Tuesday 27-04-2021 - 15:51

Chester Students’ Union (CSU) have held consultations with students from across the University, not just those in potentially affected departments, to understand their perspective and enable CSU to accurately reflect their voices to the University Strategic Executive Team (SET). Students had the opportunity to express their concerns, both for themselves, their departments and the wider University of Chester community. In addition, students were from all levels of study. Below we will set out the feedback and concerns, followed by questions for SET.

• The redundancies do not just affect individual departments, they affect all departments due to cross-department working, combined honours students. Assuming that only certain areas will be affected goes against the University’s ‘Citizen Student Strategy’ of community building. Key examples come from Geography with combined honours.

• Not all proposed affected students received the email from the Vice Chancellor on 22/04/21 – feedback from PhD students, TRS and some FSE courses.

• Students are disappointed that there was no communication with them for 14 working days about the proposed redundancies and they heard it first from the media.

• Many students expressed if certain lecturers were to be made redundant, they as students would take their research wherever that staff member went, with many others re-evaluating if they want to continue with further study at UoC, pausing Masters applications.

• Concerns over specialisms being lost particularly for Masters course and PhD supervision and how that would impact experience, support and outcomes. Students being unable to study certain specialisms making them less employable in their chosen field in the future.

• Lack of trust with the University and loss of community feeling – students commenting they will not be doing their PhD at UoC as a result.

• PhD student (previous UG and Masters student) supervisor is a world-leading academic in their area of study and is now at risk of redundancy. Wouldn’t be able to continue studying at Chester if they left.

• Student-led campaign and petition has over 400 signatures of support opposing the redundancies.

• Students want information on why, what the plan is, when is it happening, what will be the effects and how is the University planning to support departments if this happens.

• Students feel there is a difference in communication between the VC and the SU and would like to see more informative information coming from CSU, which requires CSU having the information and not being embargoed.

• Applications deadlines have passed elsewhere for students thinking about further study and are now left with no option to apply after deadlines due to not wanting to continue at UoC as a result of this.

• Students are concerned that this round of redundancies means there will be more on the horizon and there is no reassurance that this will not be the case.

• Concerns of lecturing material being used after a member of staff is made redundant, which is not fair.

• Students from Faculty of Science and Engineering feel particularly let down by the University – finding out Thornton will be closing and now courses and staff are at risk has hugely impacted their learning experiences and they feel as though they haven’t received what they were sold and that the fall out has been very poorly managed.

• Lack of confidence in the Strategic Executive Team and Governors over allowing the financial position to be as such that staff are at risk of redundancy.

• PhD students have overwhelmingly said they haven’t received communication from the University about the redundancies in their department.

• Staff should at least have job security after teaching through and supporting students through a pandemic.

• Students feel SET has no respect for the lecturing staff and the work they are doing.

• The impact this is rightly having on staff wellbeing is affecting the learning and teaching of students.

• Students wouldn’t feel comfortable with new staff, potentially having to reshare traumatic experiences in order to get the support that they already have, if that staff member was made redundant.

• Staff are being treated like mindless worker bodies when they are real people!

 

Concerns by affected departments

Geography and International Development

• Every lecturer specialises in something different, so courses, modules and research will absolutely be affected, affecting the overall learning outcomes and experience

• Geography is often combined with other departments so all students should be aware of what is happening

 

Advertising – Warrington

• Glad they are a L6 student, as they are concerned for L5 experience next year as staff are made redundant

• No longer feel confident studying at UoC and will likely now not continue with their offer of a Master at Queens Park

• Lecturers are incredibly supportive

 

English

• PhD students haven’t received any information from the University informing them about redundancies in their department.

• Masters courses are specialised and now could be at risk, is deterring students from continuing with MA studies

• Stayed at Chester to study their PhD because of having that specific supervisor – which would hinder the specialist knowledge if they were made redundant

• First-year student has never met their lecturers in person, however, joined the protest due to the level of support and guidance their lecturers have produced online alone.

 

Theology and Religious Studies

• Some students haven’t received emails about redundancies in this department

 

Mechanical Engineering

• Feel incredibly mis-sold the offer at Thornton and with courses now closing

• A student brought their entire family over from Australia to live in Chester to study the MEng course, that is not what they moved over for.

• “Having made the transfer to the MEng course and signing a contract for another year's accommodation, I was then informed of the closure of the Thornton science park, and more recently the redundancy proposal. Not only does this create massive limitations within the specialties of my degree but knowing this would have largely influenced my decision to move to the MEng course and I most likely would have taken another route”.

• “These cuts have been in the works for a long period of time now and I feel as though the university has failed to disclose this crucial information to its students. The university didn't take on level 4 students for mechanical engineering this year, so I am to assume they have been preparing for these cuts since before I made this jump to MEng”.

 

Archaeology

• Department has received 100% satisfaction in NSS, it is a very good department with great lecturers

• UG student came back to study Masters, but now with potential cuts will not study PhD here as they have lost trust in the University.

• Such a small staff team of 6, 1 redundancy will be hugely felt and will hugely impact the student and learning experience

 

This feedback raises the following questions that we pose to SET:

• Can the email informing affected students be sent to all students to make them aware of what is happening in their University? There is a lack of transparency by not communicating with all students.

• We do not disagree that student numbers are falling, but has the University addressed why? And where is responsibility falling for this, and why is it only teaching staff facing the impact of this?

• Should the University have taken action sooner to prevent being in this situation now?

• Are teaching staff facing the consequences of a poorly managed introduction of and thus closure of, Thornton Science Park? If no, how can you reassure staff and students that this is not the case?

• Are there actions the University could be taking immediately to retain the staff that students have spoken so highly of?

• Does the University truly believe that the student experience will not be directly affected for students studying in departments where staff are at risk?

• Why are only lecturers at risk of redundancy and no senior members of staff?

• Will the University SET take responsibility for allowing the University to get to this position?

• Why are the redundancies so focused on the Humanities and no other areas of academia? And how will this impact humanities in academia moving forward?

• How can you be sure student satisfaction will not be affected?

• Will SET share the Humanities Business Planning document?

• What will happen to staff made redundant and them attending graduation? Many students will be graduating thanks to the support of specific staff that may not be there at the end.

• How can UoC stand by the motto ‘Let the Teacher Teach’?

• Have all possibilities been considered first before redundancies, such as senior staff pay cuts?

• How can you guarantee and protect specialisms and stop modules from being hindered?

• Will staff workload increase if staff are made redundant? And will this not have a further negative effect on the student experience?

• How many staff are at risk and where are they at risk from?

• Can SET take responsibility for the way staff were informed after 5pm on Maundy Thursday, that this was highly irresponsible and not thinking about the wellbeing of affected staff?

• Have certain departments not been bringing in substantial research income? And if so, will this not be negatively affected by staff being lost?

• How will department outreach activity be affected?

• Why did it take 12 days for students to be formally informed by the University of the redundancies, instead finding out through the media?

• What will be the impact of lost staff on research?

• Are humanities being cut to make funding for STEM subjects?

• How do you expect the Chester spirit/community to continue after this?

• What will the impact be on current first-year and prospective students?

• Will students still be expected to produce the same quality of work if support is impacted?

• What will the University do to mitigate the impact of redundancies if they do go ahead? Will students be guaranteed the same support and resources?

• How does the University expect to attract the same, if not more, students to these courses if staff are made redundant?

• Is this a strive towards lean management from the University and if so, what will the effect of that be?