Get the Facts!

This is a wiki for the research of the Sussex Not for Sale group. We try to establish here what we know about the massive changes proposed by VCEG. This page can be used as a resource by anyone interested in the Sussex Not for Sale campaign or by sub-groups who require additional information.

This wiki uses the same formatting as Wikipedia , so if you want to know how to edit this wiki, check out that page.

Introduction: What is the situation at the University of Sussex?

Senior management at Sussex University are trying to implement reforms that will change the face of Sussex University for ever. These reforms include the creation of research and teaching themes that endanger academic autonomy, the restructuring of the entire departmental system resulting in 'super-departments', endangering the democratic decision making procedures at Sussex, and the expansion of areas of research and teaching that are marginal to Sussex's overall performance.

Even though senior management claim the opposite, it is clear to most people on campus that they are implementing these drastic changes in a thoroughly undemocratic manner: for one, senior management, in implementing these changes, has overturned the established decision making procedure by reversing the roles of Senate (usually the highest decision making body on campus consisting largely of academics and students) and Council (consisting largely of outside appointees).

Furthermore, senior management have withheld important documents (the so-called white paper) from the university community, and has presented that same community with documents that are incredibly vague (The Green Paper). The official reasoning is that the vague documents are mere consultation documents; this stands in contradiction to senior management's confirmation that these documents will not change significantly.

Not surprisingly, many members of staff have already voiced their concerns about the feasibility and the possible consequences of these proposed reforms. It should be known that Sussex University has suffered from ill-thought-out managerial decisions in the recent past (the backdrop against which the SortUSOut campaign and the campaign to fight the closure of chemistry emerged ). When senior management therefore presents new plans that sound as flimsy as those of previous managements, it is no surprise that they are met with opposition.

Contents of this wiki:

At the moment this wiki has 4 sections. Each of these sections is sub-divided into more sections in order to make as much information available as possible. The 4 sections are:
Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 24/02/2008 - 16:51.