Student protest in london today

The Met have admitted they played things too low key as they got in to so much trouble at the G20 for being too heavy-handed. Surely it can't be that difficult to start with light touch policing, but have the riot squad hiding around the corner ready to use less-lethal weapons (baton rounds, CS, water cannons, sticky foam, etc.) if things kick off?

My money would be on the troublemakers being well-heeled ex-public school boys. Its funny how many "anti-capitalist anarchists" are the children of bankers, corporate lawyers, etc. and were sent to public schools by their parents. Its their rebellious stage. Ahh bless!

I think that some universities (mostly ex-Polys/Techs) will go out of business as their supply of students will dry up (my local 1 has just offered a 12-week "try before you buy" option), some will follow the Open University model (so people can study part-time whilst working) and some at the top end will go private (i.e. stick 2 fingers up at the government, charge what they like and admit who they like without social-engineering quotas). This may turn out to be the worst thing ever to happen to the higher education system, or it may turn out to be the best thing ever. Only time will tell.
 
jesstickle said:
Ah go on. I won't say anything :) Even if it isn't a course I would class a degree I would certainly never think less of anyone for taking it if they were interested in it and it was available. The government just need to regulate what classes as a uni and what a degree. But then that's just my grumpy old women's opinion :D
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My main degree is Business and Management, at my uni you have to do a "pathway" in another degree as well though, so I also dabble in Development Studies focusing on economic development.
 
qwertyuiop said:
My money would be on the troublemakers being well-heeled ex-public school boys. Its funny how many "anti-capitalist anarchists" are the children of bankers, corporate lawyers, etc. and were sent to public schools by their parents. Its their rebellious stage. Ahh bless!
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Hehe. This is my whole idiotic liberal family. Whom I love dearly but so true!
 
To be quite frank, I am crapping myself at the thought of all this!

Whichever way i look, i will seriously be in debt.

I dont know WHAT i want to do at uni now, whereas i knew before...

My college friends are stuck in there... I only know of two who have got out so far.

Apparently they were kettling the protesters, till it all calms down.

Lets hope everyone gets out peacefully. :(
 
JessPickle said:
My main degree is Business and Management, at my uni you have to do a "pathway" in another degree as well though, so I also dabble in Development Studies focusing on economic development.
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That sounds quite useful to me. Sort of like an MBA. Don't be offended though but it sounds sooo boring to me. I lived with an economics student. Her stuff put me to sleep. Clever girl though.

Wine studies however, that I could go for. I shall take a doctorate in it I think. Some poly somewhere will offer it I'm sure!
 
I dont think many people are anti students, just dont like the p*ss they think they are intitled too. As I've said before nothing comes FREE. Look at the students from Bulgaria and other Eastern countries, they come over here in summer fruit picking to earn 1) A living and 2) help pay for their studies and guess what a lot of British dont want to do it, why because it's min wage and to like hard work, yet that would help pay towards their courses.
 
I think something drastic needs to happen. If everyone goes to uni then doesn't that just devalue the whole thing? Apprenticeships are the answer to a lot of students in my opinion, textiles, art etc would be better taught on the job and in the workplace rather than unis. *runs into her trench*
 
Echo Bravo said:
I dont think many people are anti students, just dont like the p*ss they think they are intitled too. As I've said before nothing comes FREE. Look at the students from Bulgaria and other Eastern countries, they come over here in summer fruit picking to earn 1) A living and 2) help pay for their studies and guess what a lot of British dont want to do it, why because it's min wage and to like hard work, yet that would help pay towards their courses.
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I worked in a hospital during my holidays... I don't think you can generalise. In fact, most of the people I studied with had holiday jobs.

I never felt I was entitled to anything, other than a chance. (Yes, I am in full spelling Nazi mode this evening...:o)
 
qwertyuiop said:
I think that most Unis run this course already. That is probably a large part of the problem...
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True. A lecturer at my uni actually did storm out of the classroom- not before swearing at the students for being so hungover that the couldn't answer any of his questions (I hasten to add that this was NOT my lecture and was in fact from the science department.)
 
Of course memory coming slowly back.Uni bar beer 1/2 the price from the pubs. OH uni on his course lost 1/3 of students first year and a lot more 2nd year and the last year about 20% who had passed didn't bother looking for a job in engineering they went into teaching other stuff.
 
bryngelenponies said:
Why thank you :D at the expense of being popular with all my other student friends :p
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All my student friends agreed with you. Even my super bright oxbridge educated OH says if he had his time over he'd have done an apprenticeship in stone masonry. And he uses his degree in his job and is reasonably well paid.

How could everyone hate students when there are so many perfectly reasonable ones like you and jesspickle about? Students are the nicest sub section of society out there if you ask me. One silly little riot won't change that. Think about how often the Royal Mail get to go on strike without everyone hating them after all!
 
bryngelenponies said:
I totally agree with this! All of my relatives were shocked when I told them my timetable- uni lecturers must have tens of weeks holidays every year!
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Trust me they don't. I'm very good friends with a senior researcher in an Arts subject and her actual holiday accounts for 4 or 5 weeks max out of the entire year. Lecturers and researchers are doing so so so much more than just teaching :)
 
jesstickle said:
How could everyone hate students when there are so many perfectly reasonable ones like you and jesspickle about? Students are the nicest sub section of society out there if you ask me. One silly little riot won't change that. Think about how often the Royal Mail get to go on strike without everyone hating them after all!
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It's nice to hear someone call my 'reasonable' for a change- usally it's the opposite! I wish I could say the same about the Tube strikes but unfortunately people are beginning to hate them..that's another story though :rolleyes:
 
I love uni and hope that I will definitely be using my (engineering) degree when I graduate! However, I would have gone regardless of fees as I genuinely need to!

And I am totally teetotal btw, and on my course we have up to 25 hours contact time a week, and are expected to do up to 150 hours per module over the semester- at 4 modules per semester this is quite a lot!! And as for turning up hungover- its not really done because we have to wrok so bloomin hard to keep up and keep understanding!
 
this is my first year at uni stduying inclusive practice and i think i will be lucky enough to miss out on this price increase but working in the college/uni i am studying in and working with college students maybe from a background not quite as fortunate as others this is a massive blow. i spend most of my time trying to convince them to make a life for themselves, study something they want to do as a career, not much point me wasting my time now if the fees are going to go up. its a battle trying to convince them uni is possitive but now all they will think is i cant afford it which it shouldnt be the case!
p.s im in uni 8 hours a week full time! but the rest is independent study and work placement.
 
teapot said:
Trust me they don't. I'm very good friends with a senior researcher in an Arts subject and her actual holiday accounts for 4 or 5 weeks max out of the entire year. Lecturers and researchers are doing so so so much more than just teaching :)
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In reality it's true- my dad used to be a marine biology lecturer and when he wasn't teaching he was researching for his next paper of giving seminars. It's just that that's the way it seems to us students.
 
Lolo said:
I love uni and hope that I will definitely be using my (engineering) degree when I graduate! However, I would have gone regardless of fees as I genuinely need to!

And I am totally teetotal btw, and on my course we have up to 25 hours contact time a week, and are expected to do up to 150 hours per module over the semester- at 4 modules per semester this is quite a lot!! And as for turning up hungover- its not really done because we have to wrok so bloomin hard to keep up and keep understanding!
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But you engineers are all bonkers! So hard working compared to most students (myself included as a biologist). Pharmacists are the other ones I think of being especially nutty choosing a huge workload. (obviously doctors vets etc are really up against it but they get extra kudos for their efforts where people like you don't) What type of engineering are you hoping to go into? I wish I had known it existed at 17. It's so interesting. Or at least the boy makes it seem that way! Weirdly my school friends are all engineers so I have nearly the whole set to question!
 
bryngelenponies said:
In reality it's true- my dad used to be a marine biology lecturer and when he wasn't teaching he was researching for his next paper of giving seminars. It's just that that's the way it seems to us students.
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That's the sad state of higher education when students don't look past this image of a researcher only lecturing and being there 24/7 for the students only. Higher ed isn't just about educating undergrads.

For the majority of academic posts these days, especially in higher positions, teaching requirements/ability comes at the bottom of the job description IF it's even mentioned.
 
teapot said:
Trust me they don't. I'm very good friends with a senior researcher in an Arts subject and her actual holiday accounts for 4 or 5 weeks max out of the entire year. Lecturers and researchers are doing so so so much more than just teaching :)
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This^ i work in a college/uni and when students break up, staff stay in ;-) we have admin days and staff training days etc. and 9 times out of 10 they teach more than one subject so when they arnt teaching you they are teaching someone else a completley different subject. we get no more holiday than anyone else a year.... unfortunatly! the only down side is the only time we get to go on holiday is half terms when flights are expensive! no holidays in term time for us :(
 
Echo Bravo said:
I dont think many people are anti students, just dont like the p*ss they think they are intitled too. As I've said before nothing comes FREE. Look at the students from Bulgaria and other Eastern countries, they come over here in summer fruit picking to earn 1) A living and 2) help pay for their studies and guess what a lot of British dont want to do it, why because it's min wage and to like hard work, yet that would help pay towards their courses.
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Well, I decided to do a part time course and spend the rest of my time cleaning toilets at a conference centre to pay my fees. I'm not having the Bulgarians steal my smugness!! :p
 
bryngelenponies said:
It's nice to hear someone call my 'reasonable' for a change- usally it's the opposite! I wish I could say the same about the Tube strikes but unfortunately people ...
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I agree! :)

I am a student (a 6th former tho...) and I HATE how so few people have ruined what could have been a very important day.

WHEN will people learn that violence does NOT get respect, for you or your cause. It only serves to make people think of you as unreasonable and too foolish to be listened to.

I am absolutely despairing going to uni now :(
 
Loved this post on another forum:
"Whilst the Prime Minister David Cameron has been in China lecturing them on human rights he would have done considerable better to concentrate on trade and perhaps get a few tips from them on how to quell such mindless Muppets."

Fantastic!
 
Tinkerbee the outdoor life is much healthier and see how much free fruit you can eat, save you cooking:p:p:p. But there nowt wrong in cleaning loos or anything else,And hard work never killed anyone. I have more respect for a person who works their through things than one who expects it as their due.
 
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