help needed! Anyone- please look

[PeachyClair]

Hi

having signed up to every MN cause in the past year or so, I am calling in a favour if anyone is willing.

basically, My UNI is changing the regs so that all lectures begin half an hour earlier from next term (September). This will be bad enough for anyone who has children to take to school as it will mean a 9am start. For some however, me included, it's hopeless as we have SN children who cannot go to a childminder (My ds1 for example is volatile around other children, especially in strange situations).

So this will mean me missing at least 1/4 of every lecture. We think (we being the mature students who are mostly parents) we are being discriminated against as this is being done int he name of 'room efficiency' and there has been no consultation with anyone.

If you are wiling, could you e-mail [email protected], stating your concern about how this will affect mature students who already struggle to combine their studies with their family repsonsibilities.

Thank you.

peachy XXX

PS yes I know if I was working i would have to sort this, but then i wouldn't have moved 50 miles away from my family- and I wouldn't take a job and then expect to have my hours changed either, at last wiothout consultation)

Have you tried the SU for support? I looked on their website and it doesn't seem to be there as one of their key issues at the moment.
How big is the mature student population? Do you have a mature students' Officer? If the SU have an advice centre would they be prepared to raise this as an equal opps issue? Is there a particular course that has mainly or many mature women students where the course director could be persuaded to make a fuss? Sorry if you've done all this, just some thoughts.

Having had a quick look at the University of Wales website, I see you have a Student Services department. Go to see them (contact details are \link{http://www.newport.ac.uk/university/contacts.htm\here}, and ask if they have an officer who deals specifically with Mature Student issues. My university does. Or see the Students' Union and as them the same thing.

If you know other students who are affected by this, ask them to do the same, or get a group of you to go together.

Your university should have a Student Services committee. Ask the Students' Union to put this on the agenda, if they have not already done so. Ask if you can be present at the meeting, which is unlikely, or if you can have a copy of the minutes when available, which you should be able to get.

When speaking to either the SU or the Student Services department, mention how this move is discriminating against parents with school age children, especially those with SN children, and how this conflicts with the Government's policy of diversity in HE.

If all else fails, you can follow the formal complaints procedure, details of which the Student Services people can give you.

I do know what I'm talking about as I work in Student Guidance and Support Services at a university in the North West.

Are you a part time student?

Snap, badhair!

FT student, Dh works nights so I can combine pick ups but not drop offs.

I have e-mailed the SU, no reply as yet but it was Friday. The mature student population at UWN is huge; probably 80% on my course, at least 50% across the Uni I would guess. We don't have a dedicated worker though, might suggest that. A good idea.

Your SU might need a reminder.

With those sorts of percentages you should have some clout!

Can you get a few colleagues from your course together and go and see them? In my experience, sometimes the paid advisers in an SU can be more effective in raising issues and keeping them at the forefront than the sabbatical officers.

As Badhair said, it might be worth contacting your student support dept but you may find they tend to deal with issues on an individual basis. The SU should be your advocates.

Definitely worth getting it raised at whatever central uni committee deals with student liaison/issues, though.

Thanks Helsy.

Don't actually think there is a committee! there have been afew issues raised with representation this year already: some classes have a rep each (eg sciences) then some get one per subject (Education / my PRS class). So we get much less say, haven't even met my rep, she's inanother year, have e-mailed her but no reply.

Also spoke to a lady I know today who is speaking to her friend- our Assembly Member! So, might at least get a response at some point from SOMEONE- that'd be a start.

Bloody hell!!! I'm a mature student too, and this is AWFUL!! Mind you, this semester my starting times are all round 11am til 5pm so it's not too bad for me, but if they were to change the times I wouldn't be able to drop my dd off at school or anything...

Will email them too, in protest :)

Thank you!

If it happens could you talk to your lecturers to see if they'll understand & wont mind you being late.

It was the Lecturers idea to campaign- they're fuming but they're already on strike anyway!

goodness pc - why do the powers that be think the idea is good?

Room efficiency apparently? Not sure I get it- 4 sessions a day, 2 hours each is efficient whether it starts at 9 or 9.30, surely?

Not there's a space issue: theres a new building going up on site and they got planning permission for a whole new com[plex this weekend on a third site.I do know we've got a 12% rise in applications next year, but not sure how the room thing will help space? No more Lecturers coming that I know of.