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Challenging racism in the workplace
All members and staff are invited to a UCU event on
challenging racism in the workplace.
Dr Iyiola Solanke of the School of Law
New UCU film ‘Witness’, which chronicles the lived
experiences of UCU black members in post-16 education
Baldeep Thiara from UCU black members network in
Yorkshire and Humberside
Wednesday 10 February, 1pm-2pm
Lecture theatre E (G.08), Engineering (Houldsworth building)
To see more about UCU campaign on challenging racism in
the workplace, go to ucu.org.uk/action-against-workplaceracism.
Challenging workplace racism event
Wednesday 10 February, 1pm – 2pm
A short talk by Dr Iyiola Solanke of the School of Law followed
by a film from UCU, both on the subject of challenging
workplace racism.
Engineering (Houldworth) lecture theatre E (G.08).
Open to all members and all staff.
Holocaust Memorial Day
In memory of the millions murdered in the Holocaust.
We think of those killed in the Holocaust and the genocides in
Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda, and from focussing
on those past atrocities we look to build a better present, a
better future.
There will be a vigil in Dortmund Square in Leeds today at
5pm.
UCU material for Holocaust Memorial Day:
films https://youtu.be/m86B9WDvCiI
and https://youtu.be/Qduycstt9oE, and
articles: https://www.ucu.org.uk/hmd
Our response to the HE Green Paper
University of Leeds UCU agree with the stated objectives of
the Green Paper: to provide the highest quality of education
for our students, empowering them in the process, and ensure
that a university education can be enjoyed by everyone who is
able to benefit from it. We do not agree however that the TEF
is a means of achieving these objectives. Nowhere in
the documentation is ‘excellence’ defined, and this
plainly undermines the arguments made about achieving
it. The TEF will add another layer of bureaucracy onto an
already over‐burdened profession, making excellent teaching
harder to achieve. We do not believe that the metrics being
proposed represent adequate proxies for teaching excellence.
It is also self-evident that the attempt to define sector‐wide
metrics could not adequately recognise the differences
between disciplines in pedagogic, delivery or assessment
terms.
The Green Paper argues that information about key elements
of the educational experience either does not exist or is not
widely available to applicants, and therefore cannot assist
students in making informed decisions about their choice of
university. We do not recognise this as based in fact. There
will be an increased administrative burden while universities
accommodate the new requirements and change their
procedures. Experience of the REF suggests that where there
is reputational and financial advantage to be gained,
universities will expend considerable effort to ensure that they
obtain the ‘best’ results, and this will inevitably have a direct
negative impact on academics, who will be at the front‐line in
delivering them. One fear, consequently, is that TEF might
have the paradoxical effect of making excellent teaching
harder to achieve because of the increased bureaucratic
burden it will place on teachers.
We support the ambition to increase the participation of all
disadvantaged groups in HE. We are not convinced this can
be achieved by a TEF as described. The Green Paper
contains few concrete proposals about how to improve access
to HE for students currently marginalised by the system. The
Green Paper notes, correctly, that matters of ‘prior
educational attainment’ cannot explain disparities in
achievement between some BME groups and white students,
although no alternative explanations are offered. This
presents an inadequate frame for consultation.
There is a body of expertise and good practice and a network
of relationships in some of the existing bodies that should not
be jettisoned lightly. Also, as the Green Paper argues (para
13), some bodies have wider roles. With this is mind, we
would argue that the QAA, along with the HEA and HESA,
should be maintained in something like their existing form and
with their current responsibilities.
Support for people affected by recent
floods
Following a request by UCU, Unite and Unison, the university
has agreed to open the staff assistance fund to staff affected
by the floods which badly affected some local areas from
Boxing Day.
To apply to the University of Leeds staff assistance fund
contact Jill Nimmo in the staff benefits team on 0113 3434138
(internal: 34138) or email staffemergencyfund@leeds.ac.uk.
For more information about the fund see the staff assistance
fund page on the university website.
If you weren’t flooded but would like to help, you can donate
to the flood relief funds, see:
• Calderdale – https://localgiving.com/appeal/Flooding
• Leeds – https://www.justgiving.com/leeds-flood-relief-appeal/
• York – https://www.gofundme.com/nxgg5xdg
• Bingley – https://www.gofundme.com/ewgzjbc4
and Academic Activity Profiles
6
minutes 2015 – 2016
5
r Committee and Officers
tee members 2015-2016
-16
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