My tale of me - Chris Jenkinson

Last Thursday I was interviewed by a researcher working for the Open University’s project on the impact of universities on local economies, for around an hour. The discussion was interesting and thought-provoking, and gave me an opportunity to consider the positive work done by the University of Manchester and the Students’ Union as institutions, and work done by individual students.

The University of Manchester is one of the best universities in the world, leading in many research fields, and only accepting students with high academic performance. It is also one of the largest in the world, with around 40,000 students and 10,000 staff. It is surrounded by some of the most deprived areas of England, including Longsight and Moss Side, which means it is possible to walk in a very short space of time from the imposing and well-kept site of Whitworth Hall to boarded-up housing and roads strewn with potholes. It is a stark difference.

It is little wonder that there is resentment from some sections of local communities towards the University and students - the priorities of local residents and students coming to study are very different, which is perfectly acceptable. An institution with the footprint the size of the University of Manchester can create shockwaves and have a major impact on decisions taken by the council, which may again be different or even conflicting with the priorities of local residents. This has to be managed; and usually it is managed well. The economic benefits a university such as Manchester brings to the city are significant.

But universities are more than just about economic benefits from increased traffic in shops, and more than just the research conducted. It is about the people at the university as well. Staff and increasingly many students have children which attend local schools and are very much a part of the community. Students, while their time in Manchester is often short, and their time in one area is often even shorter, are still part of the community. Students, just like any other group, take part in civil society, through volunteering in hundrds of different ways, and the entrepeneurship of many students in starting and maintaining small businesses. It would not be possible to list all the types of volunteering students take part in - so here’s two which I have involved myself in.

In June 2007 I applied to be a school governor to a secular high school in south Manchester. My application was, to my surprise, accepted. Governors are the largest volunteer force in the country and in addition to learning more about accountability, budgets and openness I have had the opportunity to ensure that the benefits of the new school buildings for pupils shortly to start construction are maximised. It has been a fantastic experience for me.

My second type of volunteering is part of a university-wide programme of volunteering in schools. For my final-year project I had to spend two hours in a school in Levenshulme teaching pre-GCSE children about ants. While the amount of time I spent teaching was short the amount of preparation I put in was much longer. My supervisor warned me that if I didn’t get them onside in the first five minutes I could write the whole hour off. The teachers really value students coming into engage their pupils, and hopefully the pupils will have been inspired by other young people teaching them - which may lead to them attending university when previously they had not thought about it.

Education is its own reward - a university is something to be proud of and so are its students. Students are a part of the community and shape the community, not just improving the local economy but improving local society.

Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.

– Thomas Jefferson

I support a strong, independent, democratic and campaigning National Union of Students, which can effectively deliver results on issues students care about.

I am the Academic Affairs Officer in the Students’ Union, a full-time position, giving me a great deal of experience in effectively representing students and campaigning on issues students care about – like the environment, civil liberties, and tackling student debt.

I believe strongly in equality for all regardless of background, and do not believe that means-testing is a fair or equitable way in ensuring access to higher education. The 2009 higher education funding review is a critical opportunity for both current and future students. I support a free education, want to tackle student debt, and am adamantly opposed to any lifting of the cap.

I believe our government is not listening to the views of students and the country on climate change and that the NUS should lead a strong campaign.

I believe that ID cards are illiberal and unworkable, and are an expensive ‘solution’ to a nonexistent problem and that the government’s plan to impose them firstly on foreign students and then all students as a requirement to obtain a loan is appalling and systematic of their continual degrading of human rights.

I oppose zoning of students by town councils, and the selling of university halls to the private sector.

I support NUS reform, as it offers a strong solution to the problems that NUS faces. It keeps democratic structures while increasing our ability to campaign on key issues affecting students like the environment, access to higher education, and human rights.

If elected, I will vote according to what I believe is best for students and the NUS.

I was delighted when my proposal for updating the election regulations at the University of Manchester Students’ Union so that students can vote online in our upcoming elections was endorsed overwhelmingly at Union council on Tuesday evening.

It is simply ridiculous that students have to vote in a building miles from where they live and the other side of campus to where they study. It is also ridiculous that the times polling stations are open (10am-6pm) exclude hundreds of students from voting because they are working or studying. It is ridiculous to lecture to students about how important it is to vote when they would have to spend up to half an hour queuing to get a ballot paper.

If students cannot make it to the ballot box, we have to bring the ballot box to them. From now on, there won’t be any queues when students want to vote - they can vote from any computer. Students won’t be disenfranchised because they have to work to pay for their way through university, or because their degree takes them away from the Union. We’ve finally taken the step which needed to happen several years ago to bring in a voting system which facilitates voting rather than restricting it.

There was one dissenting voice in the vote - that of a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party. As usual, the SWP continue to be a barrier to democracy when it comes to the crunch - they claim online voting is “populist”. If it is populist to want more people to participate in Union democracy and decision-making then I am a proud populist - though I prefer to call myself a democrat.

“We’re here to improve the quality of education at the University of Manchester through open debate.”

Hi all,

Please come to the launch of the Education Assembly, on Wednesday 8th October, from 2-4pm. The event will be in the Council Chambers (top floor), Students’ Union, Steve Biko building, Oxford Road.

We’ll be discussing the University’s teaching and learning review, assessment and feedback, and finish off with higher education funding.

Teaching and learning review.

In September 2007 Alan Gilbert, the Vice-Chancellor, launched a massive grassroots review of how education works at the University of Manchester. The review looked at all aspects of education including the curriculum, personalised learning, the library, and student support, producing several recommendations on changes that must be made.

Student involvement in the process has been and will be crucial. Students have an excellent opportunity to contribute to how their education is delivered and we must take it.

Assessment and feedback.

Students across the university feel they are not given decent feedback, and the feedback they do get is late. The National Student Survey, filled in by final-year undergraduates, show this as one of the biggest problems students have.

The University recognises there is a problem. How do we, as students, help solve it?

Education funding.

Currently British and EU students contribute just over £3000 per year towards their degree, in addition to living costs, with non-EU students paying substantially more. The Government is launching a review of education funding in 2009.

The current system is unfair – we have an opportunity to challenge and put the case for an alternative funding model. What are the principles of education funding we believe in and how will we win our case?

Look forward to seeing you there,

Chris Jenkinson
Academic Affairs Officer