Sussex Uni library under siege
Last week, over one hundred students at Sussex University staged an all-night protest against an alleged decline in standards at the University. The `learn-in', a move aimed to demonstrate the various cuts in spending which have taken place at Sussex, resulted in various activities such as workshops, film showings, and a group reading.
Reductions in funding at the library were the final straw for the group, who endeavour to show university management the level of discontent amongst the student body and encourage more transparent policies from the University. A manifesto compiled by the selfproclaimed taskforce states: "Education the world over is under attack through privatisation and corporatisation; prioritising profit over the right to free education. From Bogota to Paris, our struggle at Sussex University is global."
The protest, which resulted in security staff spending all night with the students, intended to highlight the students' right to a high level of education and emphasize the fact that large seminars and fewer resources are not going to achieve this.
Helen Haggins, a first year Sussex student, told Felix: "Sussex has always had a reputation thanks to its more political students. But I think this campaign is something that most of the students can understand, even if, like me, they are not actively involved. Some might say that it's tarnishing Sussex's reputation and putting people off applying here, but we're in a situation that many universities across the country are in. Maybe it's better that some people are doing something about it."
Imperial students, however, might well face difficulty in following suit with similar schemes. With Central library only weeks away from 24 hour openings and examinations just on the horizon, protests are probably the last thing College and students alike are concerning themselves with.
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