms Trade Funds Elite Universities (again)(03 of09)
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This time, a HuffPost UK FOI revealed Britain’s top universities received at least £83m worth of funds from firms involved in the arms trade. (credit:Oxford University)
Sussex University Spent £100k Disciplining Students(04 of09)
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The University of Sussex splurged the money on legal costs in relation to disciplinary hearings between February 2013 and January 2014 for five of its students involved in protests.

The figures were revealed to HuffPost UK in response to a Freedom of Information request by student Michael Segalov, who is currently facing discipline by the university after his involvement in the protests. (credit:Morten Watkins)
Vice Chancellors' Salaries(05 of09)
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Thanks to a report by the University And College Union (UCU) earlier this year, we found out UK vice-chancellors earn £260,000 on average, and spent up to £60,000 on "premium" flights last year alone. (credit:designer491 via Getty Images)
Animal Testing(06 of09)
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A series of FOIs found more than a million animals in 2012 in scientific research experiments alone, including dogs, cats and primates. (credit:Getty Images)
Homophobia On Campus(07 of09)
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A HuffPost UK investigation found universities had little or no reports of homophobic abuse - despite a widespread anecdotal evidence suggesting otherwise.

Six universities had just one incident on record, while another four said it was "too expensive" to disclose their figures. Even once incidents had been reported and logged, the majority of cases resulted in the perpetrator going unpunished and continuing at the university as normal.

The NUS warned warned universities were brushing off homophobic language as "banter" and were failing to take the problem seriously.
Thousands More Students Are Seeking Help For Depression - As Universities Cut Services(08 of09)
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In 2013, a series of FOIs by HuffPost UK revealed thousands more students were seeking help for depression - while universities were cutting back on counselling services funding.

One university saw a 107% increase in students seeking help in the last five years, but in just one year the amount of money spent on services was cut by more than £290,000. And a student who sought support from her university was turned away by staff who said they could not provide her with help. (credit:bugphai via Getty Images)
Bristol's Vice Chancellor Spent £20k On A Far East Trip With His Wife(09 of09)
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Thanks to student paper Epigram, we learnt Bristol University spent thousands sending its outgoing vice chancellor on a two week trip around Asia and Australia with his wife. (credit:Bristol University)
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