A group of York students has won the opportunity to have their very own I-phone application developed after winning The App Challenge final, held at the Ron Cooke Hub on Wednesday, January 18.
YUSU Welfare officer Bob Hughes has warned students to be vigilant after a student loans phishing scam has been revealed.
Her Majesty the Queen will be visiting York on Maundy Thursday, 5th April, as part of the 800th anniversary of York’s Charter for the traditional “Royal Maundy” ceremony.
A flood caused by a heating system “failure” forced the university IT services to shut down many essential systems on Sunday night, causing problems for many students on the eve of their exams and assignment due-dates.
The group of students spent three hours outside the NatWest Branch, both talking to staff and customers, and handing out over 500 leaflets. They were also confronted by several police officers who wanted to know the reason for the protest.
NatWest is one of the companies within the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which funds fossil fuel projects around the world. Those involved in People and Planet said that the reason for their objection was the potential harm this could cause both environments and people through climate change.
Although NatWest is only one of many companies within the RBS group, the fact that many students hold bank accounts with them was the reason given for focusing the protest on them specifically.
Former People and Planet Chair Robyn Heather told The Yorker: "As an account holder at NatWest, I feel I have a right to express my distaste at their investments into oil extraction. Even for those who don't hold accounts with them, we still have the right to say where the government's money is now going."
"Natwest [sic] is a small company within this company"
Whilst RBS Group currently own many well-known brands (RBS, NatWest, Direct Line, Churchill, Tesco Personal Finance among many others), RBS and NatWest are by far the largest of these brands.
In late 80s and into the 90s, NatWest was the largest highstreet bank in the UK and in 1999 when RBS bought NatWest, NatWest was very much larger than RBS.
Through NatWest & RBS, RBS Group is the largest provider of student bank accounts in the UK.
What a stupid and pointless protest. The only thing it achieved was to damage the reputation of the university and of students to the local community. People & Planet should be more concerned about wasting precious Union funds rather than worrying about the government spends their money.
Ditto
So the fact that lots of students bank with NatWest - and so presumably like the firm - is a good reason to protest?
So the fact that lots of students want NatWest to be more environmentally-friendly is "damaging the reputation of the university and of students to the local community"?
Bollocks.
..a deeply reactionist approach to student demonstrations, courtesy of former presidential candidate Nadeem Kunwar..
I would like to question how this protest was damaging to the University?
The campaign was undertaken in a peaceful manner with the intention of informing customers of the banking system rather than provoking trouble of any sort.
This campaign is a national campaign ran by people and planet, and has proven successful in many areas- including University cities across the country.
Obviously the police were interested in what was happening- so many groups do cause a lot of trouble- but this wasn't one of those.
surely our concerns should extend further than simply the University?
Lisa
Yet again, a small niche pressure-group attempting to dictate policy that effects normal, everyday students who just want a good deal on their overdraft and (perhaps) a decent savng rate. If you stopped shouting off about these things, you'd probably cut York's greenhouse gas emissions by half.
Same old people. Same old causes. And yes, Jason, same old bollocks.
Ditto again.
"attempting to dictate policy that effects normal, everyday students who just want a good deal on their overdraft and (perhaps) a decent savng rate."
That is assuming that a 'normal' student is very much like yourself, i.e. not caring about what's happening in the world as long as he/she makes money out of it. Thankfully that is not the case, so this campaign was just trying to raise awareness among those people who actually do give a shit and do care about something other than getting drunk and getting naked at every social gathering they attend.
"If you stopped shouting off about these things, you'd probably cut York's greenhouse gas emissions by half."
And how exactly would that work?
What about the ethical investment protest? Was that covered on the Yorker?
I doubt anyone's going to switch accounts because a few hippies feel the need to 'express themselves'.
Fossil fuels keep people alive in some parts of the world. If you want to shut down all fossil fuel power stations and any home heating/power system that runs on Fossils, thats going to have horrific human consequences.
How hypocritical that one protester and a former chair of this organisation still has an account with the bank they are attacking!!
Thats like scoffing big macs while waving an anti-macdonalds banner.
I seriously hope not a penny of union funds went into this stupidity.
On a similar note, does anyone know how much climate change that hunger striker stopped?
The fossil fuel issues at hand aren't just those of burning fossil fuels in general. The way that it's done is extremely harmful and has been in trouble internationally on several occasions. Raising awareness about the issue is important and I'm fairly sure that they weren't going there expecting people to switch banks as a result.
The fact that people like yourself, #12, are too deaf, dumb and blind to understand what's happening outside is the REASON that people feel the need to educate others. A hunger strike gets attention but doesn't solve anything, pamphleting increases awareness but doesn't fix things.
The UGM last year that mandated our Union to change banks if there wasn't an improvement HAS done something. There are multiple efforts ongoing by a variety of people and if you think that a UGM winning 573 votes to 39 is "a small niche pressure-group" then ROFL, Mr. Taylor.
Jason, no one actually cares. If a bank does this, that and the other, I really don't care as long as they fulfil the needs as far as banking goes.
I'm afraid 573 out of 15,000 students is a small niche. Do the maths. No one CARES. That's why no one votes in the UGM. Your own campaigners also appear to be hypocrits, banking with them. A bit like people campaigning for ethical labour wearing Topshop, outside Topshop.
Does the truth hurt?
I challenge you to get more than 573 people to overrule the existing policy, Dan. Only that would prove your point.
the fact that memebers of this committee may hold natwest bank accounts isn't really the point here. Yes, they do provide an excellent overdraft rate, and offer a rail card- and that is something that draws in 18-year old freshers before they start university.
As a holder of an account with this bank, I feel that the information I have learnt about their investments in dirty development will influence my banking decisions in the future- when I may have the option to live out of my overdraft- for now though, the important part is to inform people and attempt to put pressure onto the bank itself- to let them know that their customers are unhappy.
No-one is calling a boycott- its about educating.
I don't really think Dan Taylor has the knowledge and/or information to criticise this campaign effectively- perhaps you would like to visit the people and planet website for further information? your 'jokes' about GHG emissions are quite worrying.
If you are still unhappy with this- bring it to our meeting and we can discuss it?
#13 I'm not deaf dumb or blind to anything. I just don't agree with many of People and Planet's methods or views. I recycle, take care of my environment and support (financially) campaigns to stop concreting over forests, villages and communities, and will more than likely vote for a party which pledges to improve high-speed rail and invest in public transport. All things I can do on a quiet, personal level.
Student protests however are largely self-serving and self-glorifying, when really they make no difference at all and just look a bit pathetic. Holding an account with NatWest while telling others not to get one is just odd. Dans Topshop example is the same thing.
Very few protesters on either this, or the arms trade protest actually know the facts, they just seem to like the attention and throw themselves aboard the bandwagon. Similarly the bar protest didn;t take into account an asbestos issue, meaning an october move was impossible - yet they protested all the same.
I'll continue to support causes quietly and sensibly, without trying to impose my views upon others and embarrassing myself in the process.
Apologies then, #17. I had assumed that you were criticising them but taking no action yourself.
Though on that bar point, the asbestos could have been sorted over summer and it was the university's fault that it wasn't. That's just an aside and is irrelevant to this issue though.
And I hope that people don't think I'm jumping on a bandwagon or seeking attention - I am involved in DISARM as much as I am because the university already pledged to adopt an ethical investment policy and because the Registrar made some inaccurate commenst on the BBC about the issue. I know about the issues at hand and seek to clarify those who are arguing inaccurately or feel that "others will do it instead" is a worthwhile argument.
I know who I'm 'RON-NING' for Campaigns...
“Student protests however are largely self-serving and self-glorifying, when really they make no difference at all and just look a bit pathetic.”
There are so many examples that this is simply not the case. Our university would not be considering an Ethical Investment policy without student protest, St. Andrews would not have adopted one.
“Holding an account with NatWest while telling others not to get one is just odd. Dans Topshop example is the same thing.”
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what People & Planet are trying to do. Sometimes it is actually a better idea for customers to put pressure on a particular company, why should NatWest care if people who weren’t their customers were concerned about their practices. Dans Topshop example was just odd, is he really suggested he went and looked at the labels of the protesters clothes?
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