guild of

the manifesto

Guild of 2014
Executive Summary
This document sets out the values the Guild of 2014 candidates believe in. The sections of this document have been created by many people, both candidates and campaigners. This is the type of participation we believe helps us critique each others ideas and give ourselves and others a better understanding of the values we stand for. The points set out in this document should not necessarily be taken as goals we aim to achieve in one year, but ideas we aspire to in the long term. In this Executive Summary, there are a few basic areas we would like to concentrate on if elected.

Creating a Guild which reflects the diversity found in the university population. Removing the barriers to participation, which many groups face both within Higher Education and in the Guild of Students itself.

Using the collective power of students to achieve real wins on campus and in the local community. This includes cheaper food, housing, energy and transport. The Guild of Students can facilitate this - it is this value that was vital in the creation of students unions.

Campaigning to ensure the highest quality of education for all students. We believe that education should be free, fair and funded, and we will campaign against course cuts, closures to modules, courses and departments, and to resist compulsory redundancies which threaten students choice and student-staff ratios.

Our Vision
Democratising the Guild Democratising the University Student Led University Free, Fair and Funded - Education as a Public Good Building Birmingham as a Centre for Critical Thought

Education Reform
Free Education Marketisation National Campaigning University of Birmingham Free School

Liberation
Black and Ethnic Minority Students Representation Academic Black Students Officer Supporting BME societies/associations/clubs BEMA Disabled Students Physical accessibility Awareness Fight attacks on disabled people DAMSA LGBTQ Women Empowering Women Fighting for Womens Interests

Representation
Home Students Transport Integration Education Activities International Students Treatment of Non-EU Internationals Communication with International students Exchange between UK and International students New International RA Improved Language-Scheme Involvement of International students in the community

Finance Accommodation Postgraduates Postgraduate Taught Students Postgraduate Research Students

Ethics and Environment

Indigenous rights Co-operation as a solution for sustainability Ethical procurement and workers rights Fossil fuels Renewable energy Carbon (and other GHG) emissions Green economy Education for Sustainable Development Ethical investment Debt Tax Fair Trade Go Green Week

Housing
A Tenants Union Housing Co-operatives Halls

Sport
Accessibility to Sport Healthy Food on Campus Events and Tournaments Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle The New Munrow

Societies
Getting Students Involved What, Where and When Remove Booking Fees Scrap Needless Paperwork Media Fundraising and Volunteering

Our Vision
Democratising the Guild
Democracy in our union is not merely for the sake of democracy alone, but is beneficial for everyone. Large democratic forums, which everyone can attend, help us to educate each other over time. Many students unions, such as LSE, still meet as regularly as weekly or fortnightly for large general meetings; however we only have irregular meetings of a small Guild Council. Unless we return to these large regular meetings we will continue with the development of polarised factions battling each other for majority control. If our unions democracy stays as irregular as it is, it will simply become a mechanism for an opportunity for groups to score political points. We wont win our struggles until we have a union from which we can build towards a united student body which then, through the union, can effectively fight for everyone. We want to get everyone involved in their students union so transparency is of utmost importance. Many students unions provide their members with an annual financial report breaking down their finances and expenditure; we will have this organised regularly so that everyone can have a proper say in where the money is being spent. We hope to combine this financial transparency with participatory budget setting to open up our union to a more dynamic and grassroots way of running.

Democratising the University

A democratic university is a vision that the most recent generation of students and young academics have very little conception of. Its a proposition that to many may even seem radical in formulation, however this is far from the case; the idea is as old as universities themselves and up until recently was a reality that was practised in our universities. In fact, many universities still have real vestiges of democracy in their communities. University democracy was not some twee practice designed to make everyone feel like they had a part in decisions; university democracy was a solid and realised process at the heart of the academy, it was based on sound principles and provided actual benefits that made UK universities the best in the world. In principle the case for democratic universities is clear. Universities play an important role in society as they teach skills for the workforce of the future, produce research and cater for the needs of the decades ahead, so they need to be reflective of and responsive to societys needs. Therefore universities must be democratic to reflect the needs of wider society. Furthermore, universities are bastions and guardians of discourse and culture this requires them to be democratic for how can we have a dynamic and democratic society if the keys to knowledge, culture, and debate are kept in the hands of the few? However, the case for a democratic university is not simply one of principle, it is about the real and tangible benefits it provides. Universities are workplaces based on creativity and innovation, there needs to be recognition in governance that these processes are driven by the grassroots in the University and that creativity cannot be enforced from the top down. As such, the features of self-governance, autonomy, and participation in a democratic decision-making process are

important to allow that creativity and innovation to flourish. The idea that universities need to alter themselves hastily to changes in the wider political climate is fundamentally flawed building up real academic expertise and making real progress takes years and requires a stable base. Democratising in the sense of putting students, staff, and the local community in charge of the University - what is taught, how it is taught, where the University prioritises expansion, the institutions ethics, direct involvement in the the management of Schools, Colleges, spaces should be a long term goal for our students union to win. We will all be working towards greater democratisation of the University.

Student-Led University
Students are at the heart of the university as a civic institution. We are a cohesive community with shared interests and values, and the university is reliant on our fees and attendance in order to operate. We believe that students commitment in effort and resources to the university in this vital time in their lives, as well as our commitment to the principle of a democratic university, means that the university must include students more fully in its governance. The continuing cuts to courses such as Ancient History, Archaeology, Physiotherapy, Sociology and Nursing, shows that it is vital that students are properly represented in the university so we can fight for our interests To this end, we will fight for greater student representation on university committees. This means greater representation for you on the Senate, School Executive Committees, the Accommodation Management Group, and in all the other bodies which help to run the university. Our exclusion from these institutions gives the lie to the Universitys claims that it works in our interests and for students to have a genuine voice we must have direct representation. For this to be possible, more thorough and consistent training for student representatives must be provided. Student representative committees should meet at least once a month, and representatives should upload the minutes of their meetings to WebCT as well as hold office hours so that they are accountable to students. Student representatives will work closely with their Guild Council counterparts as well as the School committees so that students will be represented across all forums in a coordinated manner. They will work more closely with UCU and UNISON, the two main unions on campus, to foster better direct communication with lecturers and support staff. We will also hold student-staff socials, including support staff to create a more communal departmental spirit where students, lecturers and support staff can work together for a fairer university. We will also extend the Peer-Assisted Study Scheme (PASS) to all departments. Peer assisted study schemes are important for the transfer of knowledge and common problems between students.

Free, Fair and Funded

We believe that ultimately, higher education is a right and not a privilege and as such it should be free, fair and funded. By this, we mean that students should not have to pay tuition fees and that higher education should be publicly funded to a standard which ensures a high quality befitting of one of the leading higher education systems in the world. We believe that the

elimination of tuition fees is realistic and achievable, even in our current economic climate, as can be seen from the way that higher education is funded in many other countries. The imposition of tuition fees is a political decision and a question of priorities. We see education as a public good which has far-reaching benefits for society and essential to our continued growth and progress, both in an economic and social sense. Coupled with this is the idea that education should be open to all. A persons chances of getting into Birmingham, or higher education in general for that matter, shouldnt be dependent on factors such as class, ethnicity, gender etc. We want an education system that is truly accessible. This includes a widening of the bursary scheme, better training for personal tutors, a diversity of assessment styles and the publicising and tackling of hidden course costs.

Education as a Public Good

Education is not a privilege or a product to be bought. It is a public service that is in the governments interest, both socially and financially. A lot of people forget that a high standard of Education isnt an expensive luxury that the government buys for us, but that it ultimately brings in more money for the country, both through decreasing social difficulties and increasing incomes. Also, we are being sold the idea that the new fees are a compulsory measure as part of an inevitable process of cutting costs. However, a free or at least affordable education is a realistic demand. The current changes to fees arent a natural progression that every nation is having to make to tighten their belts, its a radical and dangerous change in the way education fits into society.

Building Birmingham as a centre of critical thought

Universities serve a vital social function in encouraging research and discussion surrounding some of the worlds most pressing issues: climate change, global poverty, and growing inequality, among countless issues. We believe that the University of Birmingham can take a leading role as a global university and stand at the forefront of the debate in the challenges facing all of us. The School of Politics and International Studies publishes an annual review of the best undergraduate research, as well as holding conferences for both undergraduate and postgraduate students where they can present their research to their peers. We believe that the university must better recognise the valuable contribution undergraduates can make to academic life at the university. All departments should encourage undergraduates to fully take part in research as well as learning, by offering similar support. In order to build up a greater sense of academic community we will campaign for reduced costs for venue conferences, and for the University to build a website where the student body can share their scholarship and work together on academic projects. We also want to see more alternatives to the traditional, highly theoretical dissertation, which comprises such a large part of students degrees, but which many do not find particularly useful.

Education Reform
Free Education
Education should be free, fair and funded. Education is a social good which has far reaching benefits for society as a whole and as such, should be funded by everyone in society on the principle of progressive taxation. We should not accept the idea that education is simply a form of training to create better employees, but constantly assert the transformational power of education and its value as a public good. The current system of 9,000 fees is not saving us money but is in fact costing the government far more than the old one#. The reason the government are bringing it in is not to do with money, but ideology. They are trying to transform the way that people see education. Shifting its perceived benefit from a public one to a private one and shifting the burden from society on to students. There are two ways of interpreting the failure by the government to properly account for the real cost of their higher education reforms. The most common suggestion is that they are just incompetent, or stupid, however we do not believe that this is credible. The government will use the radically unsustainable funding system in higher education to legitimise further cuts to the sector. It follows in a neoliberal pattern of running public services used heavily in the UK in the last thirty years, where funding crises are created and then used to legitimate further privatisation and cuts. Likely avenues for further cuts and privatisation of higher education include removing the cap on fees or changing the terms that students pay on their loan. The government has arranged the regulations in a way that means that students loans can be changed at any time and even retrospectively#. This means that students studying at the moment have no real idea how much they will end up paying for higher education. The current alternative we have to free education is to burden our generation of students with the twin burdens of massive public and private debt. This should be opposed on all fronts.

Marketisation
The marketisation of education has turned universities from public institutions to ones which resemble more of a corporate business. They treat education as a commodity and students as nothing more than consumers, worth nothing more than the money they can bring in. The senior managements managerial style has driven up staff stress levels and turned academics away from our institution and they have shown themselves more than willing to cut courses which do not fit within their narrow agenda as part of a short-term, knee jerk reaction. The management are a harmful force at the institution, they take huge and ever increasing pay rises while cutting courses and staff numbers. In 10 years the proportion of money the university spends on staff as a percentage of its turnover has dropped from 58.8% to 52.5%; while Birmingham is in the bottom 20 universities nationally for staff stress. The people who really run the university and do the real work are ordinary staff and students, managers continually act against our interests.

National Campaigning
It is absolutely vital that we understand the struggles for education at Birmingham in the context of the national picture in Higher Education and the struggles going on at other campuses. Birmingham should be a leading part of the national student movement. Ultimately we can only turn back the tide of neoliberalism in universities if neoliberal universities across the country are made ungovernable. Widening access means allowing all students to make it to Higher Education. In the short time that means the return of EMA and other allowances that make studying A-Levels and equivalent qualifications an option. Widening access also means increasing the participation of students from marginalised groups in the Higher Education system. A wide variety of people means a wide variety of opinion. Our HE should reflect our global community and represent all sections of society. On a long term basis however we should be arguing against the use of entry grades altogether. Knowledge should be a public good open to everyone and its restriction on the criteria of wealth, or grades, should be opposed. There are many reasons why people may not have performed well in their A levels, or got A levels at all, and these people should not be kept out of education. While this might sound incredibly radical or utopian, entry grades are not currently used at universities in France.

University of Birmingham Free School

We are opposed to the implementation of the University of Birmingham Free School, as its creation would likely only further entrench inequalities in access to education and undermine the current network of local schools. This would be at odds with the aim of educational establishments to enrich and benefit their local communities broadly and directly - in effect this school would only manage to further trace a path for a privileged few to progress upon. If it were to be implemented we will campaign for it to be located in or have a catchment area extending either up to and including Ladywood and Balsall Heath. There should be substantial quotas for the inclusion of students from economically deprived families and transport provisions made for them. The schools finances and relationship with the University of Birmingham should be made fully transparent. As should the influence over the curriculum the University has, and its academic influence.

Liberation
Liberation Association Democracy
Autonomy needs to be at the heart of the Liberation Associations, with the Guild acting as a source of support, funding and a mechanism for continuing momentum when during stressful periods of the academic year. As such, we do not seek to preempt any aims, campaigns or policies - which will come from the Associations themselves. Instead we shall outline our commitments and outline the few necessary changes, that are needed to ensure the Associations can function as freely as possible. We will be calling for the implementation of: - Ring-fenced Liberation budgets: as supported and passed by Guild Council. - Liberation representation at all relevant University Committees. - Liberation representation on the Guild of Students Trustee Board. - A supported cross-Liberation network, where students from Liberation Associations are given the lead on shaping policies

Black and Ethnic Minority Students

Representation
According to a report put together by the Universitys Equality and Diversity Advisor, around 28% of all students at the University of Birmingham are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Outside London, this is the highest percentage population of BAME students at a Russell Group university. However, data suggests that generally BAME students are less likely to remain in education after the first year, gain a first or upper second class degree, complete their degree or gain a full time job after graduation. There is also less engagement and BAME presence within the Guild of Students, whether this includes using the facilities available, running for various elections or participating in student groups/associations. The university presents the idea that diversity is seen as "a source of strength and vitality that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of our academic mission and from which all members of our community benefit. The attainment gap, shockingly low percentage of BAME staff and the lack of implementation of concrete projects which aim to tackle the various barriers faced by BAME students, all suggest that in reality these groups continue to be abandoned.

The targeted mentoring scheme for BAME students at the university is a small-scale initiative which has proven unsuccessful in tackling the wider and long term issues of institutional racism etc. This scheme ignores the fact that the BAME student population are a highly heterogeneous group, with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints. It also causes problems for the BAME student population by targeting them as the project, without aiming to address those systems and structures perpetuating, leading to and responsible for those issues of which many BAME students problems are symptomatic.

Academic
Currently, BAME under-representation is a chronic problem at the university 10% of senior academics at the University of Birmingham are ethnic minorities, and ethnically Black individuals make up only 1.5% of all academic staff. Diversity amongst the universitys teaching staff is an important step towards better representation, as highlighted by a number of studies which have focused on the BAME attainment gap (including the NUS Race for Equality report).

Black Students Officer

We support replacing Ethnic Minorities Officer with a Black Students Officer who would represent African, Asian, Arab, and Caribbean students. NUS Black Students campaign state that the term is negatively viewed amongst the groups affected which may discourage students from getting involved in BEMA (Birmingham Ethnic Minorities Association) of fear that they be judged as a minority (stigma/stereotypes that come with this). The Higher Education Academy provide various research reports which highlight that terms such as Ethnic Minority, and Black and Minority Ethnic are problematic. The position of EMO allows students who do not identify as Black to stand for the position undermining autonomy amongst liberation groups, the right to self-organisation, and hindering what little representation BAME students have within the Guild. Such a change would also highlight that the Guild recognises the racism and discrimination which BAME communities historically and presently continue to face. The BSOs role would also ensure that specific issues relating to Black students i.e. under representation, would be prioritised.

Supporting BME societies/associations/clubs

BAME students are less likely to get involved with our student union because of various barriers but particular societies like PakSoc, the African and Caribbean society, and BEMA are amongst the few who provide spaces for these students. Supporting BAME societies/clubs/associations is important not only to ensure increased engagement, but also communication between these students and the rest of the Guild given that the societies already have an established trust and relationship with them.

BEMA
The association will focus on the following aspects:

Anti-racism/Anti-Islamophobia/anti-fascism: the committee (includes the BSO) would meet regularly with the ARAF to develop ways of monitoring hate crime which may include communication with the University. Various organisations and groups such as UAF, ENGAGE, and Stopwatch would be invited to run workshops and provide training even for Guild officers. Collaborative events would also be hosted (at least once a term) to raise awareness about the issues faced on campus and within wider society. Supporting various cultural societies/clubs: provide a toolkit for BAME students and groups who wish to start a new society. The association would organise regular meetings with the various committees of these cultural societies, which would strengthen unity between BAME groups and allow any concerns to be raised in a safe space. This also gives them the option of having their concerns passed on anonymously to the Guild by the BSO. Black History Month: the association would take the lead in organising a series of collaborative events, maintaining communication throughout the planning period, and holding meetings between the various cultural societies/groups.This way budget, effort and promotion are collective. The association is to also take part in the University's BHM celebrations by attending the various planning meetings. Creating dialogue between BAME students and the Guild: Drop-in sessions/open forumesque sessions will be organised with student-led discussions taking place. This would happen twice a term with the aim of creating a safe black space for BAME students to be able to share their concerns, make requests regarding the directions of the campaign and offer suggestions about motions to be submitted.

Disabled Students
Physical accessibility
The Guild of 2014 shall have improved accessibility for disabled students, in regards to the physical accessibility of the Guild building itself, but also issues concerning snow, pathways immediately outside the Guild should not be covered in snow for days on end as was the case in 2013, causing much inconvenience for disabled students. Disabled students representatives should be involved in the consultation processes in relation to all new buildings.

Awareness
The Guild of 2014 should have wide reaching campaigns that raise awareness of disability, as well as insuring that Guild promotional material is accessible by providing alternative formats on request. Mental Health Awareness Week in the past has been effective in raising awareness, however this year the Guild has done relatively little. We believe that more can and should be done in this respect. We would also strive towards achieving further assistance from the University in helping those students that are entitled to DSA and/or DLA obtain them; alongside a greater focus on strengthening student support services, as both waiting times and understaffing can make acquiring counselling and other services a long term process rather than the immediate aid it needs to be.

Fight attacks on disabled people

That which affects the city affects those that live within it, and thus we pledge to work alongside anti-cuts campaigns to aid the plight of past, present, and future disabled students of the University of Birmingham, as well as the wider community in which we all live. This will include campaigning against the cuts to DLA and housing benefit reforms which will directly affect students at the University. Working with the mature and part time students in particular to campaign against ATOS as part time disabled students may be eligible for ESA and students going on a leave of absence due to medical reasons may be negatively affected by this.

DAMSA
DAMSA will play an integral role in establishing a larger and thus more representative voice for disabled students within both the Guild and the University as a whole. It shall also be a mechanism through which to recognize and deal with the issues facing disabled students as well as a vehicle for further awareness of disability and disabled students as an important and essential part of the student body. Leading struggles against stigma, stereotyping, and discrimination wherever it may raise its head, whilst also championing solidarity throughout the student body. A strong DAMSA will help deliver accurate and fair representation for all liberation causes and most importantly of all a proper democratic process to be deployed for decisions where group consensus cannot be met.

LGBTQ
In spite of recent publicised advances Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans* and Queer students face significant barriers to higher education, as well as in society more broadly. Many young LGBTQ people come out during their mid- to late teens, which can have a terrible impact on their education at a critical time and often stops them from getting the grades they need to get into university. It can also seriously affect family lives - 8% gay teenagers and 16% of trans* teens are estranged from their families, and a further 15% of LGBT students fear that if they come out to their parents they will be cut off financially. Since so many students are at least partially dependent on their parents to fund them through university, this represents another major potential barrier to university for LGBTQ students. LQBTQ students also face an increased chance of mental health problems as well as potential challenges such as homophobia in their accommodation, particularly going into halls in first year. We believe that the university must do more to ensure that LGBT students are able to overcome these obstacles by providing better access to counselling services, emergency financial support, and more responsive and aware teaching staff and accommodation services.

Women
Even in 2013, gender equality has not yet been reached across most major domains,

unfortunately including education. The University of Birmingham still suffers from a low percentage of female scientists, postgraduates, professors, and managers, which reflects a culture and general mentality in need of change. Worse still, 1 in 7 female students experience domestic and/or sexual violence, and issues relating to body image and self-confidence are very much apparent: this is simply unacceptable in the world of today.

Empowering Women
Gender equality needs to be pursued in all domains of student life at this university. We must continue to raise awareness about the problems of female under-representation and gender inequality in the university and its students union, in order to give women more confidence and support in aiming for currently male-dominated roles and studies such as postgraduate, technological and scientific areas in which they are still clearly a minority, as well as to continue the cultural change and acceptance of gender equality in men and women. Fighting for Womens Interests in Education Democracy and access to education are very important elements in respect to equality, as women need to feel that they can express their views and concerns, and be able to educate themselves so that this cultural change can persist; the fight against course cuts and fees is thus an essential element in promoting equality. Furthermore, problems relating to domestic violence and self-image need to be addressed: women on campus need to know that they are being represented and supported in the Guild, they need to be aware of the welfare and facilities available to them, and feel encouraged to use them.

Representation

Home Students
Transport
Home Students are at the inconvenience of travelling hours upon hours every week to get to and from university. This itself costs a lot of money and limits their ability to benefit from the facilities in the university. Many home students do not, and for many reasons, can not take loans hence have to face the burdening costs.Travel and car parking for Home Students should be subsidised to mitigate the disadvantages they face, and we would lobby the university to introduce such a scheme.

Integration
The Guild needs provisions to help students living at home be involved more and have more of a say. The Guild should work with the Home Students Association to organise and promote open forums during the day time for Home Students to come and discuss their concerns and ideas. These ideas could then be passed onto Guild Council meetings by the association representatives and the Home Students Officer.

Education
Home Students often have very inconvenient timetabling. The academic day generally finishing at 6 oclock is one of the reasons why almost all events on campus dont start until afterwards, and this could be very late for home students who may have long evening journeys home. The Guild should lobby the university to compact timetable hours as much as is feasible. More lectures should be recorded so Home Students are not forced to remain in university for majority of their waking hours. The university should provide more online material in order to minimise educational loss to Home Students. The Guild should urge the university to look into more multimedia content in order to improve convenience for Home Students and resident students alike. More content could be put online by lecturers to support students as home students are more likely to miss morning lectures and students in general could do better with more support provided via webCT content. This proposal also proposes a step towards solving the lecture room availability issue.

Activities
From sports to societies events and of course, political decision making, almost everything takes place in the evening at the inconvenience of Home Students, further isolating them. The Guild should help prevent this isolation by putting more events on in the day. Sports sessions should also be run earlier in the day time. Further facilities should be provided to Home Students who wish to participate in sports, and in other circumstances require some form of storage such as lockers they could use the whole day and better shower facilities.

International Students
Although the University of Birmingham is home to thousands of International students, they are

not very well presented in the Guild nor protected by the University. We would like to highlight the following points.

Treatment of Non-EU Internationals

Non-EU International have to pay fees in between 10,000 to 27,000. This number is not only very high, it is also unstable as universities could just change how much they charge non-EU students from one year to another. The trend in the last years has been for English universities to treat non-EU internationals as money-givers (cash cows) and nothing more. The University of Birmingham is building massive centres promoting the university in countries like India or China without telling them about problems such as hidden course costs or the VISA problems they might have to face. As a group we believe that non-EU international students should not receive such an unfair treatment. The fees are too high and need to be fixed in the future or only rise with inflation. There need to be more bursaries and scholarships for all International students. Students need to be made aware of hidden course cuts such as printing and books and the VISA regulations before the start of their course.

Communication with International students

In a lot of areas the university explores the fact that International students are not aware of all the different information and possibilities they have and this needs to stop. One main example is accommodation: international students arriving in September are often only offered expensive accommodation in University halls, but they are not told about the cheaper possibilities in Selly Oak. In future we want the university to show every arriving International student not only the list of halls, but also the list of Shack-properties. Another communication problem is between the students and the staff and tutors as a lot of them are not automatically aware of the specific problems and situations that International students might be confronted with. Therefore we want a cultural awareness training as part of the General officer training for all Guild officers and also training for Personal & Welfare tutors to work with International students. There also needs to be more communication and interaction between the university, the Guild and international students on a daily basis.

Exchange between UK and International students

There isnt enough interaction between UK and International Students which often has the result of International students not being as involved in Guild societies or Sports clubs, especially in regards to committee positions. We believe that there needs to be effort put in to change that through the International StudentsAssociation and policies such as the following two: New International RA: A typical student hall will have a lot of UK. First-years and some older International students. The result is a big separation between the two, especially when it comes to social activities and

events. The main reason for this is the choice of events - a lot of the events are mainly designed for the needs of first-year UK students - and communication problems -for most international students the english culture and the way to organize events is unfamiliar. We think both problems need to be addressed very carefully and therefore we propose the creation of an 8th RA: a new RA who is mainly responsible for International students and their needs within the RA scheme. Improved Language-Scheme: There are a lot of UK students who want to improve their knowledge of French, Spanish or Chinese on one side and a lot of International students who want to improve their knowledge of the English on the other side. Although the university offers some programmes of languageexchange, most are not well known and the potential for this to be a big exchange of cultures is wasted. Therefore we want to improve these schemes and bring as many interested students together as possible.

Involvement of International students in the community

International students involvement in local community projects & campaigns needs to be increased and the Guild should have working relationships with community or local organisations with an international focus (for instance Chinese Advice Centre). There should also be closer ties between the Home StudentsAssociation and the ISA. The University and Guild need to also make an effort on a constant basis to support students from countries in which there is conflict (i.e. Syria) and issues around homesickness, culture shock and depression also need to be tackled.

Finance
The International Students Advisory Service (ISAS)'s hardship fund is not enough to support international students. In addition, EU students cannot receive any financial support from the Guild of university at all, which means that a large population of students is being left apart, when they need help. The fees for courses are extremely high and students need to prove to the university and the UKBA that they have enough money to support themselves for an entire year (by keeping around 30,000 pounds on their bank account for 28 days). Although this will be difficult to change (as its a regulation from the UKBA), awareness about the draconian requirements of the KBA should be a priority for the ISO. Not all non-EU students receive ISAS newsletter (called InterLink) which means that they do not have access to important emails with regards to the UKBAs legislation changes. As a consequence, students are at risk of not submitting their applications on time,or according to the new rules. They then are threatened to either leave the country or pay fines.

Accommodation
Prior to their arrival, international students should receive elaborate information about housing opportunities, both with university or private accommodation in Selly Oak and Harborne. Students feel that they are being pressured by the university to choose its own accommodation; thus, they end up signing contracts and paying two or three times more the rent per week, than

for a private accommodation. This leads to cases in which students need to look for a job to pay for their living costs, instead on focusing on their studies. We mandate VPHC and ISO to convince the university to inform all students that have a secured place at UoB of all the housing opportunities available to them. This information should be sent out to students by HAS or SHAC. Guild officers should work closely with SHAC and ARC to look into the problem of landlords mistreatment of international students. Some of their practices include a) charging students unreasonably b) unclear contracts which are in the detriment of students interests c) keeping students deposits without the right of doing so. They do all these during stressful periods when students either have exams or need to leave the country, or, in other words, when they are more vulnerable and easily manipulable to give up their right to effectively oppose this mistreatment.

Postgraduates
Postgraduates are widely under-represented within the Guild. Issues affecting Postgraduates also cut across international students (a majority of whom are postgraduates) and mature students (pretty much all Postgraduates are mature students by definition and many share in the issues affecting undergraduate mature students). We will look into the possibility of a University/Graduate School funded (possibly from the Postgraduate Development Fund) full-time Postgraduate Sabbatical Officer to work with the Graduate School and others to improve the Postgraduate and Mature students experience.

Postgraduate Taught Students (e.g. MA/MSc)

We will fight against the introduction of postgraduate application fees at the University of Birmingham (currently planned for 25 per application). We will campaign for the full integration of Masters students into the Graduate School and continuing current work on getting them a Postgraduate version of the Personal Skills Award programmes. We will campaign nationally within the NUS and NCAFC for properly funded and accessible Masters courses and against further marketisation in the sector.

Postgraduate Research Students (e.g. PhD/MPhil)

Postgraduate researchers sometimes operate in a grey area between students and academic staff. But contrary to naive expectations many are also part-time and self-funded and often experience issues with supervision quality and arrangements. Student union officers usually have little or no experience or understanding of the issues facing Postgraduate Researchers and in this case it is therefore better to devolve more decision making and resources to the control of the Postgraduate Officer, Postgraduate and Mature Student Association and student reps.

We will campaign for an overhaul of the university-wide PhD rep system by convening a council of the PhD student co-chairs of the Graduate Studies committees to represent the interests of research students within the Guild and University and implement the recommendations of the Guild/Graduate School working group on PGR reps, mainly making sure they are represented on school-level postgraduate management committees.

Ethics & Environment

The economy and society lies within the physical environmental constraints that it is put under.

Socio-economic factors to create a better future are vital within environmental constraints, and we recognise that the consumption of the Global North is having a negative impact on those in the Global South. The discourse of sustainability often blames people in the Global South for having too many children. The Guild of 2014 should put Western consumption well above the factor of population in the debate, whilst recognising that with Western consumption levels and political and economic systems we could never have a trillion humans living on the Earth.

Indigenous rights
Ethical and environmental considerations are intimately linked - we think the Guild needs to recognise this, for example through indigenous rights struggles. The Idle No More campaign, which has re-ignited indigenous rights issues across the globe, has highlighted how indigenous sovereignty and land rights are being abused to the point where environmental degradation is inevitable and control over common-pool resources is taken away from those who use it. With the Tar Sands-Free campaign, students were educated about the indigenous rights issues which surround the extraction of one of the most carbon-intensive forms of oil. We oppose the links between our University (and other institutions) and the tar sands industry through research, investments and pensions.

Co-operation as a solution for sustainability

We provide the example of Ostrom (1994), in her assessment of the Tragedy of the Commons problem which provided much weight to the argument that state intervention or increased private property rights were the only way of ensuring that resources were not depleted. Ostrom proposes that local, democratic control over common-pool resources can be the best way of ensuring the sustainable usage of these resources and proves it empirically. For this, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics (2009) - the first woman to ever win the prize.

Ethical procurement and workers rights

It is imperative that products used in the Guild and the University sourced ethically and that students are not indirectly complicit in human rights abuses in the UK or abroad. The Guild of 2014 should avoid investing in or getting into contracts with companies involved in human rights abuses and should take into serious consideration reports by the UN Human Rights Council or respected human rights organisations (e.g. Amnesty) in that regard. There are also a number of monitoring bodies which can help us to choose the best options. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) provides an important, independent and effective means of tracking where our garments come from and the Guild of 2014 should adhere to it. The WRC is a monitoring organisation which actively monitors the factories where clothes purchased by companies (for example our Guild or University or Local Authority) to ensure workers decent working conditions, access to unions, and fair pay. We support the creation of similar monitoring bodies for other industries, particularly the Electronics Worker Rights Consortium (eWRC) which has funding from the EU. The eWRC will have a much larger scope for the Higher Education sector, as HE institutions purchase far more electronics than garments. As identified in the case of the suicides in Foxconn factories in China, there is a significant problem with working conditions in electronics factories.

Workers rights at the University of Birmingham have been degraded over the past few years, with many of the lowest paid staff being put on zero-hours contracts, some working below the Living Wage (a campaign the Guild supports). We support those workers.

Fossil fuels
We recognise the link between our fossil fuel based economy and climate change, war and poverty. As we reach a global peak in conventional oil production, we recognise that the existing fossil fuel reserves identified by countries and industry are too great to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. We also recognise the increasing inclusion of unconventional fossil fuel resources in assessments - such as: tar sands, shale gas, shale oil, coal-bed methane, deep sea oil, Arctic oil and other forms which have been identified as difficult and increasingly harmful to extract, for both people and our environment. In the latest Energy Bill, the Chancellor has identified that the hydraulic fracturing of shale beds to find shale gas, as well as coal beds for methane, are posited as a solution to our on-going energy problem. Whilst this may partially alleviate some of the pressure of reliance on Russian and Eastern European gas in terms of energy security, it may well be useful to recognise the added externalities caused. [Externalities are defined as those costs which are borne on those who didnt cause the problem - for example the environmental degradation of the Gulf of Mexico, where the clear up had to be undertaken by the US State (and thus its citizens).] Shale gas is often cited as having a larger greenhouse gas emissions level than coal, and thus is no more sustainable in those terms; it is also notable from research completed after the documentary Gasland that there are some significant health and local environmental problems in regions where shale gas extraction is happening in the US (where shale gas has depressed gas prices significantly, which would not be the case in the UK).. The danger of extracting oil from the Arctic is significant as the permafrost is melting somewhat so trapped methane clathrates have the potential to release into the atmosphere. This is similar to what happened in the Paleo-Eocene Thermal Maximum event millions of years ago, where the temperature increased significantly and many species were made extinct - in fact life has never been the same. Fossil fuel subsidies have historically been very significant, and have come on the side of the producers. If this continues, we will be less likely to get significant uptake of renewable energy production in the UK.

Renewable energy
Renewable energy is abundant across the world. We recognise the potential and the significant problems surrounding the uptake of renewable energy solutions to our energy crisis. Community-owned renewable energy is something which allows consumers to become producers and to play a part in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Indeed, in Germany there is widespread renewable ownership by communities and individuals. Community ownership allows for the creation of communities around a democratic structure, such as a wind turbine owned by an Industrial & Provident Society for the Benefit of the Community. Examples provide long-term remuneration for the investors (people living in the vicinity) and returns of

funding to local initiatives which can bolster those individualised communities (see Bowling Alone by Putnam). Abroad, there are significant opportunities too, especially for autonomous ownership of energy production where communities gain benefits. The recent knowledge of WalMart owning the most wind energy in Mexico sparked some innovative ideas of how the renewable energy revolution can be participatory and can look at indigenous rights of ownership of these common-pool resources (search for Yansa in Oaxaca). The University of Birmingham currently has no renewable energy production and buys no renewable energy. Whilst we appreciate it is important to take steps to decrease energy usage through efficiencies and savings (cost and energy), it is noticed that the University should be taking steps towards renewable energy production in the UK - leading from HE.

Carbon (and other GHG) emissions

We recognise the need to move to a low-carbon economy, and that the University should aim to be a part of that. The HE sector is very carbon-intensive, and we recognise that some operations are simply that way. However, in 2005, the sector was asked to take a 42% decrease in emissions by 2020. The University of Birmingham set a target of 20%, and recently showed it had reached this target. As this has been achieved well before 2020, and with a leading proponent of a hydrogen economy conducting research at the UK Hydrogen Research Centre, we believe the University of Birmingham should increase its target to 42% by 2020. This next phase will be more expensive than the first 20%, and will require more far-reaching standards to be attained - however, as the UKs legal obligation (Climate Change Act, 2008) to reduce GHG emissions by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (based on 1990 levels), it is important that the reduction is lead by this forward-thinking sector.

Green economy
We loosely agree with the nine Principles of a Green Economy, to give readers an idea of what that might mean: 1. The Sustainable Principle - is a means to deliver sustainability. 2. The Justice Principle - supports equity. 3. The Dignity Principle - creates genuine prosperity and wellbeing for all. 4. Healthy Planet Principle - restores lost biodiversity, invests in natural systems and rehabilitates those that are degraded. 5. The Inclusion Principle - is inclusive and participatory in decision making. 6. The Good Governance and Accountability Principle - is accountable. 7. The Resilience Principle - contributes to economic, social and environmental resilience. 8. The Efficiency and Sufficiency Principle - delivers sustainable consumption and production. 9. The Generations Principle - invests for the present and the future.

Education for Sustainable Development

In order for the uptake of sustainable development in its real sense, in terms of both reform and transformation outside existing market systems, it is vital that people understand what

sustainable development means within their area of study, and sometimes more broadly where appropriate. The idea of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to move forward with this whilst respecting the academic autonomy of individual schools. If there is to be widespread uptake of ESD within the majority of courses, there must be a level of participation from academic staff and students - we reject the management's current interventionist and prescriptive assertions in general with the way the academy is beginning to be run by the market. As we recognise education as a public good, we assert that sustainable development is very much a public good and priority.

Ethical investment
We believe ethical investment is a good means to an economy that protects people and the planet. This may be through pensions, investment vehicles and research partnerships. We believe all University of Birmingham and Guild of Students investments should be ethically responsible and environmentally sustainable. We also believe the University Superannuation Scheme (USS) should be invested more responsibly to ensure transparency and stability for staff in the Higher Education sector in the UK.

Debt
There is a debt crisis for students, and people in the UK more generally. But there is a longstanding history of national debt being pushed on poorer states from the IMF, World Bank and WTO. This debt is significantly undermining the development of economies in the Global South, fostering corruption and neoliberal policies for the good of people in power.

Tax
Tax-dodging costs the UK around a hundred times as much as benefit fraud. In addition, it is disproportionately carried out by larger companies and individuals, who can actually afford to pay - those who have reaped the benefits of the good times and do little to contribute to sustainable development, yet again reap benefit. If corporate tax-dodging was stopped, we wouldnt need to have the cuts to public services that are being inflicted on ordinary people like the 600 million of cuts currently demanded of Birmingham City Council.

Fair Trade
We are committed to enhancing the Universitys and Guilds opportunity to promote fair trade in a globalised economy. Fairtrade Fortnight is an opportunity for students and staff to raise awareness of the issues around fair trade, for farmers and workers in factories producing goods we buy.

Go Green Week
Go Green Week is People & Planets annual national week of action on climate change in

schools, colleges and universities. Students hold a week of activities to raise awareness every February and launch practical projects to showcase practical solutions for a low-carbon future. In 2012, over 140 schools, colleges and universities took part, inspiring thousands to take action to prevent climate change. We support Go Green Week as an opportunity to showcase the hard work of students to strive towards sustainable development. We aim to work toward rewriting university carbon management scheme so recommendations and targets are in line with or above the sector average, specifically recommending a 40% decrease in carbon emissions by 2020. Work with the Green League, and universities own sustainability management team to identify how these targets can be met.

Housing
Students across the UK spend 31% (or an average 4004) of their annual expenditure on rent, and the rate that housing costs increases is double that of inflation. Alongside the hole accommodation burns in students pockets, horror stories of lost deposits, exorbitant holding

fees and nasty landlords are common talking points in student life and have deep repercussions for student welfare across Birmingham. These issues arent being tackled by the Guild yet.

A Tenants Union
The Guild of 2014 should organise a functioning tenants association for people living in privately rented accommodation in Selly Oak and Harborne - they would meet regularly, interact with the major letting agencies and landlords, councillors and the university. They would look to improve the living conditions students face and stop the exorbitant yearly rent hikes which are rising far quicker than the cost of properties and rents more generally. Their tactics could include collective action such as negotiation or withholding rent from landlords that break their conditions or provide bad care. They would also attempt to reach out to struggling tenants that arent yet engaging in getting the most out of how such a large amount of their money gets spent every year and enlarging the sense of community.The tenants union would allow students to report agencies and landlords anonymously and provide a strong collective bargaining base for better quality and more affordable housing. It would work closely with SHAC and compile the anonymised information into detailed reports and campaigning strategies to help tackle the diverse issues affecting students across Birmingham.

Housing Co-ops
The Guild of 2014 should work to create housing co-ops in Selly Oak; we want to work with University and city council to find a site for and funding package for a student run housing cooperative. A Housing Co-op is a democratic business that owns or rents property for the purpose of housing its members. The rent is so high in Selly Oak because investor landlords are extorting students and making huge amounts of prot whilst providing low quality housing. a housing co-op proposes the opposite to buy property with loans from the co-op bank and cut out the middle man whilst creating affordable and high quality housing. The initial estimates of the rent rates, including regular repairs, management and a full refurbishment every 15 years our business plan is giving us a weekly rent rate of as low as 40 per person (although this rate could creep up a little when other factors are included), saving students over 1000 a year on average rent prices. This is achievable and will continue to benefit students for decades to come. We will support the creation of a UK Student Housing Co-op organisation that can pool resources and knowledge on the creation of financially sustainable methods and models. In particular housing co-ops should be advertised to International students before they sign contracts that they can join them and not get ripped off. They can be further assisted by having the opportunity for semester/short-term rent, thus making them welcome to International students who may not be staying the whole year. Also just having students from around the world in the houses would make them more interesting for UK students.

Halls
The Guild of 2014 will lobby the university to ensure that all new halls are affordable, this a tangible aim as we saw some reductions this year on the back of campaigning from RAs.

Students living in halls pay far more than they need to, and the profits are siphoned off to fund university campus redevelopments. The Guild of 2014 should have an overall aim of reducing hall fees so that students are only paying to cover the actual costs of accommodation, with any surplus being put back into student living. Residents and RAs should be at the heart of decision-making for halls, rather than them being dictated to by Guild Officers/management. Democratising ResExec so that it becomes a meeting where motions can be tabled as opposed to an information distribution session will help give RAs real decision making powers in how their halls are run.

Sport
The University is an established leader for university sports, both in terms of research and performance. We are consistently ranked in the top three of 140 institutions in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) Table. We have a proud record of producing sporting heroes, from world-record holding triathlete Chrissie Wellington to more recently, 2012

Olympian Hannah England and 2012 Paralympian gold medalist Pamela Relph. The new Munrow Sports Centre will be the training ground for our sporting heroes of the future. As this transition takes place, there will be many various improvements on the old build and new methods will be utilised. With the double membership only becoming a reality in 2015, it wont be possible to look at Pay-as-you-go Gym membership until then due to facility constraints. When 2015 comes around, there will be a procedure in place to cater for this option, to facilitate for all types of students.

Accessibility to sport
It is abundantly clear that sport, exercise and nutritional food form the cornerstone to healthy living, both in mind and body. This knowledge drives us to provide ease of access and opportunity to excel for all students, no matter what their ability, disability or financial situation. The Guild of 2014 should work to lower club fees and facility hire, and lobby the university for additional sports bursaries. Providing increased opportunities for all students to get involved in sports, including free fitness classes for freshers and Selly Oak residents. We will ensure that Sports Clubs and Students views are properly incorporated during the development of the New Munrow Sports Centre, and that teams are heavily involved in consultations. We will improve the UBS alumni scheme to provide sports clubs with the chance to train with and meet professional athletes who started their careers in Birmingham, and give the athletes a chance to get back to their roots.

Healthy Food on Campus

Students living on The Vale live miles from the nearest supermarkets and have little choice of where to get good food from. Well work with the University to get a Fruit and Veg stall on The Vale. In conjunction with the Guild and the Green Bike Project we will set up a 'veg box' service to give local residents access to healthy foods. Students lifestyles are busy and chaotic often leaving little time to buy fresh veg, the Guild of 2014 can make a positive impact in the community and make weekly contact with its members through a bicycle veg delivery scheme. A scheme like this could make life more convenient for students, raise awareness of healthy living and keep things affordable for students. It would also provide a number of students with a fulfilling and fun part-time job.

Events and Tournaments

Charity fundraising events are an important way to get large amounts of students participating in sports and having fun. We want the Guild to put on big events like this in collaboration with other health orientated organisations such as Parkrun, Green Bike Project and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Large-scale Sports Tournaments have such fruits to bear in terms of achieving accessibility for all people from all backgrounds. This was seen in the Rugby 7s Tournament and London to Birmingham Charity Cycle Ride, both organised in 2011. It is the Guilds job to be responsive to its membership, and help students achieve what they want whilst at university. It also needs to work with student groups and sports clubs and put on a fantastic year long calendar of engaging events that make it a relevant institution to the wider

student body.

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

The Guild of 2014 should assume the collective responsibility for overcoming the obstacles that prevent groups that arent normally involved in sports playing and keeping fit. The Guild needs to ensure that students twin desires to live healthily whilst on a small budget are achieved by giving them access to affordable sporting opportunities and nutritious food options. Exercise is fundamental for a healthy lifestyle. We are designed for locomotion and not for a sedentary lifestyle. We are not meant to spend hours in office cubicles glued to computer screens, or slumped on sofas and watching television. The Guild should be promoting exercise and providing opportunities for students to take it.

New Munrow
The University of Birmingham has submitted a planning application for a new 50 million sports centre facility, aimed to be in operation by early 2015. It is essential that throughout this development, sports clubs, gym users and students that use the facilities have representatives who voice their views on the new development. We will work to ensure the Athletics Track continues to be useable through the relocation of the Munrow or a suitable other facility is able to be used.

Societies
The Guild of 2014 needs to go digital, scrap needless paperwork, provide great entertainment and foster an active community of informed volunteers, campaigners and fundraisers.

Getting Students Involved

Fostering a collaborative student groups community will mean improving accessibility, encouraging involvement and facilitating the creation of joint student group events which seek to celebrate cooperation and resource sharing. To begin with, what better way to get more students involved in activities than by bringing societies fairs to halls? If students are not used to frequenting the Guild in the first week of their studies, why not approach them first? The Guild of 2014 should seek to include Volunteering RAs in what would effectively become a student groups recruitment taskforce which should make all memberships boost.

What, Where and When

are questions which need to become instantly answerable. The Guild of 2014 should see the creation of an interactive and comprehensive activities calendar: imagine all society events on one big categorised and exportable Google Calendar clearly visible on the Guilds website. Student Group email addresses will have the ability to add events (but not to edit others). This has already been achieved to great effect at other unions (see http://uclu.org/whats-on). Moreover, it will help student groups avoid conflicting dates.

Remove Booking Fees

We will make sure that more events are listed as featured on the Guild Tickets website and remove the booking fee from student-led events. After all, the costs of running the website should not fall on students, but on the private entertainment providers which advertise and use this exclusive student service to their advantage.

Scrap Needless Paperwork

We want the Guild of 2014 to be one of constant celebration of our creativity one which actively supports the Arts and rigorously pursues Cultural Engagement on campus and outside. Lets exhibit our work! And all this, of course, whilst keeping ourselves entertained. Being active in the Guild of 2014 needs to be enjoyable: lets scrap the unnecessary paperwork and focus on realising our original ideas enjoying the fruits of our work. For example, speaker request forms have slowed us down and it is time for them to be reviewed and reformed as there is no legal requirement for these to exist and many Student Unions do not have them. Forms in general are also far too hard to get a hold of and time is always running short when you have to juggle studies with extracurricular commitments: lets create an accessible online forms database, so that every next step can be just one click away.

Media
The Guild of 2014 should be doing its part by becoming a major voice for the students and informing the student community more as a whole. The work already done to this end is commendable, and our Guild Media is to be congratulated for that. But lets give it one more push! Lets open, advertise and invest in our newspaper, radio, television and photographic society whilst giving all students a chance to cultivate their skills. More specifically, media groups should be run independently by their committee and contributors, for instance

reputational damage should not be abused to censor articles that merely conflict with an Officers personal moral opinions.

Campaigning
Political and social awareness and engagement should be something for all students at Birmingham. Debate and collective reasoning are the cornerstones of any democratic community. The Guild of 2014 needs to support student interests nationally as well as on campus encouraging participation and celebrating diversity. As such, we will certainly be assisting in the organisation of activist training, skills-sharing and advice seeking events.

Fundraising and Volunteering

Inequality afflicts the global society. Even in Britain the incoming cuts are creating adverse living conditions especially in the city which hosts us. For all of us Birmingham went from being a welcoming place to the city we now can call home. We owe it to our neighbours, our hosts, to give something back. There is, in our community, a staggeringly large unsatisfied demand for welfare and social services and with 600 millions of cuts to be delivered in the next couple of years in anything from childcare to rape crisis centres, Birminghams situation isnt going to get any better of its own accord. Birmingham student volunteers do a brilliant job already, but there is no reason why we cant maximise our impact. With more coordination and a little joint collaboration this could easily be achieved. The Guild should bolster its contribution and connection to the community locally, as well as internationally and assert itself as a caring and progressive student-led institution of vital social importance, whilst simultaneously opposing the cuts at the national level