www.thecourieronline.co.uk Monday 24 October 2016 Issue 1335 Free
TURNER PRIZE 2016
The Independent Voice of Newcastle Students
Est 1948
Students discuss this year’s Turner Prize nominations and tackle the issues The Courier meets Love Island’s A look at the biggest release of the surrounding modern art, p. 20
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
NETFLIX AND CHILL
Sophie Gradon, p.17
summer, Stranger Things, p.28
Official decision made on 2017 EU student fees By Valentina Egorova News Editor
Vice-chancellor of Newcastle University, Chris Brink has confirmed that all current European students and those applying for a place at Newcastle University in 2017 would be only charged home fees regardless of Brexit. The universities had been counseling the government to clarify the future of EU students, which was clouded in the run up to Brexit. On October 11, the government finally announced that EU students registering in 2017 would be eligible to get the same financial funding as they do now. Under the current system, EU students pay the tuition fees as home students and are entitled to get undergraduate maintenance support and postgraduate loans. Dame Julia Goodfellow, the president of Universities UK, said that the government’s announcement provided “much needed clarity for EU students applying to start courses at English universities”. It has been also proposed from Senate to Council to continue charging home fees to EU students in 2018 - but the decision is yet to be taken.
The Vice-Chancellor’s memorandum was published on the NU connections website that provides news and discussion for staff across the university. In his statement, Brink denounced the Prime Minister’s speech on citizenship, in which she said: “If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you’re a citizen of nowhere. “You don’t understand what the very word ‘citizenship’ means.” He said: “I disagree. I would submit that giving your loyalty to a second country, and making a contribution to its progress and success, is not dissimilar to having a second child: you do not halve your love, you double it.” Vice-Chancellor said he found “repugnant” the thought that Newcastle University had been asked to monitor and report on the number of non-UK employees. Brink made it clear that despite Brexit Newcastle University would remain an international community of learning. He said: “We will continue to work for the idea that a university has, in its very being and purpose, an international aspect, as it has had since medieval days when wandering scholars commuted between Bologna and Paris and Oxford. “We will continue to welcome and
support, to whatever extent we can, pre- and post-Brexit, an international academic body.” He finished his memorandum with the words: “We would do well to keep in mind that most universities will outlast most governments.” Before coming to Newcastle in 2007, Professor Brink was Rector and ViceChancellor of Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Vesela Harizanova, a PhD candidate and a Postgraduate Teacher at Newcastle University, said: “As an EU student I feel encouraged that Newcastle University remains committed to upholding its international vision in times when the public discourse around Brexit has done nothing but undermine those values. “It is reassuring to hear that the university is implementing policies to help mitigate the effects brought about the Brexit vote. “I have always felt welcome here and I would not hesitate to recommend my university to any prospective students from the EU.” Newcastle University’s statement read that it was willing to reinforce its commitment to EU students.
the Home Office’s international student licence obligation. Lesley Braiden, the Executive Sponsor of the scheme, has said: “From next year students will mark their attendance at their classes by simply swiping their SMART card as they enter a room.” Braiden continued: “This will not only save valuable time in collecting and processing attendance data, but will allow us to identify in good time those students whose attendance suggests that may need our support.” Attendance monitoring however, has been a controversy at the university for many years, being a topic of debate on campus as far back as 2012. In the October of 2012, student activists from the political pressure group Newcastle Free Education Network protested on King’s walk against a potential inception of biometric scanners, as a way of
monitoring student attendance. Demonstrations against attendance monitoring were seen again the following year when Geography students voted against signing a register,
Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University Image: Newcastle University
Student attendance monitoring set to be imposed By Liam Carson News Editor
Newcastle University has announced that they are set to introduce a SMART ‘student attendance monitoring’ system. The system, which will be implemented across campus by September 2017 following a successful trial is aiming to make the process of registering student attendance far simpler and more efficient for all parties involved. Students are expected to tap their smart cards on a black box, which will be located inside lecture theatres and seminar rooms, when attending a class, to verify their attendance. Over the following weeks a pilot system is set to be imposed across the Business, Medical and Dental schools to determine the effectiveness of the scheme. The University has stated that the system is in response to a ‘growing need’ to provide support to students in their academic studies as well as meeting
Education Officer, Chris Duddy, said on the issue: “It is a recording system for the school’s benefit. It’s from a student welfare perspective really. The system is certainly not being introduced from a ‘Big Brother’ perspective, I have been reassured of that. “While there has been issues in the past, Lesley Braiden has stated that the University’s system has “been developed in consultation with students,” and it has been an ongoing development since 2012.” Chris Duddy went on to clarify that the change in the method of recording attendance will not force students to attend lectures; that issue will remain at the school’s discretion. “There never was any suggestion that this would be from a ‘make sure everybody attends all the time’ perspective because, if it was, I would have advocated against it.” Duddy commented. The new system however will provide the University with necessary
“The new system however will provide the University with necessary data regarding the attendance of international students which they are obliged to submit to the Home Office” in their lectures. The protests specifically focused on the issues of a ‘breach of privacy and institutionalisation’ however, the University have distanced the system from such concerns with the new model. The Newcastle Student Union’s
data regarding the attendance of international students which they are obliged to submit to the Home Office. Lesley Braiden said: “The attendance recording system allows the University to identify at an early stage any students who may be at risk of being reported to the Home Office because their attendance is poor.” The good news for students is even if they forget or lose their card, there will be alternative ways to register your attendance. Chris Duddy said: “The paper will still exist there, so if you’ve forgotten your card or lost your card you can just sign in. “It honestly isn’t that comprehensive that if you’ve forgotten your card once, twice, three times, it’s not going to have any detrimental effect on your academic record.” The University is aiming to implement the system across campus by September 2017.