How best can I garner support for my beleaguered UK academic department?
May 12, 2010 9:49 AM Subscribe
How best can I garner support for my beleaguered UK academic department?
An academic department with which I am associated as a student is currently under threat of staff cuts that will make the department unsustainable in the long run. This is by design, as one of the powers that be at this university has a long standing grudge. The proposed cuts are highly inequitable compared to the rest of the university and cannot be justified on the basis of finance nor on academics without the use of tortured logic (by logic, insert rigorous and repeated assertion).
Now, drastic cuts are part and parcel of the student experience in the UK at the moment and we are not the only university or department trying to stave off extermination. I'm presently finding myself in the position of becoming the point for public relations and I'm noting that our efforts to date haven't gotten a lot of traction with regard to gaining public attention, especially as our administration seems to have successfully pulled off a divide and conquer strategy. Unlike some other places, we aren't in a position to be occupying vice chancellor offices. We seem to have garnered some sympathy from our field too, but at the moment I'm not seeing the kind of public scrutiny that'd be required to embarrass the university and the powers that be into rethinking their plans.
With that as a given, how best can I learn to be a public relations flack par excellance? What can I do to get reportage on our particular story? How can I cold contact journalists in a way that will engage them rather than elicit eye-rolls?
I'd love to hear from anyone who's had experience with this kind of grass roots campaign in an academic setting, especially in the UK or if you've been successful.
We do have some things going for us. We have an interested and mobilized body of students in the department, both under- and post- graduate. We are also a well regarded department internationally, with many contacts around the world (Am working on leveraging this currently).
Keeping this anonymous due to the assertions made in the first graf and because AskMe isn't the place to actually trawl for publicity directly.
An academic department with which I am associated as a student is currently under threat of staff cuts that will make the department unsustainable in the long run. This is by design, as one of the powers that be at this university has a long standing grudge. The proposed cuts are highly inequitable compared to the rest of the university and cannot be justified on the basis of finance nor on academics without the use of tortured logic (by logic, insert rigorous and repeated assertion).
Now, drastic cuts are part and parcel of the student experience in the UK at the moment and we are not the only university or department trying to stave off extermination. I'm presently finding myself in the position of becoming the point for public relations and I'm noting that our efforts to date haven't gotten a lot of traction with regard to gaining public attention, especially as our administration seems to have successfully pulled off a divide and conquer strategy. Unlike some other places, we aren't in a position to be occupying vice chancellor offices. We seem to have garnered some sympathy from our field too, but at the moment I'm not seeing the kind of public scrutiny that'd be required to embarrass the university and the powers that be into rethinking their plans.
With that as a given, how best can I learn to be a public relations flack par excellance? What can I do to get reportage on our particular story? How can I cold contact journalists in a way that will engage them rather than elicit eye-rolls?
I'd love to hear from anyone who's had experience with this kind of grass roots campaign in an academic setting, especially in the UK or if you've been successful.
We do have some things going for us. We have an interested and mobilized body of students in the department, both under- and post- graduate. We are also a well regarded department internationally, with many contacts around the world (Am working on leveraging this currently).
Keeping this anonymous due to the assertions made in the first graf and because AskMe isn't the place to actually trawl for publicity directly.
I got this message on Facebook today:
As a new government is getting ready to attack the living conditions of ordinary people, students and education workers have already had experiences with cuts - and how we can stop them. We will try to draw the lessons from the strikes, occupations and other forms of direct action taken in HE and FE over the last months. How can we build effective alliances between students and workers? How can we act in solidarity across education establishments? How can we organise from below to defend education?
National conference with talks and workshops, open to students and education workers
Organised by Anarchist Society and Brighton Solidarity Federation
for the Autonomous Student Network and the Education Workers Network
http://www.stopthecuts.net/conference
For more information, contact education.cuts.conference@googlemail.com
***************
Introductory session:
reports from local anti-cuts campaigns
EWN and ASN speakers
general discussion
lunch
workshops (A) practical focus:
- propaganda/graphics and layout/campaign websites
- how to occupy : practical barricading
workshops (B) focus on organising:
- organising with trade unions - from student perspective
- organising with trade unions - from worker perspective
- keeping campaigns democratic / meetings workshop
workshops (C) strategy&analysis:
- what is direct action?
- communication and massification : from activist group to movement
- organising as an industrial network
plenary discussion
Defeating Cuts in Education (Conference)
Might be of interest.
posted by knapah at 10:52 AM on May 12, 2010
As a new government is getting ready to attack the living conditions of ordinary people, students and education workers have already had experiences with cuts - and how we can stop them. We will try to draw the lessons from the strikes, occupations and other forms of direct action taken in HE and FE over the last months. How can we build effective alliances between students and workers? How can we act in solidarity across education establishments? How can we organise from below to defend education?
National conference with talks and workshops, open to students and education workers
Organised by Anarchist Society and Brighton Solidarity Federation
for the Autonomous Student Network and the Education Workers Network
http://www.stopthecuts.net/conference
For more information, contact education.cuts.conference@googlemail.com
***************
Introductory session:
reports from local anti-cuts campaigns
EWN and ASN speakers
general discussion
lunch
workshops (A) practical focus:
- propaganda/graphics and layout/campaign websites
- how to occupy : practical barricading
workshops (B) focus on organising:
- organising with trade unions - from student perspective
- organising with trade unions - from worker perspective
- keeping campaigns democratic / meetings workshop
workshops (C) strategy&analysis:
- what is direct action?
- communication and massification : from activist group to movement
- organising as an industrial network
plenary discussion
Defeating Cuts in Education (Conference)
Might be of interest.
posted by knapah at 10:52 AM on May 12, 2010
Depending on where you are, it might be worth contacting smaller left-wing campaigning groups and parties as well as local union branches. Even if they can't help directly, they should be able to give advice.
I've been involved in a grassroots campaign of a slightly different nature and I'd be happy to share my admittedly small experience if you memail me.
posted by somergames at 11:35 AM on May 12, 2010
I've been involved in a grassroots campaign of a slightly different nature and I'd be happy to share my admittedly small experience if you memail me.
posted by somergames at 11:35 AM on May 12, 2010
Contact the influential voices in your field in other parts of the country/world. (This is suggested by the example of Leiter in philosophy.) They may be able to rally support and publicity from other academics to pressure your uni administration into seeing the value of the field/department, or the prestige of your department within the wider community in your discipline, etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:14 PM on May 12, 2010
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:14 PM on May 12, 2010
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In Leeds, which is facing about 400-600 staff losses, the students photographed themselves with a sign saying I will support you in strike action; if you poke around the Leeds UCU blog you'll see hundreds of such photos. Facebook groups don't do much but if you can get lots of members it does show interest. Demonstrations, similarly, can make for good press if they're big.
You're not philosophy at Middlesex are you? If so, you may well already know this but The Leiter Reports are doing a lot to publicise the problem. It might be worth looking at the Philosophy@Middlesex campaign anyway to get ideas.
Good luck.
posted by handee at 10:30 AM on May 12, 2010