One Year Ago…

During a memorable spring of discontent, angry protesters took to Oxford Road for the Reclaim The Uni protest.

This 300-strong crowd staged a demonstration as a result of long-term grievances of students which had culminated in despair at the audacity of the £31m Arthur Lewis building, a brand new construction for the School of Social Sciences – which locked out its own undergraduates.

A march, a clash and an occupation in Arthur Lewis preceded a list of demands drawn up and presented to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Gilbert. The so-called “Arthur Lewis Declarations” outlined complaints relating to staff redundancies, poor feedback, cuts in contact hours (as unveiled by a Student Direct investigation last year), and demanded that better links of communication be established between administration and students.

The Reclaim the Uni movement, and its goals for students have since lost momentum, failing to reach quorum at General Meetings and effectively engage University administration in discussion. With calls for thorough discussion with course representatives instead of leaving it until the last minute, perhaps it seems like it is time to voice these concerns and “reclaim the uni” once again.