Around 30 students have gathered in the Exhibition Centre, staging a sit-in protest against tuition fee rises and education cuts.
The protest comes after three national marches and demonstrations, the first of which was organised by the National Union of Students. Similar sit-ins are in progress at other institutions, the most high-profile of which is at University College London, at which nearly 200 students have been in attendance at one time.
Participants Tara Jessop and Luke Capps said of the sit-in, “We’re here because we condemn the proposed cuts on Further and Higher Education. We are calling on the University to support us in also condemning the education reforms.”
“There is great importance attached to the means by which we’re presenting our demands by creating an alternative space on campus, inviting people to join us, having a shared space to exchange ideas, foster dialogue and show the potential that university holds.”
Students involved hosted a talk by “Compost John” [Cosshum] on sustainable living in the first few hours of the action, where he discussed how students can minimize their carbon footprints and be more eco-aware.
York students are planning to remain in the Exhibition Centre until December 16th. At the UCL sit-in, protestors have been warned that they may face legal action if they do not leave the building soon.
The sit-in started on Wednesday afternoon, and is set to continue twenty-four hours a day. Many students first heard of the protest as a result of a Facebook group, entitled “The Great York Sit-In”, announcing plans for the movement.
Vision will provide regular updates below over the course of the coming two weeks. A more detailed report was published in Week 9’s issue, available here.
Additional reporting by Josie Cridland, Daniel Goddard, Helena Kealey and Milana Knezevic.
[liveblog]
Great idea – stage a sit-in in a building that is covered by 24 hour portering anyway…
May aswell sit in their rooms…
the choice of location reflects the protesters commitment to students; unlike at other universities they havn’t occupied a space that will prohibit the main student body’s access to lectures or any student societies events from occuring. they have taken a responsible attitude whilst still demonstrating the high level of feeling and trying to engage with the university. they should be praised, not derided.
Cracking stuff Paulo. Fan!
Prag Ma Tist,
As an electronics student let me assure you that physics is not open 24hrs
Scully – best article so far :-) PLUS love the quote from Andy Cope.
I don’t see why you lot care. You won’t be at uni when its brought in (or the majority won’t be anyway). Makes your degree more valuable in the future if less people go to university.
You lot just like complaining it seems. Enjoy your time at university. Having recently graduated, if I was in your position now I would look back on my time at uni and think that was time wasted =]
Richard:
Some people do use their time at Uni.
Where is your sense of responsibility? Sorry, but life isn’t about making yourself more valuable than other people.
It’s a dog eat dog world out there so as far as I’m concerned it is. Unless you already have a job lined up then you will realise how difficult it is to find a graduate job at the moment.
I’m sure there was a similar protest when the fees went up from £1k to £3k… and when the fees were introduced in the first place — they happened, and the uni had little say in it, just like this time. So why the sit-in *at* the university? Maybe this small group of students just wanted to get into Vision!
@Richard.
Although it may not directly affect us in that we won’t have to pay higher fees, it will affect us insofar as it is a major change to the public goods our society decide to value and support. I believe Education is a right, I believe it is vital to the flourishing of society and of the individual and that the idea of subjecting such an important institution to any further privatisation, marketisation or threats to its integrity would be catastrophic. But if your idea of Politics is void of any values apart from the furthering of your own selfish interests, regardless of the general outcome and the kind of society it creates, then I can see why you may disagree.
@ Alex.
You’re right. We all decided to spend the night on the cold hard floor of the Physics center because we wanted to have a mention on Vision’s webpage. Oh wait, hang on. No. We did it because we believe that there is a role the University could play in showing its support by condemning the proposed cuts and joining a nation-wide movement of individuals who reject the Government’s proposal. You may want to come down today (or any/every other day)at 6.15pm and find out for yourself why students are dedicating their time and energy.
You get free education all the way up until the age of 18. 21k per year would mean less people at university and more likely to get job so paying 21k a year could seem a reasonable risk to take when there will be less graduates who can fill the vacancies.
The University didn’t make the decision to increase tuition fees so affecting students learning by holding these protests while achieving little or no outcome seems pointless. I realise that you sort of people like to be involved in what you consider to be university life but a lot of us cringe at some of the action you’re taking as well as students from other universities.
You may say you aren’t affecting the learning but being situated a lot of the time in the physics building when I was a student I know the area you’re vacating is one of the few places that side of campus where students can quietly get on with work.
@ Richard
Richard, I don’t think you should make assumptions about how the sit-in is being organised and the affect that this has on students wishing to study untill you have witnessed it for yourself. We are only occupying the middle section of physics, leaving rooms at either end free and the noise level has actually been very low throughout. The fact is that a high proportion of the occupants are 3rd years with a lot of work to get on with themselves resulting in, I am sure many would agree, a studious atmosphere at the sit-in this morning.
I have seen where you are. You’re in the main reception area. Where students congregate after lectures to work.
I am sure the ‘many’ who agree are those taking part in it.
@Richard Less people at uni maybe but not the right ones. How is a student from a back ground where none of their family have been to uni going to have the confidence to willingly plunge themselves in to 30k of debt on the hope that they will get a good paying job from it?
The same way I plunged myself into 18k debt as well as my 2 siblings at the same time, a combined total of 54k (for the benefit of arts students) coming from a middle income family.
@Richard: yes, they are sat-in in one of the very few study spaces this side of campus (the Kirk is closing early because of the snow, the physics library seats about 12 at MAX). They are preventing a number of us from studying. We have group work projects and problem questions to do.
Sitting in that area suggests we are part of the protest and agree with their aims (some of the finer points I disagree with) and their method of protest. Why not sit-in in Hes Hall, disrupt those you’re trying to influence, and not students who are trying to study and have no where else to go!
roflcopter, the update at 17:57 is exactly what a poster has already said and answered that their was no disruption at all. Don’t you love it when ignorant arts students don’t even know what is disruptive to how their fellow students
20.22 “Other decisions made include conversation about relationships with Physics students” how’s that going then? We’ve heard nowt from them.
were so many photographs of the pole exercising society truly necessary?
any one else confused by the HIV positive shirt…
@ 20 anon
There are only 2 pictures of the pole exercising society – hardly a lot.
@ 21 anon
I imagine the wearer of the ‘HIV Positive T-Shirt’ wishes to illustrate that he is positive about HIV and the prospects of those with the illness and wears the T-Shirt as a public act of rejection of the negative stigma often assigned to suffers. Hope that helps!
Were two pictures of pole soc not enough for you Louise?