Students protest at Ambleside campus closure plan (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Students protest at Ambleside campus closure plan
12:17pm Thursday 3rd December 2009 in News
Students protest at Ambleside campus closure plan
STUDENTS took to the streets this morning to protest against the University of Cumbria’s plans to end undergraduate teaching at their Ambleside campus.
Bosses at the debt-ridden university are looking to save £2million per year by withdrawing courses and selling buildings at the former Charlotte Mason College site.
After quizzing University of Cumbria Vice-chancellor Peter McCaffery about the decision, students who now face the prospect of transferring their education to other campuses in Lancaster, Carlisle and Penrith joined MP Tim Farron to protest.
Student Union president Emma Green said the University should be able to make the savings elsewhere.
She said: “The students are angered by the decision.
"The university is saying that they need to make financial savings, but we think there are other ways of saving that money.
"The Government should be assisting the university and helping them find ways of saving money.”
MP Tim Farron said selling off the Ambleside site would not raise the money the university was hoping for because the land would be subject to strict planning laws that would limit its value.
“The National Park Authority will clearly not allow anything lucrative to happen to the campus. The best the University can hope for is to sell the land for affordable housing, but that wont raise much money.
"The value in re-selling the site is a nonsense.”
He added: “They should at least allow the students already studying here to finish their degrees. The first and second year students have got contracts that must be fulfilled.”
Vice Chancellor Peter McCaffrey said there had been a ‘material failure’ at the University.
“It’s like when you have maxed out your credit card and the bailiffs are knocking at the door. That’s the situation the university is in,” he said.
Two hundred of the university’s 1400 staff will be laid off, a quarter being from the Ambleside campus, added Mr McCaffrey.
Comments(3)
chelsey roberts
says...
6:26pm Thu 3 Dec 09
Ironically, Tuesday 1st December is the cut off date to which a student can legally leave their current establishment, and apply to another university without paying tuition fees!! So they get to keep their money and ruin the dreams of hundreds, all within the space of a few hours!
The University feels it sufficient to offer the Outdoor Education students the Newton Rigg campus at which to continue their studies, a place of farmland with no close access to rivers, lakes or mountains, let alone fells of any kind!
It was also interesting to find out today, after a meeting with Mr Peter McCaffery, the University's Vice Chancellor, that there are no guarantees to the students that the Newton Rigg campus will not undergo the same need for "mothballing" within the next 3years, meaning that yet another move would be necessary in order to compleet our course!
I sincerely hope that no-one ever has to go through this upset in order to fullfill their dreams! its appauling!!
megan dennison
says...
6:51pm Thu 3 Dec 09
I chose this University firstly for the course but secondly and more importantly for the location. There is this amazing feeling you get on a great day in the lakes when your sat in a lecture and just glance ouside for a minute and think wow I live here. This feeling isn't going to be the same in Lancaster. The University slogan 'Bring your Dreams' is a joke because every student here did bring their dreams and they may not necessarily been specific to the University but now there being made to be taken elsewhere. If I wanted to study at Lancaster I would have applied at Lancaster. This is, and never will be good enough!
deverett says...
3:02pm Thu 3 Dec 09
rg.uk/amblesidecampu
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