Who's Going To Uni?

[Supras]

The Rector is the Chair of court. They have provided liason support for, among other groups, the UCU and SRC in raising awareness and organising criticism of the exorbitant increases in remuneration for University management, while support staff receive a real terms cut in their wages. Lose that influence, and all you have is an SRC lackey voicing student dissent. Edinburgh's Rector has had a real influence in his last 2 years constraining the worst excesses of their management. We need one to do the same.

Doesn't really answer either of my questions, though.

Had it been a choice between Charles Kennedy and Edward Snowden, it would have been a no brainer, but in this race it was a choice between Snowden and three equally unqualified candidates. Granted they would have been present, but I'm not sure how they would have been even remotely effective.

And as I said, did the Rector ever stop the principal from getting a wage increase?

[Guest honestrae95]

Don't get me started on Edward Snowden or I'll have another tear-stained meltdown on the subject. Absolutely embarrassing appointment.

Anyway, it absolutely astounds me how some lecturers get jobs. I appreciate that some material, especially when studying law, is very dry. However, I'm sitting in a lecture just now, struggling to stay awake because this guy has the personality of a spoon. He's making no effort to make it interesting or even relevant tbh. I'm not asking him to be Frankie Boyle and have everybody rolling on the floor with laughter but at very least attempt to make the subject matter a bit more bearable.

[KeeperDee]

Don't get me started on Edward Snowden or I'll have another tear-stained meltdown on the subject. Absolutely embarrassing appointment.

Anyway, it absolutely astounds me how some lecturers get jobs. I appreciate that some material, especially when studying law, is very dry. However, I'm sitting in a lecture just now, struggling to stay awake because this guy has the personality of a spoon. He's making no effort to make it interesting or even relevant tbh. I'm not asking him to be Frankie Boyle and have everybody rolling on the floor with laughter but at very least attempt to make the subject matter a bit more bearable.

Picture him naked.

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

Don't get me started on Edward Snowden or I'll have another tear-stained meltdown on the subject. Absolutely embarrassing appointment.

Anyway, it absolutely astounds me how some lecturers get jobs. I appreciate that some material, especially when studying law, is very dry. However, I'm sitting in a lecture just now, struggling to stay awake because this guy has the personality of a spoon. He's making no effort to make it interesting or even relevant tbh. I'm not asking him to be Frankie Boyle and have everybody rolling on the floor with laughter but at very least attempt to make the subject matter a bit more bearable.

What subject is that in? I reckon the best lecturer (or at least the one I found most interesting) was Tomkins. He made a subject I found particularly dull pretty interesting and I actually got my best grade in that course.

[Ad Lib]

What subject is that in? I reckon the best lecturer (or at least the one I found most interesting) was Tomkins. He made a subject I found particularly dull pretty interesting and I actually got my best grade in that course.

You were all lucky. We missed out on Tomkins in the ordinary courses because he was on sabbatical. Excellent lecturer/tutor at honours level, even if he is a Currant Bun and a massively biased Unionist.

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

You were all lucky. We missed out on Tomkins in the ordinary courses because he was on sabbatical. Excellent lecturer/tutor at honours level, even if he is a Currant Bun and a massively biased Unionist.

Yeah he was really good. It's amazing what a difference a good lecturer makes. I quite enjoyed the guy that did Property (Guthrie?) and the one who did Commercial (guy with glasses) but aside from that the rest didn't make much of an impression.

[Ad Lib]

Yeah he was really good. It's amazing what a difference a good lecturer makes. I quite enjoyed the guy that did Property (Guthrie?) and the one who did Commercial (guy with glasses) but aside from that the rest didn't make much of an impression.

Guthrie is a Thistle fan. Explained specification to our year group by talking about melting silver into an Ian McCall statue. The Commercial Guy might be John McLeod? Really nice guy.

[Guest honestrae95]

I was talking about Mark Godfrey, who lectures on Contract Law. However, I have had Dr. Leaky, who was even worse.

Tomkins is brilliant, despite being a raging Unionist. He never uses a PowerPoint which annoys me but is interesting and excellent at explaining the material.

My favourite lecturer is undoubtably Guthrie, he made the Delict course a joy. He also managed to reduce a Unionist Rangers fan (who'd have believed it) who I know to verge of tears after slating them and the No campaign for around 30 mins. So he's obviously a big Yes man as well. Very pleasing.

[jmothecat]

People on Facebook are suggesting the UCU are planning a 'marking boycott' in order to disrupt people about to graduate this year.

Not sure if it is serous, or just a threat, it's got people worried though. Even folk who have, up until now, been sympathetic to the previous industrial action sound unhappy about this.

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

People on Facebook are suggesting the UCU are planning a 'marking boycott' in order to disrupt people about to graduate this year.

Not sure if it is serous, or just a threat, it's got people worried though. Even folk who have, up until now, been sympathetic to the previous industrial action sound unhappy about this.

I had presumed there had already been a marking boycott tbh. Three of my four assignments that I handed in before Christmas haven't been marked yet. Absolute joke.

[jmothecat]

I had presumed there had already been a marking boycott tbh. Three of my four assignments that I handed in before Christmas haven't been marked yet. Absolute joke.

That's pretty bad. Do your departments have a cut off date for final submission of marks?

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

That's pretty bad. Do your departments have a cut off date for final submission of marks?

I have no idea - not that I know of. I emailed a couple of weeks ago and received a reply with words to the effect of "We're sorry, you'll receive the marks soon". Still waiting...

I'm currently on exchange and there's a stark contrast in the organisation of the two universities. I'll do an essay here and receive my mark in a week's time.

[jmothecat]

I found out when attending a class representative meeting that most departments have a specific date they need to return marks by, but that they try not to publicise the date so people don't know to complain.

[jmothecat]

It's not true though that they're doing it 'to disrupt people about to graduate this year', is it. They're threatening to do it to f**k over the unis in return for the ridiculous pay offer they've been given, while the principals are getting massive increases. Apparently it's working as well. The unions came out with this threat and the unis got back round the negotiating table. Good to see collective action being effective in protecting the interests of lecturers. Sounds like a few other unions could learn a lot from the UCU.

I think it is terrible the unions would use students like this in order to settle their dispute. Already I've had multiple classes disrupted this semester because of their obsession with striking and now they are willing to disrupt our graduations for something that has nothing to do with us. I have no sympathy with their extremist tactics and hope the universities don't cave into their extortion.

[centralTon]

Looking for a wee bit of advice from anyone who has done/ is doing a Masters in Electronic & Electrical Engineering at either Glasgow or Strathclyde.

My daughter has unconditionals for both of them, but is not really sure which one would suit her best. She is currently veering towards Strathclyde after an invite to spend a day there. Any information that might help her make a decision would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[renton]

Looking for a wee bit of advice from anyone who has done/ is doing a Masters in Electronic & Electrical Engineering at either Glasgow or Strathclyde.

My daughter has unconditionals for both of them, but is not really sure which one would suit her best. She is currently veering towards Strathclyde after an invite to spend a day there. Any information that might help her make a decision would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I did my degree in Electronics in Heriot Watt, but I've got colleagues who went to both Glasgow and Strathclyde. Really, it's about what flavour of electrical engineering you are after. It's an incredibly wide discipline - Strathclyde are really good for the heavy engineering stuff, High Voltage stuff, power distrbution networks (they should be, they poached most of their high voltage staff from HW) Glasgow Uni is better at the light current, microchip stuff.

[jmothecat]

'I think it is terrible the universities would use students like this in order to settle their dispute. Already I've had multiple classes disrupted this semester because of their obsession with not paying a decent wage and now they are willing to disrupt our graduations for something that has nothing to do with us. '

You've a right to be annoyed, but you're looking at totally the wrong people here. Perhaps you should take this up with the institutions offering a real terms cut in pay to their most important employees, rather than the employees themselves. Also ask yourself who the people using the students are here. People like you are much more useful to the universities trying to cut costs than the employees fighting for a decent wage.

You hope the people teaching you get a real terms cut in their pay? That's lovely.

I don't disagree with their aims, I disagree with their tactics. My sympathies with them finished when they began the random 'two hour' strikes. This is even worse.

[cal234ey]

Looking for a wee bit of advice from anyone who has done/ is doing a Masters in Electronic & Electrical Engineering at either Glasgow or Strathclyde.

My daughter has unconditionals for both of them, but is not really sure which one would suit her best. She is currently veering towards Strathclyde after an invite to spend a day there. Any information that might help her make a decision would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I do Aero at Glasgow, I know that the Electronic and Electrical Engineering student satisfaction rate here is 99% compared to 68% for Aero and 60% for Civil. I'm not sure about Strathclyde at all. HTH

[Ad Lib]

'I think it is terrible the universities would use students like this in order to settle their dispute. Already I've had multiple classes disrupted this semester because of their obsession with not paying a decent wage and now they are willing to disrupt our graduations for something that has nothing to do with us. '

You've a right to be annoyed, but you're looking at totally the wrong people here. Perhaps you should take this up with the institutions offering a real terms cut in pay to their most important employees, rather than the employees themselves. Also ask yourself who the people using the students are here. People like you are much more useful to the universities trying to cut costs than the employees fighting for a decent wage.

You hope the people teaching you get a real terms cut in their pay? That's lovely.

Sorry, TBR, but this is bollocks.

The teaching staff at Glasgow got a pay rise in circa 2008 which was monumentally inflation-busting (circa 13%). They are, despite below-inflation pay rises since, better off than they were before the financial crisis. They are really well off all things considered.

It's the support staff I have sympathy for. But they're mostly not the people actually participating in the strikes!

[Supras]

If my employer came to me with a pay offer which didn't match inflation i.e actively made me poorer I'd be pretty pissed off too.

This happened to me recently. There has been absolutely no talk of industrial action, people were annoyed for a day, then it passed.

That's the private sector for you.

Academics are ferociously independent and a complete nightmare to manage, I'm not surprised they are being totally unreasonable in their demands and methods.