Students Occupy and Shut Down Centre At Exeter University

Students at the university, which has been popular in the news lately for systematic racism and an arrest of a student involving armed police, have occupied one of its departments in solidarity with lecturers at the university who have been on persistent strikes for over a year now. These strikes have caused continuous disruptions to teaching at the university.

https://thetab.com/uk/exeter/2019/11/28/breaking-students-occupy-peter-chalk-building-in-solidarity-with-ucu-strikes-45502

The occupation has now been going on for nearly a week with the university attempting to negotiate the students occupying the centre out of it. The students are refusing to leave.

https://thetab.com/uk/exeter/2019/11/29/exclusive-inside-peter-chalk-which-is-currently-being-occupied-by-students-supporting-ucu-strikes-45550

Picture from inside the centre:

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1

username4969948

So they haven't showered for a week?

Reply 2

PTMalewski

It would be surprising if they were actually racist. Socialists are usually contrary to racism.

Reply 3

Napp

Cut off the power and water and send in the riot squad.

Reply 4

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

I would assume that lecturers who are on strike would not include missed content in the final exams (where an exam applies). So lost classes don’t matter.
Plus it’s the lecturers refusing to work not the university stopping them, so I don’t understand the reschedule argument. They are basically telling their lecturers to get back to work while pretending to support them.

Reply 5

Pinkisk

Original post by Napp

Cut off the power and water and send in the riot squad.

If they were black or brown I do not doubt that this university would have done that, but they are not. Nearly all of these rioters are white. Hence, this university will treat them humanely.

Reply 6

Pinkisk

Original post by Andrew97

The final exams are usually written at the start of the year. They are written based on external standards not student attendance. Plus students are all paying fees to be taught at university. They are not paying to have time off. University life can be very stressful for many students. These disruptions don’t help.

Going on strike is serious for a lecturer. I would assume these lecturers are refusing to work because they have legitimate grievances that are serious.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 7

harrysbar

That explains why my son hasn't phoned me in a week

Reply 8

Andrew97

Entertainment Forum Helper, Debate & Current Affairs Helper

Original post by Pinkisk

I see. Are you sure about that? Most of mine wrote theirs after the finished the teaching material.

I understand the second point on fees, but they go to much more. Plus in my experience many didn’t turn up to lecturers anyway. The stress is probably a separate argument that deserves its own thread rather than a side note here.

Reply 9

username4406682

Original post by Kitten in boots

So they haven't showered for a week?

They are lefty students...

Don't you know deodorant is a tool of the Conservative Party and the patriarchy?

Reply 10

z-hog

Original post by LiberOfLondon

They are lefty students...

Don't you know deodorant is a tool of the Conservative Party and the patriarchy?

Boris was on the right track with his water-cannon, add a bit of soap to the mix and that's the crusties off to the hills. This could be why their sex lives are nothing to write home about either, although I once had a girlfriend who got turned on by body odours and actually preferred me without a wash. She was no lefty, though.

Reply 11

username4406682

Original post by z-hog

The new Lefty Repellent (tm) available from your local supermarket for the low, low price of £1,99.

Reply 12

looloo2134

I through middle class students were unable to afford soap

Reply 13

Pinkisk

A student studying at the University of Exeter has sent me this Email, which the university sent out to all students responding to the occupation:

"Dear Students,

You will be aware that last Thursday evening, 28 November, a small number of students occupied the Peter Chalk Centre on our Streatham campus.

This resulted in disruption to a number of planned teaching sessions that were due to take place in the Peter Chalk Centre, including the Newman lecture theatres, on Friday 29 November.

During Friday morning, we worked to re-locate as many teaching and wellbeing sessions as possible and sent text messages and emails to affected colleagues and students so they were aware these had either been cancelled or re-located to an alternative building.

Over the weekend, we have been working to ensure, as far as possible, any teaching scheduled in the Peter Chalk Centre this week can be provided in an alternative location and have confirmed the location of any changed teaching sessions with colleagues and
students. Some students have asked why we’re allowing their teaching to be disrupted in this way and we do understand your frustration. We respect the right for students to peacefully protest however we are concerned that the occupation is disproportionately damaging the wider student body without any mandate to do so. (Its interesting how they respond to disruptive behaviour by white students as compared to the way in which they deal with their black students. A black student contact of mine at this university was recently expelled for arriving ten minutes late to a lecture and his lateness causing disruption to the class and for also taking too long (10 minutes) to go to the bathroom during another class. This is outlined in his letter of expulsion by a senior member of staff at the university, just incase you struggle to believe his story. They treat BAME students like animals and whites like human beings).

We have had regular dialogue with the students occupying Peter Chalk and offered a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and senior colleagues first thing this morning to end the occupation.

Regrettably they refused this offer and all subsequent opportunities to compromise. Our biggest concern is always the safety and wellbeing of our students including those involved in the occupation and this has to be our over-riding priority when considering access to the building. We are continuing to do everything we can to bring this situation to a resolution as soon as possible. We have asked the Guild, as your representative body, to support us in doing so.

We have also temporarily re-located the Peter Chalk Hub to the Washington Singer building so you are able to continue to access any support you may need from the Hub. As well as apologising for the disruption you may have experienced, we would highlight the Wellbeing Services at both the Exeter and Cornwall campuses and the self-help tool, SilverCloud that you can access by creating an account using your University email address.

We would encourage you to look at the Frequently Asked Questions page that we have developed so you can access information about learning support for lost teaching sessions, the January exams, extensions to assignments / coursework, as well as the additional support sessions we’ve organised at our Exeter and Penryn campuses. We hope this update is helpful, however, should you have any immediate concerns about your timetabled sessions please contact your local Hub. Or, if you have any questions you would like to ask please contact us via [email protected] and we will respond to you as soon as we can.

Best

Mike

Mike Shore-Nye
Registrar and Secretary"

Just incase you are wondering who Mr Shore-Nye is...he's responsible for making sure the university does not get sued. He's basically responsible for all legal matters at this university. Do not let his title and the tone of his email fool you into thinking his job is student orientated in any way. Students are not allowed to contact or meet with him in person at this university. He has a team of admins and legal reps and his job is to basically protect and advise the university in legal matters.

(edited 4 years ago)

Screenshot 2019-12-05 at 13.28.13.jpg49.1KB

Reply 14

DarthRoar

Original post by Pinkisk

(Its interesting how they respond to disruptive behaviour by white students as compared to the way in which they deal with their black students. A black student contact of mine at this university was recently expelled for arriving ten minutes late to a lecture and his lateness causing disruption to the class and for also taking too long (10 minutes) to go to the bathroom during another class. This is outlined in his letter of expulsion by a senior member of staff at the university, just incase you struggle to believe his story. They treat BAME students like animals and whites like human beings).

Utter BS. There's no way in hell a student would be expelled for missing 20 minutes of classes.

Reply 15

Pinkisk

Original post by DarthRoar

Utter BS. There's no way in hell a student would be expelled for missing 20 minutes of classes.

He was expelled for two reasons:

1. Taking too long in the bathroom (10 mins)
2. Arriving ten minutes late to a lecture.

I have the letter of his expulsion signed stating these facts.

THIS IS NOTHING. I have heard stories far worse than this from BAME students attending this mafia of an institute. I am certain if things carry on the way they are at this university, it will be, sometime in the near future, in the news for a fiasco.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 16

DarthRoar

Original post by Pinkisk

He was expelled for two reasons:

1. Taking too long in the bathroom (10 mins)
2. Arriving ten minutes late to a lecture.

I have the letter of his expulsion signed by the deputy vice chancellor stating these facts.

THIS IS NOTHING. I have heard stories far worse than this from BAME students attending this mafia of an institute. I am certain if things carry on the way they are at this university, it will be, sometime in the near future, in the news for a fiasco.

Nah, that would be serious ground for legal measures. No way this happened.

Reply 17

Pinkisk

Original post by DarthRoar

Nah, that would be serious ground for legal measures. No way this happened.

Legal matters? What student can afford to pay a lawyer £250 an hour to bring a case against an institute that has hundred of thousands of pounds at its disposal and entire legal teams of lawyers? Legal aid has been cut. Eduction matters are no longer allowed and as one of my lecturers recently told us in a meeting...even if students are able to secure legal aid "its better for them to represent themselves than to seek legal aid, it's that bad". The stories I have been told by students break your heart. 99% of them are so unbelievable. All without one single exception learned that there is no justice for students in this country and they have lost all hope. In a couple of situations students I have spoken have reached a state of such desperation that they have wound up suffering from PTSD and some have attempted suicide. I have so many students that have these problems that I struggle to keep up with my replies to them and its just me and two other students doing this. We have at the moment 40 students that we are in contact with. I am literally falling apart not only because of the devastating stories that I am told but because I can't keep up and I know I can't do ANYTHING to help them but write crap like this online only to receive dismissive, insensitive replies from individuals like you.