Thread by @ScottStorey

[Thread]
Today in "hold my beer" approaches to student occupation, @sheffhallamuni starts threatening @SHUrentstrike with disciplinary action for *checks notes* protesting and *checks notes again* not identifying themselves.

So, let's pull this apart a bit.

Firstly, the letter is from the Dean of Students @ng_mckay whos area of the university is all about student experience and engagement. I've worked with Neil when I was a @hallamunion officer and he was always supportive of students. This letter doesn't sound like him.

I distinctly remember a situation where students were concerned about safety at Collegiate campus and one member of staff was basically saying it was a load of rubbish because as a male he felt safe at night alone and Neil defended the views of students around safety.

So, that raises my first question? Who is really behind this letter?

"The University provides access to its premises and facilities for its registered students and its staff
community." - Yes, it does, but it also allows access to others.

SHU promotes itself as a civic university as part of the @civicuniversity network and provides public access to libraries, events and buildings. Saying "only students and staff" is just a lie and also not very "civic".

"...confirm you are registered students at the University...failure to do so is a breach of our Student Code of Conduct." - It isn't. Check the Regs. "reasonable request" is a bit of a stretch, this is just a scare tactic - students.shu.ac.uk/regulations/co…

And while we are on university regs, do you really want to play games like that when the university has been in breach of the Student Charter? How many of those have the institution not met this year? shu.ac.uk/about-us/gover…

"I have previously and repeatedly confirmed our willingness to meet and discuss a shared agenda but only once your occupation had ended." - i.e. we have no interest in speaking to you unless you give up the main leverage you have by occupying a building.

"We do need to find a way forward that resolves this impasse." - Pretty simple this one. Go and meet with them and talk instead of threatening them? Work in partnership? Just a thought.

"If you do end your occupation and leave by this time, I can confirm the University will not seek to pursue any disciplinary proceedings against" - The undertone here is that "if you don't do as we say, we will discipline you. So you best get out."

I would be interested to see how that would all go down with @nusuk and the inevitable complaints that go to the @officestudents and @oiahe about heavy-handed tactics and not following the universities own regs.

"we do not tolerate sexual harassment" - You really do tolerate it. FOI will be incoming about the number of reported instances and action taken. Anecdotally, in ONE department this year there have been over 100 instances of sexual harassment. Not one has been dealt with.

Students have taken people to court over sexual assault where the police and the CPS prosecuted but the university just shrugged its shoulders. Every instance of sexual harassment reported has been swept under the rug.

As an academic I took students in tears who have been sexually harassed in lectures for support. The support team, are fantastic. The university processes shrug their shoulders and go "well you can't prove it" and "maybe you misunderstood" with some top quality victim blaming.

The university refusal to do anything about it, consistently, for years, and to protect its students and staff is one of the reasons I left.

This isn't just in this area either, racism, ageism, sexism are all ignored. Remember these issues raised by @PeteOlusoga? thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2…

"I hope you will take this opportunity to move forward" - Students and staff have had enough. They want to move forward. The institution doesn't. <end rant> @SHUrentstrike @UCUHallam @DrJoGrady @Larissa_Ken @rentstrikeUoS #CutTheRent #occupycampus #studentsb4profit