{"id":231,"date":"2017-11-23T15:05:48","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T15:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/?p=231"},"modified":"2018-03-04T17:30:13","modified_gmt":"2018-03-04T17:30:13","slug":"subtext-169-their-tongues-are-silver-forks-theres-a-lack-of-wisdom-you-can-hear-it-on-their-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2017\/11\/23\/subtext-169-their-tongues-are-silver-forks-theres-a-lack-of-wisdom-you-can-hear-it-on-their-breath\/","title":{"rendered":"subtext 169 – \u2018Their tongues are silver forks. There’s a lack of wisdom, you can hear it on their breath\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fortnightly during term time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

In this issue: editorial, disability cuts<\/a>, subscriptions<\/a>, hods<\/a>, senate report<\/a>, short stuff<\/a>, rent pasta<\/a>, stretford surveys<\/a>, dept merge<\/a>, UA92 bodies<\/a>, VC twitter<\/a>, shart<\/a>, zionism review<\/a>, letters<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

*****************************************************<\/span><\/p>\n

EDITORIAL<\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s issue, we report once again on the proposed gutting of University Court. The body, which is Lancaster\u2019s largest and most diverse stakeholder gathering, has already been pushed close to being merely a ceremonial gathering, but D Floor\u2019s clear ambition is now to abolish it entirely and replace it with a PR event. Not that subtext expects top table to meet much resistance – there was little opposition to the idea of abolition at Senate last week, and now, we assume, we just wait for the University Council to drop the axe.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the implications of this? Well, it means in no uncertain terms that our alumni, dignitaries, and other external stakeholders will now receive no say whatsoever in any part of the University\u2019s operations. The Court \u2013 our last truly democratic governing body, which elects large numbers of its members and is responsible for approving our Chancellor and, until recently, Pro-Chancellor – will cease to exist, depriving stakeholders from whom we rarely hear of the chance to offer unique perspectives and propose policies that the Senate and University Council are mandated to, at the very least, discuss. Attending the University Court, especially for alumni and external stakeholders, is a labour – members travel from miles around to be in attendance, and they do so because there is a sense of duty to the University as well as the opportunity to be involved in Lancaster\u2019s decision-making. Is anybody going to swell with a sense of social responsibility at the thought of traveling 245 miles to listen to a drab presentation from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor on financial performance and hear Roger Liddle shouting \u2018long may the University prosper\u2019 before retiring to the lobby for some \u2018light refreshments\u2019?<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018pitfalls\u2019 of having a University Court, as outlined by the Chief Administrative Officer, are vanishingly small. At this stage in the Vice-Chancellor\u2019s tenure, it is easy to draw patterns between meetings that have put his nose out of joint or embarrassed him and proposals to make those meetings suddenly disappear. Make no mistake – the abolition of University Court would be an act of petty isolation, and a means of senior management keeping a tighter grip on just who gets to be involved in decision making. The role of Bath University\u2019s own Court in bringing their overpaid VC to book admirably demonstrates the value of having such an independent minded body with the ability to intervene. Maybe this is why so many Vice-Chancellors are so keen to get rid of them.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fortnightly during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk In this issue: editorial, disability cuts, subscriptions, hods, senate report, short stuff, rent pasta, stretford surveys, dept merge, UA92 bodies, VC twitter, shart, zionism review, letters ***************************************************** EDITORIAL In today\u2019s issue, … 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_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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}},"categories":[2],"tags":[158,123,146,62],"class_list":["post-231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","tag-council","tag-issue-169","tag-senate","tag-university-court"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99sHo-3J","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":903,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2019\/02\/01\/subtext-185-the-same-subtext-only-louder\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":0},"title":"subtext 185 – ‘the same subtext, only louder’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"February 1 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, rules on protests, UCU ballots again, not the Court report, steele, vintage satire, shart, restaurant review, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL There's been a Senate meeting this week... but the days\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":413,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/03\/01\/subtext-174-ambitious-managed-divergent-subtext\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":1},"title":"subtext 174 – ‘ambitious managed divergent subtext’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"March 1 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, senate stuff, gary\u2019s barmy army, bunker blues, fashion notes, pickets\u2019r\u2019us, sorry scan, court in the act, lusu democracy, lost and found, more lusu democracy, more lost and found, unis for sale, shart,\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":227,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2017\/11\/23\/subscription-info\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":2},"title":"SUBSCRIPTION INFO","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"November 23 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that Lancaster\u2019s glorious new email list server software seems to have overcome its initial glitches and be running fairly smoothly, we thought it was high time we updated our subscription information. Any readers who wish to share the love and encourage their friends, colleagues or enemies to subscribe, are\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":213,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2017\/11\/23\/the-only-way-is-ua92\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":3},"title":"THE ONLY WAY IS UA92","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"November 23 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It is with sadness that subtext noted that the authors of the letters in subtext 168 regarding the plans for UA92 all wished to remain anonymous, implying concern about expressing views other than that lending our collective academic credibility to this scheme is a fantastic idea. It is noticeable that\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":362,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/02\/15\/subtext-173-empowering-your-opinion-with-impartial-information\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":4},"title":"subtext 173 – ’empowering your opinion with impartial information’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"February 15 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, campus fascists, senate newsflash, campus fools, campus activists, ua92, researchgate fail, buses fail, bomb shelter update, we need you, love poem, shart, concert review, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL Back in October, subtext reported\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":299,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/01\/18\/the-last-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":231,"position":5},"title":"THE LAST COURT?","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"January 18 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The 2018 meeting of the University Court will take place on Saturday 27 January in George Fox Lecture Theatre 1. Many observers will be pleasantly surprised that the Court is meeting at all, given the 'effectiveness review' which took place in late 2017 (see subtext 166). The report and recommendations\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":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231","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=231"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}