Published: 2nd March, 2021
A substantial majority of Leicester UCU members participated in the consultative ballot on industrial action, which closed on 26th February 2021. Of those that voted, an overwhelming majority said they were prepared to take both strike action and action short of a strike in order to defend livelihoods at the University of Leicester. The branch…
Published: 2nd March, 2021
[Updated: 4 March.] Nishan Canagarajah and his executive board have repeated claimed that the overwhelming opposition to their plans is ‘normal’. Judge for yourself whether this looks normal. If you’ve expressed a view which isn’t recorded here, please get in touch, as we’re constantly updating the graphic. We want to know, which side are you…
Published: 1st March, 2021
Earlier today the University of Leicester executive finally published its financial statements for the year ending 31 July 2020. Normally, universities must publish their accounts in mid-January. Although the Office for Students sanctioned an extension of the deadline this year – because of COVID – our employer was still one of few not able to…
Published: 26th February, 2021
A year ago (tomorrow) two Leicester UCU reps wrote a thank you letter to everyone in the branch for their contribution to collective action. In the history of this branch, I don’t there’s ever been a more appropriate time to pause and repeat this sentiment: to thank members of the branch and their wider family…
Published: 26th February, 2021
In this week’s 2-minute summary, we reflect on some of what University of Leicester executives chose to share with staff in their Question-and-Answer session on February 24. You can watch the recording of that event here and/or you can read our live Twitter commentary here. Our conclusion: Nishan Canagarajah and his executive board are seeking…
Published: 24th February, 2021
Published: 24th February, 2021
Letter to Prof. Nishan Canaranajah, 24 Feb 2021. Dear Vice Chancellor, The undersigned are former members of the erstwhile Department of Computer Science, and presently the School of Informatics at the University of Leicester. We enjoyed its passion for quality teaching, its vibrant research discussions, and the enduring sense of community. In short, Leicester was…
Published: 24th February, 2021
Letter sent to all members of University Council, 23 February 2021. A very similar letter was sent to all members of University Senate. Both are available as PDFs to download. Dear Member of Council I am writing to you about University of Leicester’s present problems. I am sure that the President and Vice-Chancellor has shared…
Published: 23rd February, 2021
“Shaping for Excellence” proposes merging the Library’s User Services team with colleagues from the Student Services Team, to provide a single team to deal with a wider range of enquiries. It is User Services who have re-opened the David Wilson Library and who keep it operating. The University appeared to value their contribution by giving…
Published: 23rd February, 2021
Open letter to Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor,University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.vc@leicester.ac.uk We write to express our profound dismay at the decision to close the “Mechanisms of Animal Behaviour” and “Systems Neuroscience” Groups in the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour at the University of Leicester. This decision will severely harm the University’s ability…