Students at Queen's University Belfast Will Gather in Solidarity Against Accommodation Price Increases
Abby Davidson
On Tuesday December 13 at 1pm, students at Queen’s University Belfast will gather at the gates outside the iconic Lanyon building in a demonstration against university accommodation prices being raised.
At 2.30pm on Tuesday, the University’s governing body, the Senate, will be meeting inside the Lanyon building to discuss the possible increase of accommodation prices and tuition fees.
The Senate is made up of senior staff members at the university including the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Greer.
A spokesperson for the Solidarity Action Network, a student activist group at Queen’s who have organised the demonstration, told The Scoop that there are two reasons for the call to protest;
“The first is that calling for prices to be raised for students during an economic crisis is barbaric. This is while the VC [Vice-Chancellor] sits on over £300k a year, also living in a paid for mansion with a wine allowance and TV license.”
The second reason given by the student group is the “constant trend of university management having far too much power over students and staff. Students pay for the products that staff produce but we are all at the whim of university management, who can raise prices, make everything online, lay off hard workers etc with no accountability.”
The Solidarity Action Network are calling for all Queen’s University students to join them with this statement:
“You don't have to be a hardened leftist to be involved. This is about students fighting for student interests, joined by the other unions on campus. This is about sending a message to management that students will not sit back and be exploited. The Student Movement is back, and they should be very concerned about this.”
Queen’s University has been reached out to for comment on the Senate meeting and planned demonstration.
Featured image courtesy of Abby Davidson
Abby Davidson is Deputy Head of The Scoop and is a Liberal Arts student at Queen’s University Belfast