NOUSE
Nominated for Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year
“It’s like you ‘liberate’ some cake from the
bins, but you still want it to be yours”
The freegan way of life >> M10 - 11
University investment
in arms trade increases
Investment rises £350,000 since 2006
Henry James Foy
EDITOR
THE UNIVERSITY has been
strongly condemned for substan-
tially increasing its investment in
arms companies despite continued
pressure from divestment groups.
After a £350,000 increase
over the past two years, the
University’s shareholding in arms-
prouducing companies is worth
almost £1,000,000.
The continued investment,
and the University’s lack of an ethi-
cal investment policy has been
labelled “despicable”, “a disgrace”
NOUSE
Nominated for Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year 2008
FRESHERS SPECIAL:
Everything you need to know about York. Where to
eat, where to drink, and how to survive >> M8-13
Showdown over Union bar
YUSU defies ultimatum over 24 hour licensing
Henry James Foy
NEWS EDITOR
SENIOR UNIVERSITY officials
have threatened to terminate the
planned Union bar in Langwith
college if YUSU officers do not
withdraw an application for a 24-
hour drinking license.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
Students Jane Grenville delivered
an ultimatum to Officers of York
University Students’ Union
(YUSU) on Friday afternoon to
either cancel their application
made to the City of York Council or
the University would withdraw
support for the bar.
After the Union refused, the
University was forced to submit a
last-minute objection on welfare
and “fuelling war”. National and
campus campaigners have been
calling for divestment since 2005.
Investments in BAE Systems,
the world’s third largest defence
company, and Rolls-Royce, which
powers 25% of the world’s military
aircrafts, currently total £997,342.
In 2007 the University held
£644,371 worth of BAE shares.
The figures, compiled by
Campaign Against the Arms Trade
(CAAT), show York as the UK’s
sixth-largest University investor in
the arms trade, and the second-
largest when Oxford and Cambr-
idge colleges are excluded. In 2006,
York placed fourteenth nationally.
“The University has been
unable to provide us with
a single practical reason
as to why they will
oppose this application.”
YUSU Service and Finance Officer
Matt Burton
“We categorically oppose
a 24-hour alchohol and
entertainments license
and this has been clearly
communicated to YUSU”
grounds to council offices in the city
before the 5pm deadline on Friday.
As Nouse went to print, Union
Officers were still confident that
the proposed application would be
approved, and were not prepared to
submit to the University’s
demands.
At the centre of the dispute is
the outcome of a conversation that
took place in July between
Grenville and YUSU Services and
Finance Officer Matt Burton.
Grenville claims that Burton was
told that neither she nor the
University’s Senior Management
Group would support a 24-hour
license. Burton said the Grenville
was unable to give a definitive
answer during the July conversa-
tion.
Speaking this week, Grenville
Second-highest in UK excluding Oxbridge
“The University needs to be
held accountable, and take respon-
sibility and an ethically approved
stance,” said People and Planet
Chair Robyn Heather. “It’s despica-
ble and unethical that an educa-
tional institution would make
money from war,” she added.
“While Universities across the
country are selling shares in arms
companies, York are increasing
their investment. Nationally, we are
a disgrace,” Heather continued.
YUSU Environment and
Ethics Officers John Nicholls and
Joe Thwaites stated: “Holding
investments in arms companies has
been an ongoing blemish on the
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students
Jane Grenville
University threatens to terminate Union bar project
said: “[The University] categorical-
ly opposes a 24-hour alcohol and
entertainments license and this has
been clearly communicated to
YUSU.”
Burton, who has led the plans
for a Union-run bar since incep-
tion, said the first time the
University made clear its opposi-
tion was on the day it submitted its
objection to the council. Burton
said Grenville had raised not con-
veyed her position until “the
eleventh hour”.
Burton said: “the crux of the
issue is that the University is unable
to provide us with a single practical
reason as to why they will oppose
this application. That is frustrating
for us. We believe they have little
ground to object to this. It has cre-
ated a situation of us versus them.”
BAE SYSTEMS
University’s reputation and we find
the continued and increased use of
students’ money in arms compa-
nies very concerning.”
The shares are held by the
University’s Pension Scheme, which
provides pensions for staff on
retirement or in the event of death.
“The University of York
Pension Scheme has a legal obliga-
tion to maximise returns on its
investments as it is accountable to
its beneficiaries. Its trustees pursue
a range of investments in order to
Continued on Page 4
COMMENT >> Page 11
LEADER >> Page 10
Grenville, who has been a key
University supporter of the bar
since the idea was raised last year,
said that she had either been “mis-
heard or ignored” by Union officers.
She said: “At the heart of this is
a variance between YUSU and I
about two conversations in July. My
memory of those conversations is I
was asked how I would react to the
idea of a 24-hour license, and I
replied that I couldn’t support
that.”
“It was under my radar
because I thought I had a very good
relationship with YUSU. I made an
assumption that if I said no, it
meant no. It was just a simple mat-
ter of trust. I feel that my good
nature has been taken advantage
of,” she continued.
“There is no way in which any-
Autumn Term Week Seven
Tuesday November 25 2008
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Sponsored by
www.ey.com/uk/careers
GSA ‘in crisis’ as
elections are void
THE ACTING President of the
Graduate Student Association
has said that organisation is ‘in
crisis’ after last month’s election
results were declared invalid.
The election process, which was
criticised in a report published
over the summer, was deemed
to be undemocratic and unreli-
able >> NEWS P3
B Henry’s given
temporary repreive
THE UNIVERSITY has chosen
to reconvene the Bar Strategy
Group to assess the future of B
Henry’s bar. There were fears
that the bar was to be shut
down, but this decision ensures
its future until March 2009 at
least. Both Alcuin JCRC and
YUSU, who have campaigned to
keep the bar open, praised the
decision >> NEWS P2
Intruder sparks
security fears
FEARS FOR student safety
have been raised after an
unknown intruder gained access
to a locked bedroom on campus.
The intruder, who entered a
Goodricke bedroom, left a rose
on the bed. The student con-
cerned has called for University
action >> NEWS P3
Mixed results for
BUCS league teams
A STRONG START to the sea-
son for the Women’s Lacrosse
and Men’s Badminton teams
has contrasted with mixed for-
tunes for the football and rugby
squads. A look at the prospects
ahead >> SPORT P19
Philosophy and
music:
Inside the
mind of
Eddy
Grant
>> MUSE M9
Autumn Term Week One
Tuesday October 14, 2008
www.nouse.co.uk
Est. 1964
body is ever going to resolve this.
One of us is not right. One of us is
saying ‘I said no’, the other is saying
‘you said you had no problem with
it’. It’s a ‘did, didn’t’ situation.”
Grenville said she did not
believe that YUSU had attempted
to hide their application from her,
but has now that no meetings
between herself and Union Officers
will occur without a neutral body
minuting the conversation.
Grenville, whose portfolio con-
sists entirely of students relations
issues, admitted that the incident
had damaged trust between the two
bodies. “Relations now between
YUSU and the senior management
Continued on page 7
COMMENT >> Page 13
LEADER >> Page 12
NOUSE: THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENT NEWSPAPER
www.nouse.co.uk Tuesday October 14 2008
Licensing battle jeopardises Union bar
<< Continued from front
group member who speaks
for students are badly frac-
tured,” she said.
When questioned as to
whether the University
would terminate the bar
project, Grenville said: “We
will wait and see”.
YUSU Societies and
Communications Officer
Rory Shanks, responded by
saying, “If [Grenville] does-
n’t support the bar because
of a disagreement with Matt
Burton, then that’s a sorry
state of affairs.”
Shanks said the propos-
al had been raised at a num-
ber of powerful University
committees. “It has been
very apparent that we were
applying for the license and
it has been aired in promi-
nent forums. It was aired in
the last monthly Bar
Working Group, of which
Jane Grenville is the most
senior University member of
staff invited. She didn’t
attend, but it was minuted
and they were sent to her.”
“It has been no secret,
and Jane Grenville acknowl-
edges that,” said Shanks.
Grenville admitted that
she had not read the minutes
from the working group, and
as a result was not aware of
the license application until
it was raised in an interview
with Nouse on Thursday
afternoon.
“If Jane has chosen not
to read the minutes, she can
expect to miss things like
this,” said Shanks.
After becoming aware
of the application, the Uni-
versity moved quickly to
order YUSU to withdraw the
application or risk losing
support for the bar. Burton
and Shanks claim requests
for an emergency meeting
with Vice-Chancellor Brian
Cantor on Friday were
ignored.
Speaking on Friday
afternoon, Shanks said:
“They are putting us in a
really hard position, a frus-
trating position, and are
refusing to meet us. It is lit-
erally the eleventh hour. We
will not withdraw the appli-
cation until we meet with the
Vice-Chancellor.”
GEORGE LOWTHER
Former YUSU President
Anne-Marie Canning
NOUSE
Winner of three Guardian Student Media Awards 2008
Hokkaido to
Hollywood: Video
game movies M12
National cap may force York to
News 7
turn away home undergraduates
GEORGE LOWTHER
Home student increases banned for two years
Henry James Foy
EDITOR
THE UNIVERSITY of York may be
forced into turning away under-
graduate home students in favour
of international and graduate
applicants over the next two years
to meet expansion goals following a
Government ruling on student
numbers.
A national ban on increasing
the number of home students in
higher education for the next two
years is likely to force admission
officers to look elsewhere for stu-
dents to fill the £500 million
Heslington East expansion project
in the immediate future.
The University has admitted
that postgraduate and internation-
al students will make up “a sub-
stantial proportion” of the increases
required to populate the new site.
Under a strict ruling from
John Denham, Secretary of State
for Innovation, Universities and
Skills, a rise in the recruitment of
home students in 2009-10 is highly
unlikely. In addition, there are no
plans for this cap to be lifted in
2010-11.
Denham had already instruct-
ed the Higher Education Funding
The formal objection to Student protests against the University’s decision to delay opening Langwith bar were ignored Council for England (HEFCE),
the council, which was sub- which regulates funding for stu-
mitted only minutes before
the deadline, stated that the
dents and universities to “bear
NOUSE
University “does not support down on over-recruitment” before
24-hour drinking”. It was
signed by University Regis-
demanding that institutions
“preferably eliminate” increased
trar and Secretary Sally Find us at Freshers’ Fair, on Facebook, get in recruitment in a letter last month.
Neocosmos, and is under- touch contact@nouse.co.uk or join us for a A subsequent HEFCE letter to
stood to have the backing of drink in Derwent JCRC at 7pm, Friday wk. 1 all Vice-Chancellors stated: “We
the Vice-Chancellor. will be making no further alloca-
Burton and Shanks
denied that the 24-hour
tions of Addional Student Numbers
license would encourage
(ASNs) for 2009-10, beyond those
already approved or under consid-
unsafe drinking. “We don’t
eration. In addition, we will make
intend to trade whenever we
can, it just gives us flexibility. no further allocations of ASNs for
It’s something to have in our 2010-11 at this stage.”
back pocket,” added Shanks. The University have defended
the viability of their expansion
The license proposal submit-
ted stipulates that the plans, claiming that as the con-
University would have to straints apply “only to home
agree to the specific opening
hours for any event.
If the council upholds
the University’s objection,
the application will enter a
14-day mediation process.
“We hope that if we can sit
around the table like mature
adults, we will reach a point
that is acceptable to both
parties,” said Burton.
The Union was forced to
abandon plans for an Octo-
ber opening after the
University refused to begin
necessary asbestos removal
work, despite large-scale stu-
dent protests designed to put
pressure on Cantor into
overturning the decision to
delay the project.
COMMENT >> Page 13
LEADER >> Page 12
Henry James Foy - Best News Contributor
University investment in arms trade increases- An exclusive story. After obtaining figures under the
Freedom of Information Act, I discovered that the University - which had been under sustained pressure from
students and national groups to divest from arms-producing companies - had increased their holding in two
major arms companies, Rolls Royce and BAE, to the value of £1million. I was able to get comment from cam-
pus, local and national divestment groups, and forced the University - an educational charity - to admit that it
was placing profit over ethics.
Showdown over Union bar- An exclusive story. With only 30 hours to go before the Union’s 24-hour
alcohol and entertainment licence was to be granted by York Council, I spoke with University ProViceChancel-
lor Jane Grenville to get a comment regarding its implementation. It transpired that she was unaware of the
application, after allegedly informing the Union that they should not even attempt to secure one. A war of
words ensued between the Union and the University, with YUSU Officers denying any alleged verbal rejec-
tion occured, and University officials aghast that the plan was being pushed through covertly. Both refused
to concede, before Grenville was forced to lodge a last-minute objection at the council offices to thwart the
application.
National cap may force York to turn away home undergraduates- An exclusive story. A story re-
garding the government’s University funding shortfall broke in Wednesday’s Guardian. The Higher Education
Funding Council for Englad (HEFCE) discovered
Spring Term Week Five
Tuesday February 10 2009
that a miscalculation in funds for Universities
www.nouse.co.uk
Est. 1964
in 09/10 would mean that any home student
number increases planned by universities for
Sponsored by the October 2009 and 2010 intakes would have
www.ey.com/uk/careers to be scrapped. What made this revelation even
more problematic for York is the £500million
expansion project which is set to open doors to
York Come new students this October, and will untimately
Dancing: Photos increase total numbers by over 50%. I realised
and Analysis p 8 that unless the University found a way around
the HEFCE ruling, the ambitious expansion
JCRCs attack bar would be a waste for two years. When contacted,
management the University admitted that it would have to
DERWENT, Goodricke, Alcuin
and Vanbrugh JCRC chairs have
actively encourage departments to select In-
united in condemnation of
Commercial Services, claiming
that their lack of competitive ternational and Mature students (which are not
edge is killing college bars in the
face of the new Courtyard
Venue. Alcuin JCRC chair
covered by HEFCE) over Home students in order
International and graduate students to fill expansion Oliver Hutchings has described
Commercial Services’ position as to make up the numbers gap.
GEORGE LOWTHER “untenable” >> NEWS P3
undergraduate student growth”,
plans to fill Heslington East will be Survey highlights
“unaffected by the Secretary of
YUSU apathy
State’s announcement.”
University Press Officer David
Garner said: “In the context of the
Heslington East expansion, the
A SURVEY has revealed that the
majority of students at York
don’t feel represented by their
undergraduate home market is
only part of the picture. A substan-
Union. YUSU, which was criti-
cised in a recent national assess-
tial proportion of the increase in ment, was found to be discon-
students associated with the devel-
opment will be of postgraduate and
nected from campus, with many
students unable to name their
international students.” elected officers. YUSU Sabbs
According to the most recent have defended their position on
figures available, international and campus >> NEWS P4-5
EU citizens currently make up 11%
of undergraduate students, while Library to adopt
post-graduates account for just
over 24% of the total student popu- 24-hour opening
lation. THE JB Morrell Library has
Goodricke College, which agreed to begin investigating
moves to the new site this October, plans for 24-hour opening, fol-
will see the number of beds swell to
600 from the current 350. In line
lowing student interest and
pressure. After a UGM motion
with the HEFCE announcement, it last term calling on the library
is expected that the extra students to adopt the always-open sched-
required to meet the increased ule, officials have agreed to
capacity will not be home under-
graduates.
implement the idea, planned for
the upcoming year >> NEWS P7
The new expansion-based
departments of Law and Theatre, Key Varsity fixtures
Film and Television will also begin
accepting students in October.
face cancellation
“We have growth in student POSTPONEMENTS and BUCS
numbers already factored into Cup progress have conspired to
plans and funded for 2009/10 and see many of the biggest fixtures
2010/11,” said Garner. “Demand for of this year’s annual Varsity
study at universities in general, and competition against city rivals
at this university in particular, is York St. John cancelled. The
still extremely strong,” he added.
To enforce the ruling, HEFCE
now heavily subdued contest will
take place without the crucial
has warned that increased admis- sports of football, rugby, volley-
sions would result in severe penal- ball or tennis >> SPORT P23
ties, threatening “further measures
that we may consider could include
constraining student numbers Students on drugs:
through changes to the operation of
our funding method” Behind
In previous years, institutions the
were allowed to overshoot figures
highs
without facing serious punishment.
Continued on page 2
and
LEADER >> Page 12 lows
COMMENT >> Page 11 Heslington East will not increase home student numbers for two years >> MUSE M5-7