FAQs for students - UCU annotated version
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“What is the economies exercise?”
This is the name being given to the process that the University is undertaking to save £35 million by 2011-12. The first stage of the exercise is underway and schools and services are being asked to come up with options for how they can save money.
UCU comment: It is interesting to note that the university is admitting the first stage of the exercise is underway. The law very clearly states that any exercise that is likely to result in collective redundancies cannot begin before appropriate consultation with the legally recognised representatives of staff. At the University of Leeds, three Trade Unions are 'recognised' officially and are therefore the representatives of the staff. None of these were consulted. For work to be 'underway' is likely to be unlawful. See http://wp.me/pFqYn-30
“How will any changes made due to financial cuts affect the student experience?”
We want to reassure current students that they will be able to continue the degree they have embarked upon and that their education is safe.
We will continue to invest in improving the student experience at Leeds. Providing an exceptional experience for our students, and inspirational learning and teaching, is a priority for the University and as such it will be protected. This guiding principle will be used when we are looking at options for saving money.
UCU comment: The Vice-Chancellor has stated in a meeting with the union that he is prepared to "take a hit" on student:staff ratios by losing staff. The language is that of the gambler. He is gambling that by shedding up to 700 jobs, and coping with the increased student:staff ratios that he is not denying will occur, that the student experience will not be diminished. If you think that having more people in classes, and staff having more to mark in less time, will not affect your experience, then you have no reason to doubt the above. Students may wish to note that the University gains around £30 million each year in student fees. To make £35 million in savings, then, is effectively to make no investment for students with that fees money. Some schools are abandoning students' automatic right to fill out evaluation forms about their modules, some have abandoned double-marking and some have cut back on student scholarships to the tune of £55,000 per year already. It seems the Vice-Chancellor is gambling with more than student:staff ratios.
“Why does the University need to make savings of £35m?”
The effect of the recession on government spending means that Leeds, like other universities and public sector institutions, is expecting major cuts in the government funding it receives.
The government cuts are already starting to bite. Much bigger cuts are expected in the next government budget. We are acting now so that we can carefully consider our options for savings rather than having to react when the cuts are upon us. We would be irresponsible not to prepare for this drop in the University’s income.
UCU comment: This insults the intelligence of students. The recession began in January 2009. You can google 'public sector' cuts and find respected commentators in the broadsheets predicting these, and the impact on Higher Education, back then and earlier. In May and June, the University undertook an Integrated Planning Exercise (IPE), as it does every year. In the IPE, all departments plan five years ahead and present their budgets to the university management, who either agree them or discuss plans for improvement. All this took place in full knowledge of the recession and the anticipated cuts to Higher Education, unless we are expected to believe that the leadership of this university wasn't aware of these factors then. But the results of the IPE were torn up in October, and the 'Economies Exercise' now requires all Schools to reconsider their budgets afresh. All this takes place in the context of a university profit of £11 million last year, and reserves of £80 million.
“Will the savings mean job losses?”
It is too soon to say how many or what type of job losses there might be. University policy is to reduce staffing by voluntary means wherever possible.
UCU comment: The Vice-Chancellor in a press release in October stated the job losses would be 'significant'. His word. Already 54 people have lost their jobs. In the Faculty of Biological Sciences alone, documentation categorically states that 70 jobs must be lost. All Schools, even those that are running in 'profit', have been told to find 10% cuts. All schools last year were told to cut 5%, and did so. There is little left to cut in most schools except staffing budgets. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor told all three unions that there would be "no pan university compulsory redundancies", but that "compulsory redundancies would be focussed on current university reviews". That is to say - The School of English, the School of Computing, The Faculty of Biological Sciences, The Department of Colour Sciences, The School of Mathematics and the Institute of Transport Studies. So it is not scaremongering to say that lecturing staff will be cut from these areas - and not because they can't do their job, but because the university is applying guesswork to next year's budgets. If the DVC would like to retract that statement, and do so in writing, the unions would be only too happy to receive it.
We ought to pause here to discuss the word 'voluntary'. What's the difference between 'voluntary severance' and 'redundancy'? Voluntary severance is when a deal is put on the table to make you go away - i.e. take either the cash of a premature retirement or a lump sum, euphemistically called 'Mobility Incentive'. In both cases you are then barred from returning to the University's employ for a minimum of 5 years. But if you refuse the 'deal' then you get your P45 and a severance package based on statutory redundancy, a maximum of £380 for every year you've worked at the university (but capped). See this. In those circumstances, wouldn't you 'volunteer' for the first choice? This pressure is being put on staff already.
“If there are job losses, will my class size increase?”
It is too early to say how many or what type of job losses there might be and also too early to try and predict what impact any changes might have on class sizes – or on staff student ratios.
The importance of learning and teaching to us means we will look at any potential options for changes very carefully and seek to minimise the possible effects on students.
We will continue to listen to student feedback, including the National Student Survey, and use the results of feedback to help us improve the student experience at Leeds.
UCU comment: See the comment in the above FAQ about how many jobs will go. Figures clearly indicate that upward of 400 jobs will be cut, and as many as 700. The Guardian newspaper put Leeds at the top of the league tables for job cuts (see this article). It is also clearly untrue to state that it is too early to predict what impact changes will have on class sizes. In a document sent to FBS staff, the student:staff ratio was predicted to go from 16.3 students to each member of staff to 20.1 students per member of staff. It cannot be too early to predict something, if you are already predicting it.
As for the National Student Survey: Electrical Engineering had some of the best NSS scores in the University. They cut staff. They then had amongst the worst NSS scores in the university. And they tell you here that they are listening to what you are telling them in the NSS.
“What is the capital plan and why is building work continuing on campus when the University is looking at saving money?”
The capital plan is a series of building works and refurbishments that are taking place on campus. One of the objectives of the programme is to provide a high-quality environment for our students. These developments will improve facilities for both staff and students now and in the future. Any developments already underway will be completed. Any projects yet to start will be reviewed against the financial challenges the University is currently facing.
UCU comment: Why, do you think, don't they tell you the sums here? £360 million spent on buildings. £35 million borrowed against future student fees (that's equivalent to the salaries for 15 or 20 people each year gone in repayment interest alone, interest to be paid by student fees money). And now they are looking for a £35 million cut, and threatening compulsory redundancy.
Let's look at some of those figures again: they are borrowing £35 million for buildings, and... they are now trying to cut £35 million. Who wants to point the obvious out to them?
“Why can’t the capital plan money be used to help save people’s jobs?”
The money for capital developments comes from a variety of sources – in particular, capital grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), bank loans and proceeds from the sales of buildings. If the University does not spend capital grants for buildings, we would have to give it back. Banks would not normally lend us money just to pay salaries. And, even if we were to use property sale proceeds to pay wages, it would only help for a very short period of time and not solve the recurrent problem.
UCU comment: this is not the whole story. The HEFCE money is granted only if the university stumps up matching sums. And once built, the buildings cost money to run and maintain, money that is not yet being spent. So, you need to ask yourself why they are not telling you here how much borrowing (against future income from student fees) this involves, or how much the university contributes from its own funds, or indeed how the costs of running these new expensive buildings will be met. All of these non-HEFCE funds clearly could be used to save the jobs of your lecturers to avoid the increased student:staff ratios they are bringing about.
“Can the University still achieve its aim of being in the top 50 universities in the world if it makes financial cuts?”
The University’s strategy sets out our direction and we will continue to work towards our goal. By taking steps now to deal with the University’s financial position we will be in a stronger position to protect and invest in learning and teaching and in research. These are crucial to Leeds continuing to improve its standing. Read more in the Vice-Chancellor’s article at:
http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/544/leader.htm
The correct answer to the question above is 'no'. Increased student:staff ratios will not bring us higher into the top 50. Already, The Guardian and the Times Higher have published articles questioning this strategy. If you do the maths (and maths is not speculative - the results of calculations are always the same) then Leeds will end up with the worst student:staff ratios of the Russell Group of universities. See http://wp.me/pFqYn-4h. We are 99 in the world - a result brought about by the staff now to lose their jobs. In a recession, we should be consolidating that excellent achievement, not gambling on getting higher through job losses and "taking a hit" on the SSRs.
UCU comment: Note that in his reporter column (follow link above) the VC insults and derides academics as incapable of problem solving. In what other industry would the boss contemplate insulting his workforce in this way?
“Is the University looking at other ways to reduce costs rather than losing staff, e.g. reducing stationery, saving energy, reducing numbers of events etc?”
Yes, and we expect a significant part of the total saving to be found in this way.
UCU comment: We have recorded this statement, and will remind them of it later. It is certainly NOT the kind of thing being said in meetings. In meetings in the School of English and School of Computing, to give just two examples, members of staff have stated that no such further economies can be found - these have been cut back already. Note they only say 'a significant amount'. They don't tell you they are talking of at least 60% (i.e. the majority) of the cuts coming from job cuts.
“What is happening in Biological Sciences and is this different to what is happening elsewhere on campus?”
Biological Sciences are going through a review to ensure they are academically and financially sustainable in the longer term. The review was started before the University began the economies exercise. Students can be assured that any changes in the faculty will not prevent them being able to finish the degree they started.
UCU comment: FBS stated it would need 60 job cuts earlier in the year. After the economies exercise was announced, it upped that to 70. FBS has never had a financially sustainable structure, however the university has rejected out of hand detailed suggestions from staff and the trade unions that the faculty needs a radical rethink rather than successive cuts. The 70 jobs that are under immediate threat will go in advance of the 10% economies. A further 10% will cut the faculty even closer to the bone. Certainly students will finish their courses but in much larger groups, with an impoverished choice of modules and a demoralised teaching staff.
“Is this process happening at other universities?”
Yes, this process is happening at many other universities, although not all are doing it as openly as we are. As of September, Bristol, for example, had lost 100 jobs, with plans to lose another 250 posts by 2011 and reduce its core operating costs by £12 million. Sheffield has lost 320 jobs to reduce its deficit, whilst Southampton, Belfast, Warwick, Edinburgh and Imperial all have voluntary severance schemes in place to reduce staff numbers. Warwick is reducing its operating costs by 5% and Kings College is closing its engineering department.
UCU comment: Leeds is unprecedented in the number of valuable staff being put at risk of redundancy. See this article in The Guardian.
These cuts are earlier and they are deeper than they need to be. It is not clear at all what the financial settlement will be next year and projections are not including increased income from overseas students and anticipated savings if the salary increase turns out to be lower than projected. Rather than do any contingency planning, the decision has been taken to cut. The communication to staff talked about doing this in this way that would maintain a "competitive advantage". It looks like pursuit of a place higher up the league tables has led University management to believe that you can make a University better by making swingeing cuts in staffing.
“I’ve heard the University ‘lost’ £20m last year, is this true?”
No, the University did not lose any money. There was an error in our 2008 financial forecasts which are our predictions for future income and expenditure. We have not lost any cash; the errors did not cost any money; and the University’s financial position has not been affected. Even if the forecasts had been accurate, we would still need to make the savings. If anything, we would have had to make the savings earlier.
UCU comment: It wasn't just £20 million, it was £20 million in each year over four years. £80 million. Now, £35 million is causing up to 700 job cuts. Do you believe what they say here that this error can be shrugged off as making no impact? To be fair, it is true that they didn't lose any money - because the money they were counting as part of their budget didn't exist! Somebody in a position of responsibility put the same figure into a spreadsheet twice. This is incompetence of sorts. If you planned a large family holiday with a budget that wrong, then realised you didn't have some of that money after all, had to cancel that holiday, lose the deposit and live off baked beans for a while, would you be comforted by the fact that the money you thought you had wasn't there all along? The University say that the economies exercise isn't due to this missing money, but they should have known about the recession and future HEFCE funding cuts back before the IPE, and the economies exercise was launched in emergency meetings across campus within a fortnight of the financial error being declared. To date, nobody has taken responsibility for that error.
This kind of error is not unusual in the University. Last year, heads of school were told to economise based on another accounting error, and wasted hours in meetings worrying about it. Then, when the error was discovered, they were told to spend up before the end of the financial year!.
“Would any increase in tuition fees to help the University’s finances?”
Not in the short term. The national fees review isn’t going to report its findings until after the General Election in (probably) May 2010. As a result, the earliest possible start for an increase in tuition fees would be for the academic year 2012/13. This means that we would not receive any increase in fees in time to offset the reductions in other income. In any case it’s by no means certain that increased fees will bring in much extra money; they may be offset by a reduction in the core teaching funding provided to us by government.
UCU comment: The UCU does not support lifting the cap on fees, and we fought alongside the NUS in opposing fees in 2005, and we will continue to oppose fees and the threat of the cap on fees being lifted. In a recent article on the subject on the Times Higher Education, our VC Michael Arthur's voice seemed to leap from the page in the following phrase "We cannot avoid [lifting the cap on fees] if UK higher education is to remain world-class." Was this our VC giving his hopeful verdict on the subject?
“How will students be involved in the consultation process about changes that may affect them?”
We continue to work with Leeds University Union to consult them and work with them to ensure students have access to the information and support they need. Students are represented on the University’s major committees and governing bodies – Senate and Council. And Schools will be discussing plans with students at their Staff-Student fora.
UCU comment: So far there is absolutely no student consultation built into the formal documentation that defines the economies exercise. UCU thinks that should change. In 'communiqué 1' students were deliberately excluded from the list of stakeholders who are to be kept informed by the University on the progress of the economies exercise (Download a copy here, see paragraph 28). Instead, students are mentioned only in the phrase "Heads of schools are encouraged also to keep their students in the picture as the exercise unfolds", which clearly does not amount to anything like the 'consultation' that the University is now paying lip-service to. In 'communiqué 2', the word 'student' never makes an appearance. Already there is clear evidence that the university is keeping LUU in the dark about where the cuts are taking place (see http://wp.me/pFqYn-69).
“How will the University keep students informed of decisions changes made following the financial cuts?”
We will continue to update these FAQs and further details of how we are making savings will be posted over the coming months. We will also be posting a podcast of an interview with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching Professor Vivien Jones.
If you have a question that is not answered within these FAQs then please contact us at studentquestions@leeds.ac.uk
Or us at leedsucu@me.com
Students are encouraged to send in comments and suggestions for savings to www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/students
“How can I find out more?”
You can also come along to one of the upcoming scheduled meetings with senior members of staff to ask any questions or put forward any suggestions you feel would help with the current financial situation. Details of these meetings will be advertised on Leeds University Union’s (LUU) website and on the student portal.
UCU comment: Students are subscribing to the UCU blog, which updates daily. You can follow us on Twitter, via RSS or by email alert. Our Facebook page Defend Jobs at Leeds, Defend Education already has over 700 student members. We will also be holding meetings with students whenever we are being invited by student reps and student groups. See this article for the University's attempts to block such freedom of expression (no apology received to date).
You can also speak to your Head of School or LUU for advice.
If you have any further questions, please email studentquestions@leeds.ac.uk
Or us at leedsucu@me.com