Michelle Coddrington has been re-elected as NUS Black Students Officer
As the government proposals for student finance are going to take them anyway, Students at the University have Durham have sent Tony Blair the shirts off their back. Over 600 students marched through the City Centre of Durham before a delegation drove over to the nearby constituency headquarters of Tony Blair in Sedgefield.
Durham University Student Union president Ben Wood said:
"With this higher funding, the Government is literally taking the shirts off our backs. So at the end of the march, we all took take the shirts off our backs and a few of us delivered them to Tony Blair."
"Earlier in the year we went to London for a meeting to decide on NUS strategy. Some people said they wanted a national demo, some regional, we said we wanted to do one 'at home' but NUS didn't listen then. We got over 600 students to participate. We could never have done that going to Leeds, let alone London. We have shown that city-wide demos can work, we got loads of local coverage, and a fair amount of national too, if NUS could co-ordinate this sort of action nationally, we'll be on to a winner."
Paul Flynn MP has chosen the Sussex Badger to start a campaign to 'spread the word' on the fact the USA supplied Anthrax to Iraq and get the British Goverment to act. Flynn said
"It is clear from the US Senate’s Riegle report that Article III of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention has been breached by the United States. Under Article VI of that Convention, Britain, having knowledge of the breach, should formally report the matter to the United Nations Security Council. Not only is this obvious moral responsibility, but it corresponds directly with UK policy."
If you would like to see British policy properly
implemented, you may e-mail any MP, Minister,
Secretary of State or the Prime Minister via the UK
Parliament website at: www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm
The Liverpool Student, which LSU sabbs at John Moores decided to pull out from following critical reporting of their decisions, has now turned its spotlight back on on The University of Liverpool. It has revealed that scholarship & bursary money donated through the Hillsborough Trust and the John Lennon Memorial may well have been invested in a shares portfolio which includes shares in the worlds biggest arms manufacturer, BAe systems. The Liverpool Student has vowed to continue its investigations next year, in whatever form ends up in. Lennon, who notably wrote 'Give Peace a Chance' was said to be busy spinning in his grave.
Following on from the Liverpool Student getting the chop after having the cheek to criticize union sabbs at John Moores, now it is the turn of Aberdeen Universitys' Gaudie. After the paper was critical of the student associations executive committee, the exec decided to put one of their own in charge. The result, a mass walkout from the newspaper staff, and a row that has made it all the way to the House of Commons.
Mark Highfield who resigned as editor said
:"I see this as a bid to exert control and to suppress freedom of speech. A university paper should be about free debate, free speech and openness. But Gaudie is simply going to become a newsletter for the Students' Association. Having a principal member of the Students' Association also acting as editor of Gaudie is a conflict of interest. It is control freakery. In the last issue on the student elections, we questioned if the approach of the student association was instrumental in them having only a 10 per cent turnout at the polls. One thing we haven't been able to publish yet - and presumably now won't - is the alleged financial mismanagement of the union. We haven't been able to look into or investigate that story at all."
Edinburgh University SU is considering privatising their nightclub due to a £1m overdraft. Neil Benny, new EUSA vice-president for services argues their Potterrow nightclub should be leased to an established nightclub operator putting the union on to a secure financial footing by ensuring a consistent income over a long period.
International Discount Calling website, Just Dial Student is now offering a Student Unions the opportunity to run their own international calling service for their students. Just dial was set up last year by London student, Chris Smith and works with callers dialing 'pre-numbers' to access cheaper rates, eliminating the need for phonecards. Unions will be offered a unique web site, supplied creatives, editorials and marketing materials, and will earn commission for each minute of calls made. Anyone wanting more information should email chris@justdialstudent.com
IC Newcastle, Students ready to tear Prime Minister off a strip
BBC, Students in top-up fees protest
IC Newcastle, Students get shirty on fees
Northern Echo, Demonstration Hailed As a Great Success
DSU, 600 TURN OUT FOR TOP-UP FEES MARCH
Guardian, Student fears as Oxford raises the rent
Herald, Student unions under threat
Scotsman, Student editor resigns
Guardian, MPs debate future of Scotland's oldest student paper
