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.
Also on the panel were Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students Jane Grenville, YUSU Services and Finance Officer Matt Burton, York Labour Club Chair David Levene and Treasurer of the York Conservative Club Charlie Rowley.
A number of YUSU election candidates attended the debate, including Ben Humphrys, Ella-Grace Kirton and Jason Rose. URY were also in attendance to record the debate.
The first question the panellists were asked was “Can and should education be free?” Jane Grenville was first to speak, and began by explaining the university’s position on the cap. Grenville stated that the university is not pressing for an increase in the fees cap and provided Vice-Chancellor Brian Cantor’s response to questions about fees.
The response stated that the university will only support proposals that “provide adequate funding for the high standard of teaching we support, and which are equitable to students”. Grenville added that if, during the debate, she said “contentious things to see if I can whip the others up a bit” she was not speaking on behalf of the senior management.
Grenville then responded to the question by saying “education can be free if there is the political will to make it so,” at least at the point of delivery. Porter responded by saying: “Higher education is never going to be free.” He then explained that although the British government says education is a priority, the level of GDP they spend on education is below the average of the top 25 most economically developed countries.
Levene said that higher education should be free, and added: “The current situation is unacceptable.” Rowley, on the other hand, said he agreed with the government, explaining that Levene’s proposal to increase taxes “is an option, but it’s the wrong option”. He expressed belief that increased taxes would affect the lowest income families, to disagreement from Porter and Levene.
Rowley suggested universities should have more links with businesses to increase their funding, to which a member of the audience mentioned BAE. Rowley responded: “It’s unethical, but it’s business,” which Levene joked “sums up the Conservatives”. Rowley explained that he did not support the university’s links with BAE, but wanted any replacement business to generate the same level of income.
Porter expressed the belief that there are “deeply problematic consequences” of universities linking themselves with businesses. He also called the current system of student loan repayments “regressive” due to the fact that because a teacher will take longer to repay their loan than a city lawyer, consequently a teacher will pay more for his or her education than a lawyer.
A member of the audience then asked the panellists if they thought higher education should have higher fees. Grenville did say the university needs more money, but reiterated the university’s concern about fees being equitable for students. Porter said the university’s position was “admirable”.
The panellists were then asked if increasing international fees should be the government’s solution, and how UK universities were expected to compete with universities in other countries who charge much higher fees.
Levene said international fees should be capped, whilst Porter said that although the government should not be expected to subsidise international fees, there are a lot of benefits to have international students at UK universities.
Porter also suggested that one solution UK universities could use to compete with universities overseas would be to become “international institutions,” and gave ‘Goodricke College of Beijing’ as an example.
Burton agreed that “there’s a lot to gain” from international students, and Grenville said she wanted to “internationalise” the University of York, and increase the level of interaction between international and British students at the university.
The next question asked was regarding graduate tax. Porter was first to respond, and said that it’s “the most equitable system” and added the current university system “needs to be a great deal more flexible” as it is “too focused on three-year undergraduates”. Levene said such a system would be a “death spiral” as the top universities would see graduates move on to high-paying jobs and receive significant funding, but lower ranked universities would not see the same benefit. He also argued that if the cap was lifted, a “market in education” would develop.
Burton said: “I don’t have a problem with paying for my education.” He went on to argue that a graduate tax system would need to be planned thoroughly if it were to replace the current system. Grenville said that paying fees upfront is an advantage for students, and it increases students’ political leverage within the university.
Porter responded that students “should not be held to ransom” for this political power. Rowley questioned how a graduate tax scheme would affect postgraduates, who become “more educated”.
The penultimate question of the night was, “Isn’t it time we were a little more honest about universities being businesses?” Questioner Marie Thouaille also highlighted the fact that in France, university is free; Rowley responded that “free fees make you complacent”. Levene said universities “should be seen as a public service” and should be properly funded as a result.
Grenville said more needed to be done to alert students about the bursary system, to which Porter replied: “There are fundamental flaws with the bursary system.” Burton suggested that universities might not want to change so they can keep getting a similar type of students to the type they currently have, which Grenville said was “cynical”.
Finally, panellists were asked about NUS factionism and the NUS’s ‘Broke and Broken’ campaign. Porter said: “The NUS needs to get good at articulating arguments.” Levene commented that if the NUS fails in its campaign to keep the cap, “it’s failed the point of its existence”.
Speaking after the debate, Porter said: “It’s really good to see a student body wanting to discuss the issue of fees. I’m always keen to make sure I can engage in that debate.”
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