by Becca Bashford | Jun 5, 2021 | A-levels, Academic freedom, Casual staff, Covid-19, Free speech, Further education, Government, Humanities, In the News, Marketisation, Opinion, Uncategorized
On 27 May, staff at the University of Sheffield received confirmation via email that it’s renowned archeology department will close and be merged with other departments. The decision has been met with huge criticism and described as an ‘act of cultural...
by Becca Bashford | May 21, 2021 | Academic freedom, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Opinion, Uncategorized
The Higher Education Freedom of Speech Bill, and debates surrounding it, have continued to disturb and disrupt the higher education sector this week. Critics have suggested that the bill will have a ‘chilling effect’ by threatening universities and student...
by Becca Bashford | Apr 23, 2021 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Climate, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, Guest blog, In the News, Marketisation, Misogyny, News round-up, Opinion, Pensions, Racism, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Tuition fees, UKRI, Uncategorized
A website has accrued over 15,000 anonymous testimonies of sexual harassment, assault, and other accounts of deeply entrenched misogyny at universities across the UK. Naturally, this has caused students and staff to question whether enough is being done to tackle rape...
by Becca Bashford | Apr 6, 2021 | Academic freedom, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, Guest blog, In the News, Marketisation, Opinion, Uncategorized
Words by Liz Morrish, independent scholar. In August 2020, the UK think tank The Policy Exchange produced a report on Academic Freedom in the UK, alleging a chilling effect for staff and students expressing conservative opinions, particularly pro-Brexit or...
by Becca Bashford | Apr 3, 2021 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Opinion, Racism, Uncategorized
Waves of redundancies announced at the University of Leicester, Kent, and Chester have sparked outrage across the higher education community. Students and fellow staff have responded by creating petitions, open letters, or have demanded that highest paid staff take...
by Becca Bashford | Mar 5, 2021 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Erasmus, Erasmus+, Free speech, Further education, Government, In the News, Marketisation, National Union of Students, News round-up, Opinion, Pensions, Uncategorized, University governance
As the government prepares to gradually ease Covid-19 restrictions, with the hope of returning ‘to normal life’ by late June, university staff and students have been left wondering when, or if, they will be expected to resume face-to-face teaching and...
