Petition Tag - students

We at the University of South Florida do not feel secure on campus, nor in the surrounding areas. Already, three students have been raped in the 2012/13 academic year, and considering only about one-third of rapes are reported, there have most certainly been more.

These students were unable to defend themselves from their attackers due to current Florida law banning the carrying of firearms for self-defense on college campuses. Students are also at the mercy from other criminals that abide by no laws and carry guns onto these campuses to commit heinous crimes here and across the state, such as the recent tragedy at the University of Central Florida. Conceal and carry laws have been effective in deterring criminals from committing these crimes.

We have seen gun violence drop by a third between 2007 and 2011 due to more people obtaining and being allowed to carry concealed firearms. We at the University of South Florida request that, given the existing data and our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, existing Florida gun laws be extended to all Florida college campuses to allow students to carry concealed firearms onto these campuses.

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The University of Birmingham have announced plans to make 114 staff redundant or force them to work anti social hours contracts.

Staff directly supporting students and there wellbeing are affected.

Cuts include:
*Cut in staff looking after students in student accommodation and downgrading their skills;
*Sports Centre, Security and Cleaning.

The anti social hours contracts are forcing staff with caring responsibilities for children and parents to work evenings and weekends.

All the cuts are to frontline staff, not senior managers.

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In the 2013 New York State Legislative session, New York State Assemblyman Francisco Moya, representing District #39 (Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst) introduced bill A2597, entitled "The New York State Dream Act".

This bill would allow undocumented students who were brought to the United States as very young children to be eligible to receive Financial Aid for a College Education within New York State.

The Bill increased Financial Aid by 25 million dollars, in support of this initiative. The Bill is supported by Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver. A similar bill was introduced in the New York State Senate bill #S2378, but is being blocked by the Republicans Led by Senator Dean Skelos. Senator Skelos does not want the bill to reach the floor because he is afraid to put the State Senators on the record to either support or object to the Bill. Senator Skelos, does not want to loose power in the Senate. Senator Skelos is putting Politics above People.

We need to contact Senator Dean Skelos and tell him to support The Dream Act.

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Wrestling is a sport that will help people increase in speed and strength.

Not only that but wrestling will teach many student athletes to be dedicated to something and teach them obedience.

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ΔΙΑΤΗΡΗΣΗ ΑΥΤΟΤΕΛΕΙΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΤΜΗΜΑΤΟΣ ΔΙΟΙΚΗΣΗΣ ΤΟΥΡΙΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΧΕΙΡΗΣΕΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΤΕΙ ΑΘΗΝΑΣ - MAINTAIN THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM ADMINISTRATION OF TEI ATHENS

Μετά την δημοσιοποίηση του σχεδίου Αθηνά το Τμήμα Διοίκησης Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων του ΤΕΙ Αθήνας χάνει την Αυτοτέλειά του και μετατρέπεται σε κατεύθυνση στο τμήμα Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων με λιγοστά Τουριστικά Μαθήματα.

Η Γενική Συνέλευση του Τμήματος Διοίκησης Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων του ΤΕΙ Αθήνας (6/2/2013) αποφάσισε ομόφωνα:

- Την απόρριψη της πρότασης του σχεδίου Αθηνά και ζητάει από όλους τους αρμόδιους φορείς το Τμήμα Διοίκησης Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων του ΤΕΙ Αθήνας να συνεχίσει αυτόνομα την λειτουργία του ως ανεξάρτητο τμήμα της σχολής Διοίκησης και Οικονομίας του ΤΕΙ Αθήνας.

- Να αγωνιστεί για την άμεση αναγνώριση των μεταπτυχιακών προγραμμάτων σπουδών που 5 χρόνια τώρα «κοιμούνται» στο Υπουργείο Παιδείας, αλλά και να αγωνιστεί για την άμεση προκήρυξη θέσεων εκπαιδευτικού προσωπικού.

- Δημοσιοποίηση των παραπάνω θέσεων σε όλα τα ΜΜΕ καθώς και σε όλα τα κόμματα της Βουλής των Ελλήνων.

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For my social psychology assignment we've been told to start a petition to raise the legal drinking age to 21!

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The Imperial College Management Board has informed us that the activities carried out by the Translation Studies Unit (TSU) are not considered core to the College strategy and that, if possible, the Unit should be transferred to another institution.

If this solution proves not to be feasible, consideration will be given to closing the unit by the end of September 2013.

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Over the past few years university fees have been rising swiftly. In this year of 2012 many universitys have instituted fees up too £9,000 a year. Whereas in 2011, Universitys could only charge £3,290.

Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/oct/12/tuition-fees-universities

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/25/higher-education-universityfunding

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Due to the past school violence and with the most recent tragedy in Sandy elementary school, leads me to have concerns with the students’ safety.

We have seen innocent people die by the hands of mentally ill persons with access to deadly weapons and that needs to be stopped before it gets to our doorstep.

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Since the year 2000 we have witnessed 77 shootings in schools around the US leaving 165 students and educators dead.

This situation is intolerable and something must be done to end the madness! We can no longer leave students as sheep in a slaughter pen, they must be protected in the only way murderers understand and that is DEFENSE!

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It has come to light that Northwestern University is severing its ties with the Tannenbaum Chabad House. During a meeting this July with Vice President of Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin, he was told to “resign from [his] position at Chabad House and leave Evanston,” and that if he did not heed this warning, that Northwestern would end its association with him and Chabad house. The University’s stated reason, having to do with violations of Northwestern’s alcohol policies, has yet to be backed by any proof or evidence. Despite the unfounded nature of these claims, Rabbi Klein is now cut off from the Northwestern community. It is likely that he will be forced to leave his posts as faculty adviser at Alpha Epsilon Pi, faculty fellow at the Communications Residential College, and University chaplain. As a result, this page was made to support Rabbi Klein’s struggle to stay a part of Northwestern’s community.

The University’s decision to end its relationship with Chabad House and Rabbi Klein will have a purely negative impact on not just the Northwestern Jewish community, but also the Northwestern community as a whole. As a university chaplain, Rabbi Klein worked to foster understanding between faith groups across campus, while as a faculty adviser/fellow at Alpha Epsilon Pi and the Communications Residential College he has improved the lives of countless students with his wisdom and experience at Northwestern. In addition to these University posts, Rabbi Klein also lobbied for the creation of the kosher station at Allison, where students who keep kosher, halal, or simply enjoy eating kosher food can eat as a part of their University meal plan.

However, Rabbi’s accomplishments go far beyond his various posts at Northwestern. The Tannenbaum Chabad House is not just a normal house; it is a second home for Northwestern’s Jewish students, as well as a place of prayer, celebration, meditation, and happiness. Similarly, Rabbi Klein is not just a Rabbi or chaplain; he is a role model, an adviser, a mediator, a teacher, and most importantly a friend, who has positively influenced students, both Jewish and non-Jewish, over the past 27 years.

Northwestern’s disassociation will bring his nearly three decades of service to Northwestern to a screeching halt, making it much more difficult to continue his great and noble work at Northwestern and in the Evanston community. Join this page to show your support for Rabbi Klein and his struggle to stay a part of the Northwestern community.

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We are approaching the first term under a new regime in UK Higher Education (and particularly in England), which represents a seismic shift in the nature of public provision, marked by the removal of the cap on tuition fees.

As academic staff we wish to declare our continued opposition to a system which will increasingly exclude working class students and others from non-traditional backgrounds and promote higher education as a privilege. The irony is that while students are paying hugely inflated fees (albeit as 'loans'), universities are making cuts in academic, professional and support jobs which will seriously affect the extent and quality of educational provision.

The scapegoating of London Metropolitan University as part of a government publicity stunt to bolster its immigration policies, at the same time as university support services are to be contracted out, exemplifies the political nature of the attack on Higher Education.

The entry of Pearson Education into ‘the market’ demonstrates the developing privatisation of Higher Education and, as in health and social care, the prospect of large multi-nationals becoming key providers.

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The Ontario Liberal Government, with the support of the PC Party of Ontario, has passed the Anti-Strike Legislation. This legislation imposes new two-year contracts on thousands of teachers that freeze the pay of senior instructors and cut benefits. The legislation also gives the government the power to ban strikes and lockouts for least two years.

I am not a teacher and do not work in the education sector but I know that there are two things that Ontarians need to fight for - One is health care and the other is EDUCATION!

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During the period between the 14th of February 2011 till the 16th of March 2011, where the Bahraini revolution took place before authorities cracked down all the protests, we were not allowed to get in or back from Saudi Arabia as smooth as it was.

That’s why we had to stay over the weekend at the students housing although we used to get back to Bahrain to meet with our families. Ala’a and Zainab were in Bahrain during the weekend before the crack down took place on the 16th of March and could not get back to university until the 19th of March. However Zahra’a stayed there for more than two weeks because she had exams and was afraid if she get back to Bahrain she will not be able to get back to Saudi as all Shia were banned to get in.

On the 21st of March 2011 10:00 PM the director of Al Dmmam University housing requested us to take our personal belongings as an order came from the Higher national security counsel requesting to depart us from Saudi Arabia immediately. We asked for more clarification at that time, but we were told that our families are waiting for us at King Fahd causeway without even mentioning the reasons for that action.
Out of the students housing building which our flat is in, the Head of university’s office manager was waiting for us as he drove us in his private car to king Fahd causeway and he handed us to the Bahraini security Force. Around 50 masked police officers were waiting for us.

Until that time we were able to contact our families in Bahrain, but our contact them got stopped since we were submitted to Bahrain security Force as they’ve taken our mobile and they switched them off. They put us in a mini-bus and closed the windows and one of the policemen was shouting on us, belittling us and frightening us. We felt suffocated. We were concerned because our parents do not know anything about us. Please note that Zainab was in her 13th week of pregnancy as she was most of the time in Bahrain. The lawyer demanded three times the public persecution to release her because of her maternity condition, however, each time the request was rejected.

After that, we have been taken to the police station at king Fahd causeway for further investigation. At 4 a.m. from the 22nd of March Bahraini authorities took us to another temporary police station to stay the rest of the night there. Our families have had appointed Mr. Abdullah Al Shamlawi as our lawyer. At 11 a.m. we had been taken again to King Fahd causeway police station where they started the investigations all again with the investigator started screaming and shouting that we have lost all the years of study and we will get a sentence of life imprisonment. Also he said that we don’t deserve to get scholarships despite that we got the scholarship after we graduated with high GPA (98%) from secondary school.

On the same day, we have been presented to the Public Prosecution and the lawyer attended as well.
General Persecutions directed an accusation to us listed below:
1. Cursing the government symbols and leaders.
2. Incitement the hate toward the regime and demanding the over drawl the regime
3. Organizing protests at the university and at the university housing in Saudi Arabia
4. Contacting foreign TV channel and providing misleading information’s regarding the situation in Bahrain.

The lawyer asked the Public prosecutor to close the file, as there were no evidence against us neither by the Bahraini government or any known evidences provided by the Saudi authorities that would charge us.

Despite that, the Public Prosecutor had decided to imprison us up for 7 days while holding our case pending for further investigation in a police station called “Isa town police station for women rehabilitation”. We were among the first women to be accused and imprisoned after the crack down in pearl roundabout took place on the 17th of March 2011.

As per investigator decision we were supposed to stay in the custody for 7 days only. However, the custody duration expanded to 23 days until the13th of April.
Suddenly, the authorities have decided to release us where we were handed back to our families from the same police station we detained from. At that time, they let us sign on pledge that we will not participate in any activity against the government and the royal family, we will not contact any media and they have the right to call us anytime if they hand new evidence and by that he case had been closed.

On the 2nd of June Ala’a and Zahra received a call asking us to attend the military court. Zainab was not asked to go due to her maternity. We asked for clarification but what we have been told that we need to sign papers regarding our closed case. On the 6th of June we went to the military court and shocked that we were presented in front the military court judge were he accused us with the charge of participating in a protest in the Pearl Roundabout to commit crimes and breach of public security. None of the previous accusation was directed to us. We had appointed another lawyer called Mr. Mohsin Al Aalwi and procreated to attend court on our behalf. He attended 3 court sessions, when finally on the 21st of June we got the acquittal.

Later, when we decided to get back to the university, we where told from the Saudi authorities on the King Fahd Causeway that we were banned from getting in and we are not welcomed in the country anymore. We contacted the University to get a clarification regarding our studying status but they cleared that they have no authority to help us getting back and it was all directed to them from higher authorities. From that day until today we had communicated with all possible responsible parties both in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that might help in our case.

Moreover, we reported the case to BICI (Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry), which one of their recommendations was to return all dismissed students back to their studying seats. The National Committee who’s assigned by the King to apply the recommendations duty was finished on the 20th of March 2012 without even reporting back regarding our case. Keeping in mind that we met with the president of that committee since they started.

Also, we communicated with all human rights defendant parties and committees inside and outside Bahrain. Last but not least, we met with many committees and missions sent by many countries as US and Ireland who visited Bahrain. Also we met with FIDH.

In Bahrain , we tried with ministry of foreign affair , Ministry of Education , Ministry of Interior , Supreme Council of women , Saudi Embassy in Manama , Bahrain Embassy in Saudi Arabia . Bahraini Member of Parliament Ahmed Alsaati . MOI in Saudi Arabia. University of Dammam . king Fahad causeway authority.

We applied for admission to the University of Arabian Gulf, but our request was denied for the reason that the Gulf universities operate within a single system .As a result, the Saudi authorities refused to allow us to complete our study there , the Arabian Gulf Univesity refuses to accept us as well as.

Al Wasat newspaper published a number of topics related to our cause.

Our Current situation, is unknown if we will be able to get back to Saudi where we need to complete the remaining semester (2 months. Otherwise, we need to apply to private universities where most of them we contacted requested us to repeat 3 to 4 years and on our own funding despite we used to have it as a scholarship.

We hope that your foundation could consider our case and help us completing our study.

With regards,

Aalaa Al-Sayed
Zainab Mohammed
Zahara Salman

_________________________________
Personal Information of Zainab:
Name: Zainab Mohammed Maklooq
Nationality: Bahraini
Occupation: Medical Student
University: AL Dammam University (King Fiasal University previously)
Year of studying: 6th year medical student, last semester (two modules to graduate)

Personal Information of Aala’a:
Name: Aalaa Sayed Shubber Mosin Majed
Nationality: Bahrain
Occupation: Medical Student
University: AL Dammam University (King Fiasal University previously)
Year of studying: 6th Year medical student, Last semester (two modules to graduate)

Personal Information of Zahra’a:
Name: Zahra Salman Mohamed Zabar
Occupation: Medical Student
University: Al Dammam University (King Faisal University previously)
Year of Studying: 5th Year medical Student.

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Sara Mahbubi begins her sentence

Sara Mahbubi ( سارا محبوبی ), a Bahai student excluded from higher education, reported to Sari Prison this morning to begin serving a 10-month sentence.

This will be her third period of imprisonment.

The first began on June 14, 2010, when she was called to the Ministry of Intelligence building in Sari and held for 24 days before being freed on bail.

On July 21, 2011, she was again arrested and held for 17 before being freed on bail.

Her brother Wasal Mahbubi ( وصال محبوبی ) was also imprisoned for a time last year.

SOURCE : Sen´s Daily

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Now is the time for PTSA Advocacy to ensure that the DeKalb County School Board does not cut transporation services to Arabia Mountain High School!

AMHS offers successful programs in Career Pathways, Environmental Science and Engineering and was recognized this week as a "Green-Ribbon School" by the U.S. Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The academic dreams and hard work of 891 Arabia Mountain High School students, over 1/2 of our entire student enrollment, are at risk.

These students depend on county bus transportation from the Satellite locations to pursue their academic goals. The elected members of the DeKalb County School Board have decided to eliminate the transportation lifeline for some of the best and brightest students in the DeKalb County School System.

Here are the facts:

AMHS is not accessible by public transportation services like the other high schools on the transportation elimination list.

There are no continuous sidewalks on Browns Mill Road for our students to walk to school, which may put an increased number students at risk along the 45 MPH speed limit state road.

Adding over 800 additional cars to the Browns Mill Road area will create unbelievable gridlock and chaos in an already congested area. Recall the congestion "road rage" incident that occurred last year at the school that resulted in a parent brandishing a weapon on school property.

From AMHS Traffic - Summary

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The Albertan Constitution currently includes a provision from the 1905 School Act that allows for the recitation of the Lord's Prayer every morning in Public schools. It offers no such privilege to any other faith.

A Canadian court has already ruled enacting this policy as discriminatory, coercive & exclusive. It stigmatizes children & denies them their religious freedom.

This practice still continues in a number of our diverse Public schools resulting in the segregation of children & families.

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The cost of textbooks required to pass tertiary courses has become increasingly unaffordable for the majority of students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Two Thirds of students surveyed say there was an inadequate supply of textbooks available in their university library, which made it effectively compulsory for students to purchase them in order to pass their courses. -(NUS 2010 Education Quality Survey).
Providing equal opportunity to access core course materials for all students, regardless of their economic background, is essential for any university seeking to increase results and retention rates, which are goals held by La Trobe University.

The importance of access to these resources is of even more importance at universities like La Trobe, which actively target lower socio-economic areas as part of their strategy to increase enrolments.

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Daily homework overload appears to be affecting some students' mental and emotional health as well reinforcing a distaste of school and education in general.

The lack of coordinated amount and type of homework practices at our school district is becoming a risk factor for student's mental health.

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Studies show that smaller class sizes lead to an efficient learning environment. Large class sizes often have a higher rate of distractions and disturbances, and the teacher won't be able to focus on every student.

However, if the class size is small, then the teacher will be able to reach every student and will be able to avoid disturbances and interruptions.

This will mean more learning time, and everyone will absorb knowledge at the end of the day.

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Do you want to prevent a strike? Do you think that tutorial sizes are too large? Are more TAs needed in our labs? Do you support fair wages, working conditions, and benefits for your TA's, instructors, and invigilators?

Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903 -- representing teaching assistants, contract professors, graduate assistants, lab assistants, exam invigilators, and writing ...instructors -- are currently in collective bargaining with the University administration. Their demands include:

• smaller tutorial and lab sizes to improve the quality of undergraduate education
• maintaining financial support for underfunded graduate students
• job security for academic workers
• affordable education

As undergraduate students, we understand that the quality of education we receive in our classrooms depends on the working conditions of those instructing us. Our tutorials are too large, our labs are understaffed, and poverty-line wages keep our instructors from being able to fully commit to our education. We also understand that these conditions are the same ones that will be experienced by many current undergraduate students who, in the near future, will be applying to graduate school. As fellow students, we need to support members of CUPE 3903 in their efforts to make the York University a better place for all of us to study and work at.

Our TAs, instructors, lab assistants, exam invigilators, and writing instructors continue to ask for a reasonable and equitable contract. They continue to bargain in good faith, with every effort being made to prevent a strike. Unfortunately, the University administration has been unwilling to agree to a fair contract, and its disregard has led members of the union to vote 66% in favour of a strike mandate.

The employer is forcing a strike to occur by refusing to bargain with academic workers, and offer semi-decent wages and job security. This move has placed the entire University community in a precarious position.

Clearly, the University administration can no longer claim to have the best interests of students in mind.

Join this group and help towards preventing a strike by forcing the York University administration to give a fair contract for our teaching assistants, instructors, contract professors and other academic workers. The admin is forcing the current strike.

This Facebook group, built by the "Students in Support of CUPE 3903" campaign, will serve two purposes in the coming weeks:

- We will be giving immediate bargaining and strike updates on the state of negotiations. These updates will additionally serve to update members of the University community about class cancellations, about how to deal with specific issues pertaining to a potential strike (such as procedures for assignments), and about potential avenues for acquiring tuition rebates from the University in the case that a strike should occur.

- We will be organizing student support campaigns for members of CUPE 3903 who continue to strive to reach a fair deal with the York University administration, despite the latter's decision to walk away from negotiations and refuse to give workers a fair deal.

E-mail: students.solidarity.cupe3903@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/YorkUniversityStrikeInformationGroup

Support the undergraduate campaign to stop the York admin from causing another strike!

Organizations/Student Groups that have signed on:
New Democrats of York University
Fightback
Afghan-Iranian Youth Network
Health as a Bridge to Peace at YorkU
Sociology Undergraduate Students Association
York University Free Press (YUFP)
Sexuality Studies Association at YorkU

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The current standard of public transport to La Trobe is a joke. The LTSU believes in fair and equal access to education for all.

The lack of adequate public transport services to this campus severely impacts on students’ needs.

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On February 10th, 2012, WLUFA filed for a "no board report." In early March, WULFA will have the ability to legally go on strike and university administration will legally be allowed to initiate a lockout.

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So this Student Services and Amenities Fee...It’s your money that goes to your uni, then they decide what to spend it on - even though it's your money.

Wouldn’t it be better if students had a say in where students’ money was spent?

Who knows what services you need better than you?

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Currently, students from polytechnics and universities pay twice as much in bus fares compared to their peers in junior colleges (JCs) and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE), who are classified as post-secondary-level.

Polytechnic students, who in all technicalities are doing their post secondary studies, are considered tertiary education students. We end up paying adult fare! Our counterparts in junior colleges get to enjoy the subsidies while we are denied the subsidies.

"With the comparison of MRT concession pass between JCs and Polytechnics, JC student pay about $25 while Polytechnic student pay about $45 per month for the same service." Quoted from Edison Lim's Speech, titled : Student Rate For All Polytechnic Students.

Even as a soon to be polytechnic student, he/she would too have started paying adult fares even before entering a polytechnic. He/she is no longer given student subsidies, even though their age is clearly below that of an adult.

What is most absurd is that, when queried by MP for Nee Soon GRC about student concessions on trains and public buses, the Transport Minister Mr. Lui Tuck Yew, response was that it would cost transport operators $28 million more per year.

Can’t the government fork out the $28 million dollar per year, to provide subsidies for polytechnic students who are doing post-secondary studies? Isn’t the job of the government to provide for the welfare of its people? And would a $28 million pay cut from SMRT’s $895.1 million, or SBS’s $720 Million, affect them? I think not.

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The government’s Higher Education White Paper threatens our institutions with an unprecedented wave of privatisation modelled on the disastrous experience of the US for-profit sector.

The NUS strategy is defeatist, calling for a review of the impact of the White Paper following its implementation – as if this is a given – and asserting the need for student collaboration with the private sector.

Yet across the higher education sector there is growing opposition to the White paper – from the 20 000 people who have signed the ‘no confidence’ motion in David Willetts, to the Campaign for the Public University, to the UCU. In 2010 hundreds of thousands of school, FE and university students opposed fees increases – the White Paper is about making the new fees regime work.

All this offers an opportunity for a mass campaign against the government which can defeat the White Paper.

It should be the role of the elected leadership to find creative ways to unite and encourage broad opposition, not to demobilise it. Crucial to this is naming what we are against. For these reasons, castigating calls for the scrapping of the White Paper as “ridiculous” and claiming this would not “mean anything” is self-defeating posturing.

The strategy outlined by NUS underestimates the scale of attack on public education and the breadth of opposition, and overestimates the power of the government. An alternative that strives for maximum possible unity across the sector is needed. A starting point should be the following:

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WHAT IS A LIVING WAGE?

The Living Wage is the minimum hourly rate someone has to earn to afford everyday basics like housing, food, childcare, etc. It is based on an example of a typical couple working full time with two children in paid childcare. It assumes the couple have one pre-school child and another in primary school. Importantly it also assumes they get all the benefits and tax credits they are eligible for, including 80% of their childcare costs. Outside of London the current rate is £7.20. There is no perfect way to calculate a minimum but the Living Wage is enough to protect 90% of working age households. Outside of London the Living Wage is calculated by the Centre for Social Policy at Loughbourgh University. The Centre has developed a methodology to set and up rate a Living Wage outside London, based on its Minimum Income Standard Research.

The research is based on in-depth focus group discussions across the UK with people from different sections of society to discuss and agree what is needed for an adequate standard of living. They agreed the standard below which families should not fall below. Researchers then calculated how much this standard of living cost on average in the UK, using chain store prices. The headline figure was then adjusted to reflect the variations in housing costs around the UK. You can read more about how the Living Wage is calculated at www.minimumincomestandard.org

WHY SHOULD BANGOR UNIVERSITY INTRODUCE A LIVING WAGE?

If you work full time in our University or Student Union you ought not to be poor.

Low paid Staff often have to work long hours or work several jobs to make ends meet. This means they have to choose between living in poverty and spending less time with their families.

Research suggests that to provide the basics for a family of 2 children, someone working 40 hours a week would need to earn £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 an hour elsewhere.

To earn enough to support their family at the National Minimum Wage someone would need to work 56 hours a week in London and 48 hours a week outside of London.

The University can pay a living wage if it chooses to. It is a question of priorities and whether it believes that paying its staff a decent wage is important. It would also cost the university very little; our research through FOI requests suggest it would cost £2406 for directly employed staff, and contractors would be cost neutral, if the university made the Living Wage a condition before awarding its contracts.

One in five children currently grows up in poverty despite living in a family where their parent or parents work. This is nearly two million children, roughly double the number of children living in poverty in in-work families in 1979.

Paying the Living Wage will reduce poverty, household debt, stress and illness and improve family life for university staff.

It also means greater productivity and improved quality of service from more motivated staff. It is also more efficient for the university with staff staying in their jobs for longer, saving on the recruitment and training costs.

Paying the Living Wage is the right thing to do. Everyone should be able to afford what it costs to live and to bring up a family.

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There has been numerous accidents in the student parking lot at my school.

The cause of those accidents are students being distracted because they are either texting or talking on their cell phones while driving.

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Due to the manner of their inhabitance of the university perimeter, the student body requests that the NYPD Mounted Unit please pick up after their horses, including their droppings which they have left around the school for the past two months.

It is distasteful, disgusting, and rude to current and prospective students visiting the school as well as its faculty, staff, and patrons of the university. This petition serves as a device for the university to speak out against the horse poop publicly left around the vicinity of the school campus by the NYPD Mounted Unit. We feel they have abused their power and their stay around our university campus, which has left us feeling uncomfortable and disrespected.

By signing this petition, we at Pace University stand up for our rights as students and as citizens of the United States and to take action against the conditions we must live and learn in. The continual protests of university students which have thus far gone unrecognized exemplify the university president’s and NYPD’s disregard for the University’s and surrounding community’s welfare. It is incorrect to think the university does not control or have say over the situation.

We do and our voice will be heard. This is about our health, our safety, our comfort, and most importantly, about respect as a community united under an environment of learning. It is high time for the mounted police officers to comply with our requests for decency and civility. We ask them to get off their high horse, metaphorically and literally, to clean up their horse poop. Pace University is not the NYPD's personal horse stable and we request that they do not act as if it is. Every university student has the right to live and learn in a safe and comfortable environment. This concerns all students, faculty, and staff at Pace University as well as all students nationwide. We must stand up for our rights.

We, as a student body, must unite against the disrespect and disgusting conditions we have been subjected to. We do not pay this much for Pace University to endure being brushed off by university higher ups, who have allowed us to be subjected to these disgusting conditions. Let this petition signify our endurance and persistence in the matter before us.

Please sign the petition below if you wish to not smell or see horse feces everyday on your way to class and/or work.

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If you are a student at any University, you will already know the amount of effort that your tutors put in to get you the mark you want.

What you may forget, however, is the amount of effort the University's staff put in to make sure our seminar rooms, lecture theatres and recreational spaces are clean and safe for both work and societies.

From cleaners to security guards to admin staff, the amount of leg work that goes into keeping a university functioning is colossal. With fees set to triple in the next academic year, many universities are still not paying these staff a living wage. To the point, the University of Leicester still has 595 staff who it does not pay the living wage.

The living wage is both a figure and a set of principles:

• If you work full time in our University/Student Union you ought not to be poor.

• Low paid Staff often have to work long hours or work several jobs to make ends meet. This means they have to choose between living in poverty and spending less time with their families.

• Research suggests that to provide the basics for a family of 2 children, someone working 40 hours a week would need to earn £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 an hour elsewhere.

• To earn enough to support their family at the National Minimum Wage someone would need to work 56 hours a week in London and 48 hours a week outside of London.

• The University can pay a living wage if it chooses to. It is a question of priorities and whether it believes that paying its staff a decent wage is important. You need to consider what you would say if asked by the University “what wouldn’t you prioritise?”.

• One in five children currently grows up in poverty despite living in a family where their parent or parents work. This is nearly two million children, roughly double the number of children living in poverty in in-work families in 1979.

• Paying the Living Wage will reduce poverty, household debt, stress and illness and improve family life for university staff.

• It also means greater productivity and improved quality of service from more motivated staff. It is also more efficient for the university with staff staying in their jobs for longer, saving on the recruitment and training costs.

• Paying the Living Wage is the right thing to do. Everyone should be able to afford what it costs to live and to bring up a family

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