On campus food poverty – what can and should universities do? - LSE Impact Faced with a cost-of-living crisis more students in England are attending university hungry. The financial crisis in higher education may only make things worse.

💥New | On campus food poverty – what can and should universities do?

✍️ @emmawainwright.bsky.social & @ellenmchugh.bsky.social

#AcademicSky #HigherEducation #FoodBanks

Universities set for legal action over maintenance repayment call - Research Professional News Universities claim funds have been unfairly withdrawn but Student Loans Company says recipients were ineligible

Excerpt (free to read) of this morning's Playbook on the 9 universities taking legal steps against DfE / Student Loans Company over the thousands of students being asked to repay maintenance loans.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Learner heterogeneity is now the norm in higher education In an era of lifelong learning and reskilling, undergraduate cohorts include students balancing work, caregiving and studies across life stages. Flexibility should be a foundational design principle rather than an accommodation

In an era of lifelong learning and reskilling, undergraduate cohorts include students balancing work, caregiving and studies across life stages. Flexibility should be a foundational design principle rather than an accommodation: https://ow.ly/8lLc50YIX8J #HigherEd #AcademicSky #EduSky

Device-free classrooms mooted in Yale plan to rebuild public trust Ivy League university also urged to look again at tuition costs, free speech rules and admissions policy after wide-ranging inquiry into declining public support

Interesting to see Yale piloting device-free intensive classrooms. One of the casualties of the current hoovering-up-of-students mode of staying solvent has been attrition of just such teaching and a reluctance to expect (much less require) students consistently to attend and engage in person.

Welcome back to our new term!
At Kent now we teach over three terms so it's business as usual until June for us.
We hope everyone managed to get a break during the Easter vacation but we also know how busy everyone has been with the new systems.
Make sure you take breaks!

Sending support to all our branch members on the Anti Far Right march in London today!

Yes, especially after being in the headlines over the merger. Let's hope that next time we hit the national headlines it's for something positive and uplifting. (And that's not to say that the merger won't be positive!)

A suggestion from our EDI officer to send messages of thanks to local NHS, campus staff, admin staff, and our Executive Group they've been dealing with worried students, parents, and staff. The response has been remarkable with much happening behind the scenes to cope with the meningitis outbreak.

We're running out of time but the very lively discussion around AI underlines that staff want to hear more from other colleagues (who are experts!) on AI.

UCU members want to know how much it is costing and who was consulted about its introduction.
In general the feeling is hostile towards AI because it is linked to environmental impact, cognitive impact, and it is hugely unreliable.

Now discussing AI and ChatGPT as the university intends to provide it to all staff and students.

The vote was carried - our subscription rates are going down by a small amount. This is partly in response to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Voting now. The result of the first vote - an amendment to the main vote - was passed.
Now waiting for the result of the main vote on our subscription rates.

Lots of debate now on the proposals around subscription rates and our ongoing rates.

Now moving onto motions to be voted on.
Motion 1 - subscription rates & finances.
(Find out more by joining the AGM on Teams - all members have been emailed the link)

Questions from the floor about pensions - we will continue to look at both TPS and USS and get further advice from pensions professionals.

Now a quick rundown on the 'new' committee - two new members replacing two who've stepped down. Thanks to those who've stepped down, and welcome to the new members.
We look forward to working together!

Also a mention about the Professional Services reorganisation which has been difficult for everyone, but has also brought in some new UCU members.

Charlie is giving his president's report in a summary version - the longer version was attached to the email with the Teams invitation sent out earlier today.
Brief mention of ongoing pensions' discussions with the merger coming. We continue to fight to keep our USS pensions.

Our AGM is on Teams NOW.
All members have been sent the link to join the meeting online.
Charlie has started by talking briefly about how strong the community here at Kent is and how we've all pulled together with the awful ongoing health situation.

Oh no 😞

Fantastic opportunity here for PhD students.

@joshbakercox.bsky.social have you seen this?

Agreed, but when it came out yesterday it was the only news we had. It still also remains that two young people are dead.

In light of yesterday's terrible news about the meningitis outbreak in Canterbury we've moved to online assessment instead of in person for this assessment week. All staff and students should have received emails with details.

I'm only glad that this week is Assessment Week so many students are returning home.
Awful news though, just awful.

Two University of Kent students die in meningitis outbreak Around 11 University of Kent students are also seriously ill in hospital, the BBC understands.

Awful breaking news. Haven't heard anything more yet, but I know all staff will be extremely concerned about our students.
BBC News - Two students die in university meningitis outbreak
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

[Charlie] 'Hall [Kent UCU president] said that “staff in some areas had traditionally had up to 40 per cent of their time allocated to research”. The university confirmed to RPN that the baseline for research time is 20 per cent, with some staff getting less and others more.' 1/3

I'm willing to put a substantial amount of money on this.....

Disgusting. Possibly even more cynical than my own institution which uses a subsidiary of all new staff to avoid paying a decent pension (I suspect they’ll try to do it to us all soon). The effect has been to deter all mid-career applicants but desperate young people and hourly-paid still come.

When will the UK government wake up to the wholesale destruction of HE that's happening?
This affects towns and cites across the UK, our businesses, the NHS, schools, young people, our global standing, everything! Higher Education, Universities, contribute over £265 BILLION to the economy.