Issue 1431 Monday 17th Oct 2022
Free every week
Est. 1948 thecourieronline.co.uk
A trip to the Thrill Capital of Europe
A travelers story for those dreaming of an adventure full of natures natural beauties
Live Review: Melanie Baker
An elegant and intimate performace Music | page 21
The dreaded Freshers’ Flu
Just how inevitable is it really?
Travel | page 18
Campus Comment | page 6
NUSU launch campaign to tackle Cost of Living Crisis Elsa Tarring - Head of Current Affairs
NUSU’s campaign has three strands to help ease the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis
M
ady Baugh and Mack Marshall, President and Education Officer of the Students’ Union, respectively, outline how Newcastle University Students’ Union (NUSU) plans to help students cope amidst the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis. The Sabbatical Officers posted a statement on the NUSU website last week detailing the three strands of their campaign: the work the union is doing internally; the work the union hopes to do with the university; and their backing of the NUS (National Union of Students) Cost of Living Campaign. This year’s Sabbatical Officer team aims to set up a pantry free to all Newcastle University students. Comprised of donations of food, clothing and hygiene products from the Co-op, the pantry will be located on the ground floor of the Students’ Union, and open to anyone to ‘take what they need’. The plan is to have it set up and functional by the end of the month. NUSU will also continue to provide participation bursaries, offer free memberships to certain societies for the first six weeks of the academic year and give out free sexual health and hygiene products, including period products, condoms and STI test kits. The President and Education Officer also aim to lobby the University for wider eligibility criteria for hardship funding, thus increasing the number of students able to receive financial support. They hope to introduce PECs for the crisis, as well as extra support for those who have paid jobs whilst studying, meaning students will be able to apply for extensions on deadlines
if they have had to work part-time to cover the cost of bills and food.
The Sabbatical Officers aim to set up a pantry free to all Newcastle University Students As well as this, they want the University to deliver cheaper food to those on Campus, a discount on transport for those who travel to get to university and more opportunities for work on Campus, all of which will reduce the financial strain on students. In addition to working with the Students’ Union and University, Baugh and Marshall have also signed a national open letter to the government written by NUS. The letter is calling for an increase in funding, a higher maintenance loan and a cap on student rent to support those in higher education. Talking to The Courier, the two Sabbatical Officers explained the gravity of the crisis: “students are being faced with decisions about ‘heating or eating’, how many shifts they can take at work, and how to maintain a social life in a time of financial crisis”. Furthering their statement and campaign, they expressed their desire to hear from university students: “your student voice is at the heart of what we do so please share your thoughts and ideas about how your Students’ Union can best support you”. NUSU’s Athletic Union Officer, Hannah Danks, said she’s pleased that “sport and activity continue to thrive this year” and that if students would like financial support regarding clubs and societies, there are “multiple pots of funding and bursary opportunities” available to them. NUSU is not the only organisation in Newcastle striving to increase support for its most vulnerable members; foodbanks across the city are facing a
dramatic surge in demand. Newcastle West End Foodbank, which provides free food at six locations across the city, told The Courier that this September they issued 2019 food parcels to those in need, the highest number on record. This is up from 1375 parcels in September of last year. Whilst demand for food has increased, donations have decreased by half, making the situation even more severe. A representative from the foodbank suspects the situation is only going to get worse. Speaking to The Courier, they said, “We anticipate a rise in the number of people needing our services in the coming months”, and that work needs to be done to implement the “structural changes needed to create a future where people no longer need to use foodbanks”.
Newcastle West End Food Bank issued 2019 food parcels in September Talking to Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central, it is clear she thinks more needs to be done to aid students during the crisis. She described students as being “at the brunt of the government’s bad decisions”, referring in part to Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget released on 23 September, a pre-cursor to his wider plan to be set out on 31 October. The mini-budget, or “kamikaze budget”, as dubbed by Onwurah, includes plans to cut income tax and benefits, which will widen the gap between those at either end of the economic spectrum. “All Britain has to show for the last 12 years of Tory government is low wages, high prices and a Tory cost of living crisis”, said Onwurah. “As well as energy bills going up at the start of October, people are facing higher interest rates and mortgages”. The MP told The Courier she is doing
all she can to prevent the Conservative government from carrying out measures “that would see money taken away from the people of Newcastle”. She continued, “I voted to retain the £20 Universal Credit uplift, against a rise in national insurance, and I voted in favour of North Sea oil and gas companies footing energy bills rather than working people”.
“I feel as if I’m living in my coat, even when I get home it’s too cold to take it off” Despite only being five weeks into the academic term, the effects the crisis is having on students are already being felt across the city. One Newcastle University student described having to focus more of their time on finding ways to reduce
Image: NUSU
spending. “I’m having to think a lot more carefully about what I’m buying [and] put off putting the heating on for as long as possible”. Another mentioned the mental toll these decisions are taking on them: “I’m finding this year a lot more stressful having to worry about if I can afford heating”. They also echoed the same tactics to preserve money, “We’re still putting on more layers and blankets in our house to avoid using heating”. As the months get colder, students worry about how they are going to cope. “I feel as if I’m living in my coat, even when I get home it’s too cold to take it off ”, one student told The Courier. The Students’ Union continue to provide welfare support and advice to anyone who may need it. This can be accessed by emailing wsc.union@ newcastle.ac.uk. If you would like to volunteer for Newcastle West End Foodbank, visit their website at https:// newcastlewestend.foodbank.org.uk/ news/.