Issue 13 // Friday September 18 2009
The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield // www.forgetoday.com
Thought Thief Has he stolen your mind? Features pages 14-15
Staff cuts prompt teaching quality fears 4 Loss of 320 staff after uptake of voluntary redundancy scheme 4 University act to plug £25million budget shortfall over two years Rosie Taylor Hundreds of staff are due to quit the University this autumn, saving the institution £13million but causing concern that the cuts will have a negative impact on teaching. Five per cent of University of Sheffield employees have opted to leave through a Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS) put forward by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Keith Burnett, as a way to “bridge the significant gap between the University’s predicted expenditure and its income.” Professor Burnett expected the University’s earnings to fall £25million short of its outgoings by 2011, and hoped to save £15million through the VSS. But the Sheffield branch of the University and College Union (SUCU) has said that the “sweeping cuts” of 320 staff will affect the quality of teaching. A SUCU spokesman said: “It is foolish to think that this will not have an effect on student learning and teaching. “Sixty-seven out of the 320 people leaving are academic staff but all teaching staff rely heavily on the support team in departments and central services. If – or should I say when – academics are asked to perform more non-teaching duties this can only result in less of their time being available for students. “SUCU are very concerned about how the University plans to cover the resulting gaps in teaching without compromising the quality.” Education Officer, Holly Taylor, has warned that the University cannot use the situation as an excuse for processing students’ work outside the normal timeframe. She said: “The VSS doesn’t mean departments have an excuse for being slow at returning assessment feedback and this is something students should not
FUSE
Richard Hawley Forge Press speaks to the local legend about his love for the Steel City Fuse pages 4-5
LIFESTYLE
Surviving your freshers’ week
Seven tips to help you make the most of it Lifestyle pages 20-21
FUSE
City guide
Fuse’s guide to Sheffield’s top venues Fuse pages 8-9
Fewer members of University staff will be coming into work by the end of the semester. Photo: Helen Munro be prepared to tolerate in the Professor Burnett said: “I to help heads of department or coming semester.” recognise that there will be service managers deal with this But she made clear she believed challenges in the short term problem.” students’ education would not as we adapt to the new staffing The staff union has issued suffer as a result of the cuts. levels and to new and more a warning to its members not “There is absolutely no way flexible ways of working.” to “agree to unreasonable and students should be faced with Yet SUCU claim that staff have excessive workloads in order to second rate teaching because of still not been given adequate cope with a situation that the inadequate staffing,” she said. guidance on how to deal with the University has created.” “I have been assured by Paul losses. Some departments will suffer White, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for A SUCU spokesman said: more heavier losses than others Learning and Teaching, that “The University has agreed with and the University is currently each head of department has SUCU that you cannot reduce a working with campus unions to made every effort to ensure the workforce by such a large amount try to identify any particularly loss of staff will not negatively and not affect delivery. hard-hit areas or departments. impact on teaching standards.” “As yet we have not seen any In a message to all staff, evidence of guidance or advice Continued on page 4
FEATURES
Sheffield gangs
Tracking the rise of gang-related crime in Sheffield Features pages 10-11