{"id":1179,"date":"2020-02-19T12:36:59","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T12:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/?p=1179"},"modified":"2020-02-19T12:56:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T12:56:40","slug":"letters-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2020\/02\/19\/letters-27\/","title":{"rendered":"LETTERS"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dear subtext,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Claire Geddes, the former CEO of LUSU, was seconded to work on ‘strategic projects’ for barely a week before her name appeared on the LU website in another capacity: she is now the University’s Head of Governance Services, overseeing Information Governance (e.g. FoI) and the University’s own internal structures. She has gone from directing the absolute and total failure of democracy in the Students’ Union to overseeing the travesty of democracy in the University. A wise hire for those who wish to consolidate power in UMAG.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yours faithfully,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Andrew Williams<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear subtext,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
My first fixed-term casual research work for Lancaster was in 1991, just after getting my degree and graduating with \u00a3100 in my bank account (thanks, funded education!). I worked for 6 weeks at \u00a3100\/week, minus the 25% emergency tax rate, leaving me with the unimaginable riches of \u00a375\/week. I had moved into a vacant room in a student house on Westbourne Road, paying ‘half-rent’ at \u00a312.50\/week (thanks, no ‘buy-to-rent’ inflation!). I digress (it happens as you approach 50, apparently). Over the next 28 and a bit years, I worked on and off for Lancaster on fixed-term contracts doing research on matters relating to the environmental crisis, with some major gaps in my work history thanks to jumping on diggers and squatting and sitting up trees ‘In Defence Of Mother Earth’ (how quaint and old-fashioned\/scarily prescient!). I didn’t do teaching, and therefore, the possibility of a permanent contract was for nearly three decades an idle dream.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Imagine the hilarity when 13 days after finishing another contract and for the first time becoming an employee of another University (Leeds), the University announced its change of policy on fixed-term contracts, announcing that permanent contracts would be offered wherever possible, and this would even apply to funding-tied contracts such as those I had been on for the entire period we had to avert climate change (ah, those sweet bygone times!). It was almost as funny as when I took my one trans-Atlantic flight to a conference where I was presenting on the environmental impacts of everyday travel, and attending a session on the environmental impacts of academic conferences, and the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallaj\u00f6kull erupted and grounded all flights in the Northern Hemisphere, stranding me in the Belly of the Beast (Washington DC).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yours precariously,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dr Noel Cass<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear subtext,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
You report in recent issues of subtext that the decision to withdraw University e-mail accounts from retired members of staff was designed to save the University money. I fear that the reverse will be the case when retired\/retiring members of staff who in appreciation of their links with the University have named it as a beneficiary in their wills will be seriously contemplating removing such legacies as they no longer feel the attachment to the University which once they enjoyed. Likewise, retired members who contribute generously to the Chancellor’s Guild and other University appeals will no doubt be thinking twice about contributing to these good causes in the future.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Is it too late to ask the Director of Information Systems Services to review this damaging decision in the light of the serious financial damage (and significant loss of goodwill) it will cause to the University and to restore e-mail access to those from whom it has been, or is to be, withdrawn?<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Best wishes, and keep up the good work.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Name supplied<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear subtext,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No email account, no access to numerous academic resources. Rather an exaggeration, perhaps, but ‘cheap’ cancellation makes life unnecessarily difficult.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Best wishes,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Paul Heelas<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear subtext,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Which tense has been used in ‘…be they sat…’? (subtext 191, editorial)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Gerry Steele<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear subtext, Claire Geddes, the former CEO of LUSU, was seconded to work on ‘strategic projects’ for barely a week before her name appeared on the LU website in another capacity: she is now the University’s Head of Governance Services, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[529,82,544,532,568,30,557,20,566,567],"class_list":["post-1179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-letters","tag-andrew-williams","tag-casualised-staff","tag-claire-geddes","tag-emeriti","tag-gerry-steele","tag-iss","tag-issue-192","tag-lusu","tag-noel-cass","tag-paul-heelas"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99sHo-j1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1118,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/12\/13\/another-one-bites-the-dust\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":0},"title":"ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST?","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"December 13 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In classic Parliamentary style, MPs are not technically allowed to resign their seats. A member who, say, wants to retreat into a shed to write a self-congratulatory memoir after calling a disastrous referendum in a misguided attempt to unify their party is instead said to have 'taken the Chiltern Hundreds',\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":530,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/04\/26\/subtext-176-for-the-avoidance-of-subtext\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":1},"title":"subtext 176 – ‘for the avoidance of subtext’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"April 26 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Fortnightly during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details:\u00a0http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial,\u00a0fash, more fash, gender pay gap, UA92 (in four parts), bad governance, more governance, assistant deans, appeal for more assistant deans, bomb shelter update, grad ball, alternative grad ball, lu text lost and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":709,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/09\/13\/the-students-union\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":2},"title":"THE STUDENTS’ UNION","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"September 13 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It all started so well for the Students' Union. In subtext 169 we reported on their campaign against an unnecessary rent increase of up to \u00a3249. To make their displeasure known, LUSU set up a stall and put \u00a3249 worth of pasta on display. A little gimmicky, we thought, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "history"","block_context":{"text":"history","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":397,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/03\/01\/special-report-scrutiny-mutiny\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":3},"title":"SPECIAL REPORT: SCRUTINY MUTINY","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"March 1 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"subtext spent a large amount of the 15\/16 academic year remonstrating with the Students' Union and advising it not to implement its 'democratic review', an initiative which involved LUSU reviewing democracy and deciding it wasn't very good. LUSU subsequently abolished its council, and handed all of its power to two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "news"","block_context":{"text":"news","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":992,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/05\/23\/letters-23\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":4},"title":"LETTERS","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"May 23 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear subtext, I was interested to see Lancaster University mentioned in the news today as one of 23 universities with an unconditional offer scheme and to also read that this is based in part on references. It reminded me of someone I once knew, who had not only been offered\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "letters"","block_context":{"text":"letters","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/letters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1270,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2020\/06\/19\/nuttall-officers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1179,"position":5},"title":"Nuttall Officers","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"June 19 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Contributed article by Ronnie Rowlands Back in those heady, wistful days of February 2020, subtext reported that the students' union (LUSU) had passed a drastic restructure of its executive officer team without adequate consultation. LUSU's reorganisation continues apace, with the sacking of President George Nuttall and the resignation of Vice-President\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "contributed article"","block_context":{"text":"contributed article","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/contributed-article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/568"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1182,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions\/1182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}