Issue 1433 Monday 31st Oct 2022
Free every week
Est. 1948 thecourieronline.co.uk
All the thoughts about My tattoos and Taylor Swift’s Midnights their meanings 4 writers weigh in on whether they think Midnights was a hit or miss Music | page 20 - 21
With something as personal as tattoos, there’s always some kind of story behind them Lifestyle | page 15
UCU ballot in favour of strike action Sophie McNally - Deputy Editor Amana Khan - News sub-editor
The UCU ballot results indicate potential strike action during Semester 1
Newcastle University staff make up part of the 70,000 higher education staff members who are now empowered to strike, as both UCU ballots up for contest passed. With 81.1% in agreement with the pay and working conditions ballot and 84.9% for the ballot on USS pension schemes. The result “show[s] the strength of
feeling amongst university staff about the greatest single real pay cut that we have ever faced after a decade of below inflation pay settlements, arriving in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis”, The Newcastle University UCU brand committee’s spokesperson said. Currently, the UCU has proposed “2 days of strike action across the UK”
during the week commencing 21 November, moving to escalate this action “significantly” from February 2023 onwards when Newcastle University students will have returned for second semester. Additionally, the UCU have suggested resorting to another marking boycott during the second semester of the 2022-
M
23 academic year.
The UCU has proposed “2 days of strike action across the UK” during November
The “toughest [strike] measure is the marking boycott” Annie Tindley Head of School of History, Classics and Archaeology said. It could affect all students, but especially those in their final stage who require their dissertation and module grades in order to graduate in the Summer. Much like the marking boycott did last year in jeopardising successful graduations for Newcastle students.
onday 24 October saw Newcastle University become part of history, as The University and College Union’s (UCU) national ballot to strike passed. This marks the first time an education union has given the green light to national strike action, affecting all 150 UK university branches under the UCU, including Newcastle University. “[The UCU] will bring every university in the UK to a complete standstill” if nothing is done to rectify issues of pay, working conditions, and pensions in universities, General Secretary of the UCU Jo Grady said.
Continued on Page 3 Image credit: Twitter @NewcastleUniUCU
NUSU open free pantry for all students Alice Holmes - News sub-editor
The Pantry comes as part of NUSU’s plan to mitigate the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis on students
N Image: NUSU // Laura Linceviciute
ewcastle University Students’ Union (NUSU) has opened a Pantry on the ground floor of the Students’ Union outside the Welfare and Support Hub, as part of their campaign to help ease the impact of the Cost-of-Living Crisis. The Pantry, made up of donations of food, clothing and hygiene products, is free for all Newcastle University students. The Pantry will hold dry cupboard foods like refillable pasta and rice, refrigerated donations from the Co-Op, hygiene products (including refillable laundry detergent powder), stationary, and donated clothing. As well as Co-
Op donations, financial supported was provided by the University to aid NUSU in building the Pantry and buying products to stock it with. Students will not have to sign up or provide any details to access the resources in order to “provide accessible, stigma free support.”
As well as CoOp donations, financial support was provided by the University Mady Baugh, the President of the Students’ Union, and Mack Marshall, the Education Officer, stated: “with the government forgetting or rather disregarding how heavily students are impacted, we wanted to let you know what we’re working on as your Students’ Union and what we’re pushing for from the University.” The move is just one part of their campaign to help student’s cope
amongst the Cost-of-Living Crisis. On Monday 17th October, The Courier published an article outlining the three strands of NUSU’s campaign.
“Being able to provide free access to [the pantry] is imperative to support students” Baugh and Marshall were also out on Campus speaking to students last week about their concerns regarding the Cost-of-Living Crisis. They asked students about their concerns related to food, debt, rent and bills, course costs, social life, part-time work and clubs and societies.
Continued on Page 3