Category: News

Why are we in dispute with the university? 

Warwick UCU and The University of Warwick are in dispute because the University is failing to protect the health and safety of all staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. Warwick UCU members have repeatedly made clear that they do not feel safe carrying out face to face teaching, or working onsite, because of Covid-19 infection rates in the community and the unsafe numbers of staff and students on campus. Members have told us they are being required to work on campus rather than deliver their work online, despite:

•  Having clinically vulnerable household members who are being put at additional risk
•  Having to travel on public transport and be exposed to additional risk
• Experiencing unsafe situations on campus in corridors, classroom and other spaces, e.g. crowding, lack of adequate ventilation, lack of cleaning and cleaning supplies
• Unsuitable pedagogical conditions: extremely cold rooms due to open windows, difficulties hearing and communicating because of masks and room layout, anxiety of staff and students

Nobody should be required to choose between their work and their health, or that of their family. We are particularly concerned that casualised colleagues, with the least power to negotiate, are disproportionately bearing the burden of face to face teaching.

 We have been raising these issues with management since June. They have failed to respond to numerous requests to reconsider their approach.

 In October our All-Member Emergency Meeting had the highest attendance rate the branch has ever seen. Members voted overwhelmingly in favour of balloting for industrial action if the university management continued to refuse to move all but practical and lab-based classes online during the pandemic.

What evidence do we have that members feel unsafe and anxious?

This is clear from emails and other communications between members and departmental representatives and executive members, and from various communications between members and the central University. It is also clear from our All-Member Emergency Meeting. 

From a survey conducted by the branch, but open to all University employees, in September 2020, 85% of members stated that the Covid-19 crisis had led to increased anxiety levels and pressures in their workplace. We know this in part relates to excessive workload, exacerbated by the blended learning model’s multiplication of preparation, student support and technical work. Our demands include better representation of staff in decisions about learning models, to avoid this in future.

What is happening for casualised members of staff?

The consequences of the University’s position in terms of workload, stress, mental health, and exposure to the virus have been hard for all members of staff, but have been significantly worse for colleagues in precarious positions (GTA, STP, VAM, fixed-term contracts). 

• Many have little information and no voice in decision-making processes (e.g. not even aware of the risk assessments for their departments or the room they teach in)
• They bear the larger burden of f2f teaching, even in departments that have tried to distribute this fairly, because they predominantly teach large first year modules.
• In departments where there has been relatively more flexibility allowed, casualised colleagues are less likely to be aware or feel able to raise concerns and negotiate to teach online. In some departments, people have been forced to either teach face to face or not teach at all (and lose their contract). 
• Colleagues on STP do not even have sick pay, they will not get paid if they contract COVID-19
• Casualised colleagues have been the first to be thrown under the bus by the university in the face of the pandemics, with the slashing of the sessional teaching budget. As a result, many PhD students or recent graduates don’t have the opportunity to teach or have less hours than they would have expected (and a lower income). These cuts have effectively led to job losses for casualised staff, and unbearably increased workloads of other colleagues. 

How does the dispute help members of professional services staff? 

Fewer people on campus makes campus safer from everyone. Workloads of professional services staff increased to facilitate the frequent shifts from face to face to online. More certainty would mean a more manageable workload for everyone. 

What about teaching that can’t be done online? 

UCU’s position is that all teaching except for that which cannot be done online (e.g. labs) should be moved online. 

What support is there for Warwick UCU’s position?

In addition to the concerns we have received from members, UCU National has also called for all but essential teaching to be moved online for the duration of the pandemic. The call for universities to move online is supported by both Independent SAGE and SAGE. Notably in September, the Government ignored the advice they received from SAGE. UCU National has also initiated a legal action against the government for ignoring the advice from SAGE. We also have the support of the National Union of Students. 

What would industrial action involve? 

Industrial action would combine two types of action: strike, and ‘Action Short of Strike’ (ASOS). Specific guidance will be issued before we start any action. ASOS would primarily consist in moving your teaching online, and/or working to (notional) contracted hours. Strike action would mean not performing any work activities. We will not have physical pickets due to the pandemic, but we will organise virtual pickets.  If we call for strike, we will do so strategically. 

Why should I vote yes to strike and action short of a strike? 

Many of our members have been struggling over the past few months, particularly our casualised colleagues. A ‘yes’ vote is a vote for solidarity with them. 

The only reason the university is now discussing our concerns with us is because we entered into a formal dispute. While we will only take industrial action if it becomes necessary, we need to show the university that we are prepared to do so in order for them to take us seriously, so that we can effectively negotiate a resolution. 

Why are we balloting for industrial action now, haven’t the negotiations just started? 

We have had one Dispute Resolution meeting with the University and another is scheduled for November 26th. We took the decision to open the ballot before the second meeting for two reasons: 

1. We have a mandate to ballot from the membership that we are obliged to act on. In particular, the All Member Meeting acknowledged that while we would not be able to ballot in time to take action in Term 1, it would be essential to ensure we are prepared to take action at the start of Term 2 if need be. It is recommended by UCU that the ballot remain open for four weeks, and we are required by law to give the University two clear weeks notice of any planned industrial action. So as to be prepared for this and to not have the ballot open over the Christmas holiday, we had to open the ballot as early as possible. 
2. The University has had many months to consider and respond to UCU’s concerns, and they have not done so. Initiating the ballot demonstrates that we are serious. 

But the University says that campus is as COVID-secure as possible, and there have been no documented cases arising from teaching?

Campus cannot ever be fully COVID-secure; nowhere can be. Moreover, many of our students have contracted COVID-19 on campus, despite the measures in place. We are also aware that the Residential Life Team has been affected. These cases, and the knock on effects on our local community, are unnecessary. In addition, our members’ concerns are not just about campus but long commutes on public transport. 

We are also concerned about the increased workloads that have arisen as a consequence of the blended model.

But my department has been very understanding and ensured that colleagues with serious well-being concerns relating to working on campus have been able to work online/at home? 

The university’s stated policy is that only those that are extremely clinically vulnerable are exempt from teaching face to face. However, in practice, some departments have exercised more discretion than others and have taken a more flexible approach. It is important to recognise that even if your experience has been relatively positive, we have many colleagues who are teaching face to face when they would strongly prefer not to, and to use your vote to show your solidarity with them. 

There is no guarantee that flexibility and exceptions granted to/within departments in Term 1 would continue into Term 2. 

What about those staff members who prefer face-to-face teaching or who want to work in their offices? 

Most of us would prefer to teach face to face, and we are eager to return to the classroom when the public health situation improves. In the meantime, our main concern is that no one should have to teach face to face during a pandemic if they feel uncomfortable doing so, for any reason. 

Furthermore, we believe there should be more support for online teaching in order to make it an accessible and rewarding experience for students and staff in otherwise difficult circumstances. 

What about student wellbeing? Students, especially first years, deserve some face-to-face teaching? 

We know members are extremely concerned about the wellbeing of our students. We appreciate arguments about the need for face-to-face teaching, particularly for students who were affected by the A-level fiasco earlier this year, or by industrial action in previous years, but we believe the uncertainty of trying to provide f2f to students is only exacerbating the problem. While a fully online programme comes with many challenges, we believe that frequent periods of self-isolation and lockdowns, flipping with little notice from f2f to online, and large numbers of students in many online seminars, is not good for students’ well-being either. 

The NUS supports UCU’s demands for all but essential teaching to be online during the pandemic. Management decisions to choose a ‘blended model’ and require students to be on campus are what have put students’ mental and physical health at risk – not staff demands for safety in the workplace.

We understand and empathise with students who would prefer f2f teaching, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the physical and mental health of staff members, vulnerable students, or the local community.

What about the vote the Students Union took? 

You may be aware that Warwick Student Union voted against a motion “Warwick SU Supports UCU’s Call for Online Teaching.” 

We are of course disappointed in this result, but we want to reiterate that UCU has called for teaching to be online in the interests of health and safety, and with the support of NUS. 

We are not surprised that students feel this way, and we sympathise. The vast majority of us would prefer to be back in the classroom, too. However, we can’t vote away the pandemic, and we do not believe that any students or staff should be required to take risks with their health by attending campus against their will in the context of a global pandemic. Lockdowns, social distancing, wearing masks – all of these measures are taken not because we want them, but because we have to take them in order to control the spread of the virus. 

Moreover, the face to face teaching we are currently able to provide not only presents significant difficulties for effective pedagogy, but it has also needlessly led to hundreds of positive cases amongst our students. 

We would fully support increased face to face teaching if the public health situation improved considerably, but that’s not where we are right now. We believe the university should have invested in, and planned earlier for, excellent online provision to see us through the pandemic. 

How is this strike action any different from last year, or the year before? 

We would stress that this is a local action, so the pressure is much more immediate and the negotiations are being conducted on a local level. Given this, our chances of success are much higher. 

The Four Fights dispute is still ongoing, but strike action did force UCEA to negotiate on issues they had never accepted to discuss before, and we put issues of precarity, pay gap, and workload front and centre. The current pandemic highlights how deep these problems are.

The offer made by UCEA was disappointing and we have learned lessons from these strikes. The current dispute has clear and achievable demands, which mean the university can promptly resolve it if they choose to. 

 

In June 2020, Warwick UCU developed its “Five Red Lines” document, outlining the conditions necessary to ensure that the move to reopen campus occurs safely. These lines are as follows: (1) safe in society; (2) safe on campus; (3) safe university buildings; (4) safe for all colleagues; and (5) safer communication.

We have been monitoring the situation carefully over the past three months, in close contact with the University – participating in risk assessments, sitting on campus reopening working groups, and meeting with senior managers weekly to discuss health and safety issues. On the basis of these experiences, it has become clear to us that the only way to open campus safely is to move the bulk of teaching (except where pedagogically unfeasible, such as certain labs) online for the autumn term.

We do not come to this conclusion lightly. Nearly all those who teach would, under normal circumstances, prefer to do so in person. But there is a growing consensus among public health officials, including government scientists, that the attempt by universities to operate as close to normal as possible is courting disaster (Dickenson 2020a; Dickenson 2020b). As many other institutions (including Harvard and Yale Universities in the US) have come to recognise, a return to teaching in person this September will create significant risks for both public health and educational outcomes. The most recent news from the US only confirms fears that in-person teaching will lead to surges in new cases.

Universities risk becoming sites of mass infection, so we must act now. We spell out why this is the case below.

First, we are calling on Warwick to act decisively as a sector leader and move the autumn term wholly online now, with adequate time for all to prepare their teaching accordingly. This is not just for the health of teachers and students, but for all workers employed by Warwick and for the broader West Midlands community, whose health and safety will be compromised by a return to business as usual. Second, we call on Warwick to work with Universities UK to lobby much more forcefully for a substantive university bailout package, one that will better enable universities across the country to prioritise the health and safety of their staff, students and surrounding communities. No one should have to choose between their livelihoods and their lives.

Our conclusions regarding a safe return to work are based on the following factors.

• The R number is not falling

In June we wrote that “New cases of Covid-19 need to be low and falling, with a sustained downward trend and confidence that all new cases can be identified and responded to promptly.” Unfortunately, there are over 1000 new cases a day, which is in breach of the government’s own targets. As of early August, the R number is not falling, but has instead remained level and in many regions is rising. This return to the higher infection rates of April and May has led to a series of localised lockdowns, including declaration of a ‘major incident’ in Manchester. The University currently has no plan in place for dealing with a localised lockdown, either in Coventry itself or in the surrounding commuter belt where staff and students live. If Covid-19 were to enter the campus community it is likely that infection rates would rise sharply, endangering the health of staff and students alike.

• Commuting patterns at Warwick have public health implications for the entire West Midlands community

Because Warwick is a commuter campus, with staff traveling from across the country and even the EU, we are concerned that those who live in regions with high infection rates will feel compelled to resume face-to-face (f2f) teaching due to university directives. The risk is that they will transmit the virus not only on campus but also to the wider Coventry community. We have yet to see any comprehensive analysis of how a mass return to campus will impact public transport, local infrastructure and healthcare in Coventry and surrounding areas. Aside from the risk to the University community itself, this negligence undermines the University’s commitment to being a “good neighbour” in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.

• Classrooms are not ‘Covid-secure’

The University’s position is that between 50% and 75% of all small group teaching should be f2f next term. Yet risk assessments reveal that campus lacks the necessary capacity for this target, once logistical complexities of transitions, queuing, waiting between contact times and cleaning regimes are considered. We do not consider the University’s current health and safety plans for classrooms to be adequate (for e.g., there are no plans to stagger session times; no extensive cleaning planned between sessions; and only 10-15 minute transition times scheduled between classes, which does not permit one set of students to leave and another to enter safely). We are particularly worried about the use of classrooms without windows or adequate ventilation, especially given growing empirical evidence that Covid-19 is primarily airborne (Setti et al 2020; Bahl 2020).  Finally, while other universities have been acquiring new equipment to improve their sanitation regimes, including state-of-the-art UV cleaning robots, Warwick has made no such investment, which suggests that more risks will have to be taken by cleaning staff. 

These factors lead us to conclude that Warwick’s classrooms are, simply put, unsafe spaces for teaching staff, cleaning staff, and students in a pandemic.

• The University’s health and safety guidance for students is inadequate

The University’s guidelines to new students for social mixing, reporting cases and self-isolating will only create unacceptable risks. It’s unclear, for instance, how the designation of “kitchen units” will work in practice, and what obligations members of these units will have toward each other. Moreover, because these “kitchen units” don’t overlap with students’ home departments, years or classes, they pose additional risks of transmission on campus. Members of the University’s cleaning team are also raising concerns. One such staff member (who asked to remain anonymous) explained, “there doesn’t seem to be a Risk Assessment for when students are in residence, or if there is we haven’t seen it.” This member also raised a number of other issues such as bathroom cleaning provision, staffing numbers, and staff feeling pressured to come back to work when it doesn’t feel safe.

Further, the University’s advice to students asks that students report only confirmed cases of Covid infection. This directive makes it more likely that new cases will lead to uncontrolled rates of transmission before test results are made public, and will make it virtually impossible to contain any outbreaks. A wider concern is that Covid-19 is often asymptomatic, and thus that infection can spread significantly before the manifestation of symptoms triggers intervention.

• Face-to-face teaching is not safe for all colleagues

Although there is an equalities impact assessment for the return to campus, there have been no such assessments regarding the differential risks relating to BAME staff, disabled staff, older staff and staff in other categories who may be more vulnerable to the virus. Nor are there plans in place for ensuring the safety of colleagues who carry such differential risks.

• The University’s communications have been neither safe nor clear

The University has failed to communicate clearly with staff on a number of urgent issues: how will an individual’s risk level will be properly assessed; what kinds of accommodations can or will be made for different risk categories; who will be compelled to teach f2f; under what conditions will the University will move to online teaching; and how the University will deal with a second wave of infection. The University has also refused to factor in the increased workload staff will face this year (beyond positing a risible “two extra hours a week” for adaptation purposes), nor has it acknowledged the risks posed by increased workloads to the mental and physical health of already overburdened staff members.

At the same time, the University’s cavalier communications to incoming students (“You may be a little concerned about how Covid-19 will impact your experience with us, but there’s no need to worry”) suggest that it has failed to absorb the baseline truth that staff working conditions are students’ learning conditions. Prioritising a near-normal ‘student experience’ over staff welfare in abnormal circumstances is a recipe for satisfying no one and endangering all. Rather than imposing coercive targets from above, the University would do better to trust the responsiveness and creativity of staff and students alike when working in conditions of crisis. The temporary provision of online teaching is far preferable as an option to unwieldy and unworkable adaptations of in-person teaching to meet the challenges of Covid-security.

As a union, we will continue to support ongoing risk assessment processes to help ensure that that any return to campus is as safe as possible, but we do so with the belief that the only way to truly ensure the safety of our colleagues and students is to make online teaching the default position for Term 1.

Over 500 University of Warwick staff signed an open letter calling on the University to enact a modest salary sacrifice scheme for those earning over £90k/year in order to protect the jobs of casualised staff and protect staff workload.

This morning, Warwick UCU sent the letter to Stuart Croft and the rest of UEB Gold, alongside a suggested model for what such a sacrifice scheme will look like.

We look forward to their response.

 

Salary level	Reduction level	Number of staff	Saving generated
£90,000 – £99,999	5%	200?	£0.95 million
£100,000 – £149,999	15%	>140	£2.47 million
£150,000 – £199,999	20%	>40	£1.16 million
£200,000 – £300,000	25%	7	£0.36 million
Over £300,000	30%	1 (VC)	£0.09 million*
TOTAL			£5.03 million

*In 2018/9 the Vice-Chancellor received £303k basic salary, but received £370k ‘Total emoluments (including taxable and non-taxable benefits-in-kind)’. This calculation is based on a 30% reduction in basic salary only.

 

 

Defend Casualised Staff, Protect All Our Workloads,

In his very first message, at the start of the Covid19 crisis, Stuart Croft pledged that Warwick will protect jobs. But recently the Provost, Chris Ennew, has announced plans to cut the Sessional Teaching (STP) budget by 50%. This decision appears to pre-empt other efforts to find savings in next year’s operating budget, such as a Voluntary Leaver Scheme, Career Break scheme, or salary sacrifice scheme. According to HESA data, 72.6% of staff at Warwick are employed on casualised contracts. Sessional tutors are essential in the delivery of high quality teaching and student-support. And yet, according to Ennew, the STP budget makes up only 15% of the University’s annual teaching budget and cutting it by half would save the university ca. £5.5mil.

We, the undersigned, do not believe that the University should be transferring a significant proportion of the financial burden of cost saving measures onto our casualised staff who are the least able to afford it, and in the current climate, will struggle to find alternative work.

The University’s policy will

⧪ create immediate financial hardship for colleagues who rely on income from sessional teaching to make ends meet, at a time when there are no reasonable prospects of comparable jobs elsewhere

⧪ jeopardise the career prospects of a generation of  early career academics by denying them access to the academic community. Without access to teaching opportunities, to colleagues, to the library and laboratories, our junior colleagues will be unable to continue their academic work and research and will therefore struggle to re-enter academia in the future, particularly in an environment where permanent jobs are already scarce and every publication matters. The loss of early-career academics will have a detrimental impact on future research, teaching, and diversity of thought.

⧪ create an institute-wide Health & Safety crisis. Sessional Tutors are essential to the delivery of high quality teaching during less eventful times, and this crisis will make their work ever more business-critical. Without Sessional Tutors, already unmanageable workloads will reach a crisis point.

⧪ undermine the University’s stated commitments to diversity, equality, and inclusion. We know that casualisation exacerbates existing inequalities and that because of discrimination, casualised contracts are disproportionately held by BAME academics and female academics. The workload increase that result from cutting casualised staff will inevitably affect those staff who have have the heaviest workloads, most of whom are women, BAME and carers.

If we are to avoid this scenario, Warwick must commit to protecting all of its staff. Thus, we the undersigned are petitioning for the following measures.

1. That the University reverse its stated aims of reducing the STP budget and commit to protecting all jobs.
2. That the University commit to a salary sacrifice scheme in which all of those who earn more than £90k agree to either a salary cap or to a percentage sacrifice.
3. That University Management open its books and engage with all staff and workers democratically and transparently in deciding how savings can be made.

Valentina Abbatelli, Teaching Fellow, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Sara Abdel Ghany, PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies

Mahmoud Abdou, Associate Tutor & PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies

Liz Ablett, Dr, Sociology

Columba Achilleos-Sarll, PhD Student, Politics and International Studies

Christine Achinger, Associate Professor, German Studies, School of Modern Languages

Arun Advani, Assistant Prof, Economics

Chloe Agg, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Engineering

Jeremy Ahearne, Professor, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Theo Aiolfi, PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies

Ashjan Ajour, Teaching Fellow in Sociology, Sociology Department

Shahnaz Akhter, Doctoral Candidate, PAIS

Fırat Akova, PhD Candidate and Seminar Tutor, Philosophy

Bogdan Alecu, PhD student, Mathematics

Safiya Ali, PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies

Maryam Aliee, Research Fellow, Mathematics

Ana Aliverti, Reader, Law

Stuart Allen, Director of PGT, School of Life Sciences

Carolina Alonso Bejarno, Senior Teaching Fellow, Law School

Will Amos, Assistant Professor, SMLC

Alex Andreou, PhD Student, Philosophy

Harry Andrews, MPhil Student, Philosophy

Keith Ansell-Pearson, Professor, Philosophy

Becky Appleton, PhD Student/VAM & STP worker, Warwick Medical School

Simon Arthur, PhD candidate, Sociology

Esther Asprey, Senior Teaching Fellow, Applied Linguistics

Benjamin Atkins, PDRA, Zeeman Institute (SBIDER)

Hannah Ayres, PhD Student & Previous Sessional Teacher, Sociology

Claude Baesens, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Sameer Bajaj, Assistant Professor, Philosophy

Emmanuela Bakola, Associate Professor in Ancient Greek Language and Literature, Classics and Ancient History

Kate Bamford, PhD student and sessional teacher, Life Sciences

Jack Bara, Postgraduate Student, Mathematics

Dwight Barkley, Professor, Mathematics

Isabelle Barrett, PhD Student, Psychology

Sumedha Basu, PhD candidate, PAIS

Chloe Batten, Education Officer and Deputy President, Warwick Students’ Union

Alberica Bazzoni, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Nicole Beardsworth, Postdoctoral Fellow, PAIS

Guillaume Beaumier, PhD candidate, PAIS

Miguel Beistegui, Professor, Philosophy

Ceren Bengu Cibik, Phd Candidate, Economics

Carrie Benjamin, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Sociology

Matt Bennett, Fixed term lecturer, Philosophy, University of Cambridge

Nicholas Bernards, Assistant Professor, Global Sustainable Development

Dan Bernhardt, Professor, Economics

Francesca Berry, Senior Lecturer, Art History, University of Birmingham

Eloïse Bertrand, PGR Student/Associate Tutor, PAIS

Roxanne Bibizadeh, ECIF, Research Fellow, Module Convenor, IAS, Computer Science, IATL

Somak Biswas, Sessional Tutor, University of Warwick, Sociology

Roberta Bivins, Professor, History

Simon Blake, Teaching Fellow, Economics

Philippe Blanchard, Associate professor, PAIS

Claire Blencowe, Associate Professor, Sociology

Hannah Boast, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, English

Christian Boehning, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Natasha Bondre, Sessional Tutor and Ph.D student, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Alexandra Borrill, PhD student, Chemistry

Pierre Botcherby, PhD Candidate, Sessional Tutor, Administrative Assistant Warwick Oral History Network, History

Louise Bourdua, Professor, History of Art

Jo Bowers, Widening Access Officer, SROAS

Anna Brinkman, Sessional Tutor, Hispanic Studies

Martin Brock, PhD Student, Warwick Business School

Peter Brommer, Associate Professor, Engineering

Andrew Brown, Associate Tutor, Mathematics

David Brown, Research assistant, Sociology

Rob Bryer, Emeritus Porfessor of Accounting, Warwick Business School

Andrew Burchell, Research Fellow, Department of History

Tim Burnett, Senior Teaching Fellow Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts

Diogo Caetano, PhD student, Mathematics

Diego Calderon, Phd student, Economics

Lucy Campbell, Assistant Professor, Philosophy

Emma Campbell, Associate Professor, SMLC

Sara Cannizzaro, Research Fellow, Warwick Manufacturing Group

Carlos Cardona-Andrade, PhD Student, Economics

Diogo Carneiro, PhD candidate, Philosophy

Rebecca Carnevali, PhD graduate, Centre for Renaissance Studies

Mick Carpenter, Emeritus Professor, Sociology

Isabelle Carre, Professor, School of Life Sciences

Henrique Carvalho, Associate Professor, School of Law

Nora Castle, PhD Student, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Olga Castro, Assistant Prof, SMLC

Costas Cavounidis, Assistant Professor, Economics

Anastasia Chamberlen, Associate Professor of Sociology, Sociology

Giulia Champion, PhD Candidate, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Nickie Charles, Professor, Sociology

Jane Charlesworth, Senior Research Fellow in Pathogen Evolution, Warwick Medical School

Charlotte Brunsdon, Professor of Film and Television Studies, Film and Television Studies

Stella Chatzitheochari, Associate Professor, Sociology

Lucas Chebib, MPhil Student, Philosophy

Yin Chen, Professor, School of Life Sciences

Song-Chuan Chen, Associate Professor, History

Romain Chenet, Sessional tutor and PhD student, University of Warwick, Sociology

Matt Chennells, PhD student, Philosophy

Meryem Choukri, PhD candidate, German Studies Warwick University

Pedro CL Souza, Assistant Professor, Economics

Georgia Clancy, PhD student/ Sessional Teacher, Sociology

Megan Clarke, Warwick SU Education Officer-elect, History

Jonathan Clarke, Senior Teaching Fellow, Global Sustainable Development

Chris Clarke, Associate Professor, PAIS

Guy Clarkson, Research Fellow, Chemistry

Mat Coakley, Teaching Fellow, Philosophy

Michela Coletta, Assistant Professor, SMLC

Lucia Collischonn, PhD Candidate, Warwick Writing Programme

Colm Connaughton, Professor, Mathematics

Charlotte Connor, Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Trials Unit

Andrew Cooper, Assistant Professor, Philosophy

Alex Corcos, Sessional Tutor, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Chris Corre, Associate Professor, Dept of Chemistry and School of Life Sciences

Diarmuid Costello, Professor of Philososopy, Philosophy

Camillia Cowling, Associate Professor, History

Sam Coy, PhD Candidate, Computer Science

Fabiola Creed, ECF, History

Ron Crump, Research Fellow, SBIDER/Maths/LifeSci

Mark Cummings, Teaching Fellow, Mathematics

Claire Daffern, QA Manager, WMS

Nadeen Dakkak, PhD Candidate, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Irene Dal Poz, Early Career Fellow, IAS

Emma Davis, PhD student and casual support teacher, Mathematics Institute

Naomi de la Tour, Senior Teaching Fellow, IATL

Carolin Debray, Senior Teaching Fellow, Applied Linguistics

Andreas Dedner, Assitant Professor, Mathematics

Divya Deepthi, Research Fellow, Economics

Riccardo Degasperi, PhD Student, Economics

Ariane Demeure-Ahearne, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Modern Languages

Matt Denny, Teaching Fellow, Film and Television Studies

Ed DeVane, PhD Candidate, History

Jessica Di Salvatore, Associate Professor, PAIS

Peter Dickinson, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Research

Andreas Dimmelmeier, PhD candidate, Politics and International Studies

Natalya Din-Kariuki, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Monica Dinu, Postgraduate Coordinator, Mathematics

Alex Dixon, Tutor, Computer Science

Maria do Mar, Associate Professor, Sociology

Melina Dobson, Sessional Tutor/Early Career Fellow, Politics and International Studies

Melina Dobson, Associate Tutor/Early Career Fellow, Politics and International Studies Department

Callum Doherty, Undergraduate, Philosophy

Susan Doughty, Administrator, Classics and Ancient History

Roxanne Douglas, IAS Early Career Fellow and Sessional Tutor, IAS/ English and Comparative Literary Studies

Douglas Morrey, Reader in French, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Roxanne Douglas, STP tutor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Rosie Doyle, Senior Teaching Fellow in Latin American History, History

Jamie Draper, Teaching Fellow, Politics and International Studies

Špela Drnovšek Zorko, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Sociology

Dana Druka, Research Assistant, Chemistry

Emily Dunford, PhD Student, Theatre and Performance

Peter Dwyer, Teaching Fellow, GSD

Scott Dwyer, PhD student, School of Life Sciences

Christopher Earley, PhD student, Philosophy

Jake Edwards, PhD student, Film & Television Studies

Nick Edwards, Undergraduate Coordinator, History

Amira Elasra, Senior Teaching Fellow, Economics

Juanita Elias, Professor, PAIS

Adam Epstein, Reader, Mathematics

Carmela Esposito Faraoine, STP Language Tutor, Language Centre SMLC

Brigid Evans, PhD Student and Sessional Tutor, Philosophy

Pablo F. Beker, Associate Professor, Economics

Ian Farnell, STP Tutor, Theatre & Performance Studies

Lorenzo Feltrin, Research Assistant, Sociology

Thiemo Fetzer, Associate Professor of Economics, Economics

Barbel Finkenstadt, Professor, Statistics

Nicholas Fleming, PhD student, Mathematics

Robin Flint, Quality Assurance and Exams Coordinator, Economics

Matthew Ford, Technical Support Coordinator, Technical Services.

Ross Forman, Associate Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Tana Forrest, PhD candidate, Sociology

Felix Forster, PhD Student, Economics

Peter Fossey, Senior Academic Developer, ADC

Emma Francis, Associate Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Daniel Franklin, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Life Sciences

Matthew Franks, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Lucy Freedman, PhD student, English and Drama, Queen Mary University

Simon Gabriel, Postgraduate Student, Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick

Lucie Gadenne, Lecturer, Economics

Manuela Galetto, Associate Professor, Warwick Business School

Simon Gansinger, PhD student and Sessional Tutor, Philosophy

Elizabeth Gaylard, Teaching Fellow and Personal Tutor, Centre for Teaching Education

Martha Gayoye, PhD Candidate, School of Law

Laura Gelhaus, PhD candidate, PAIS

Craig Gent, PhD alumni, CIM

Agelos Georgakopoulos, Reader, Maths

Adela Gherga, EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mathematics

Atisha Ghosh, Teaching Fellow, Economics

Michele Giavazzi, PhD Student, Philosophy

Jenna Gillett, Research Assistant, Psychology

John Gilmore, Reader, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Elena Giusti, Assistant Professor in Latin Literature and Language, Classics and Ancient History

Adam Golab, PhD Student, Mathematics

Susana Gomes, Warwick Zeeman Lecturer, Mathematics

Erin Gorsich, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences

James Griffin, Research Associate, Warwick Medical School

David Grundy, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Stephen Gundle, Professor, Film and Television Studies

Amul Gyawali, PhD Student, English & Comparative Literary Studies

Anna Hajkova, Associate Professor, History

Emma Hall, PhD Candidate and Associate Tutor, PAIS

Cathy Hampton, Associate Professor, SMLC

Natalie Hanley-Smith, IAS ecf and stp tutor, History

Kirsten Harris, Senior Teaching Fellow, Liberal Arts

Jamelia Harris, Teaching Fellow, PAIS

Freya Harrison, Associate Professor, Life Sciences

Joseph Harrison, PhD Student / Sessional Teacher, Film and Television Studies

Tilly Harrison, Associate Professor, Applied Linguistics

Rumana Hashem, Associate Tutor in PAIS, University of Warwick

Sara Hattersley, Senior Academic Developer, Academic Development Centre

Michael Hattersley, PhD Student, Psychology

Abi Hawtin, Research Impact Coordinator, Research & Impact Services

Charlotte Heath-Kelly, Reader, PAIS

Joo Hee Oh, Assistant professor, WMG

Susannah Heffernan Smith, PhD student, Warwick Writing Programme

David Helekal, CDT Student, Mathematics

Tom Hemingway, PhD Candidate, Film and Television Studies, University of Warwick

Sacha Hepburn, Teaching Fellow in African History, History

Sky Herington, PhD candidate, French

Erika Herrera, PhD student / Sessional tutor, Sociology

Jae Hetterley, Sessional Tutor, Philosophy

Nick Hewlett, Professor of French Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Joe Hilton, Research associate, Zeeman Insitute

Michaela Hodges, ED&I Coordinator, Wellbeing Support Services

Alice Hodson, PhD Student, Maths

Nadine Holdsworth, Professor, Theatre and Performance Studies

samuel honsbeek, PhD student, STA, philosophy

Amanda Hopkins, Teaching Fellow, SMLC

Simon Horton, Alumni, Philosophy

Tony Howard, Professor, English and Comparative Literature

Donna Howe, Administrator, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit

Marije Hristova, Postdoctoral researcher, Hispanic Studies

Thomas Hudson, Assistant Professor, Mathematics Institute

Bee Hughes, Sessional Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University

Esthie Hugo, PhD Student, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Keith Hyams, Reader, PAIS

Cinzia Imberti, Postdoctoral research fellow, Chemistry

Maria Inês Castro e Silva, PhD Student, Hispanic Studies

Maria Inês, PhD Student, Hispanic Studies

Demet Intepe, PhD student and Sessional Tutor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Marco J Haenssgen, Assistant Professor, Global Sustainable Development

Peter J Hammond, Professor, Economics

Nicholas Jackson, Senior Teaching Fellow, Mathematics and Economics

Stephen Jackson, Associate Professor, Life Sciences

Dino Jakusic, Sessional Tutor, Philosophy

David James, Associate Professor, Philosophy

Rita Jane Dashwood, Sessional Tutor, Department of English

Tina Janssen, PhD Candidate, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Farzad Javidanrad, Teaching Fellow, Economics

David Jenkins, Postdoctoral Fellow, Philosophy

Eric Jensen, Associate Professor, Sociology

Joseph Jerome, PhD student, Statistics

Eileen John, Reader, Philosophy

Andy Johnson, Widening Participation Officer, SROAS

Briony Jones, Associate Professor, Politics and International Studies

Hannah Jones, Associate Professor, Sociology

Justine Mercer, Associate Professor, Education Studies

Nisha Kapoor, Associate Professor, Sociology

Alexander Karalis Isaac, Senior Teaching Fellow, Economics

Antonios Karatzas, External Project Supervisor, WMG

Daniel Katz, Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Arjumand Kazmi, Teaching Fellow, School of Law

Maria Kehr, Widening Participation Coordinator, SROAS

Tom Kelly, PhD student, Psychology

Abby Kendrick, Senior Teaching Fellow, PAIS

Igor Khovanov, Associate Professor, School of Engineering

Erika Kispeter, Senior Research Fellow, Warwick Institute for Employment Research

Jennifer Kitchen, Associate Tutor/Coordinator, Education Studies/IATL

Andrea Klaus, Associate Professor (Teaching), SMLC

Julian Koch, Teaching Fellow, German

George Kontogeorgiou, PhD student, Mathematics

Jere Koskela, Assistant Professor, Statistics

Ilan Kremer, Professor, Economics

Tor Krever, Assistant Professor, Law

Aleksandra Krogulska, PhD Student, Psychology

Caroline Kuzemko, Associate Professor, PAIS

Max Lacertosa, Teaching Fellow, Philosophy

Cath Lambert, Associate Professor, Sociology

Laura Lammasniemi, Assistant professor, Law school

Richard Lampard, Associate Professor, Sociology

Cecilia Lanata-Briones, Teaching Fellow, Economics

Nicholas Lawrence, Associate Professor, English & Comparative Literary Studies

Neil Lazarus, Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Chrisopher Lazda, Warwick Zeeman Lecturer, Mathematics

Philippe Le Goff, Assistant Professor, SMLC

Dennis Leech, Emeritus professor, Economics

Duncan Lees, PhD candidate / associate tutor, Centre for Education Studies

Katharina Lefringhausen, Assistant Professor, Centre for Applied Linguistics

Anita Lenneis, PhD Student, Psychology

Alice Leonard, Precarious Early Career Researcher, Institute of Advanced Study and English Literature

Clive Letchford, Senior Teaching Fellow, Department of Classics and Ancient History

Sara Lever, Service Owner, IT Service

Rachel Lewis, Sessional teacher, Sociology

Pei Liang, External Supervisor, WMG

Tony Liddicoat, Professor, Centre for Applied Linguistics

John Lindley, Data Entry Clerk, Clinical Trials Unit

Jayanthi Lingham, Postdoctoral research fellow, PAIS

Steve Locke-Wheaton, Community Engagement Coordinator (Undergraduate & Teaching), Library

Christine Lockey, PDRA, Chemistry

Georg Löfflmann, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, PAIS

Tom Long, Associate Professor, Politics and International Studies

Gianluca Lorenzini, PhD Student, Philosophy

Daniele Lorenzini, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy

Bruno Luciano, Teaching Fellow, PAIS

Eleanor Lutman-White, PhD student, Centre for Lifelong Learning

Dimitrios Lygkonis, PhD student, Mathematics/Statistics

Gabrielle Lynch, Professor, PAIS

Graeme Macdonald, Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Ninna Makrinov, UG Skills Programme Co-ordinator, Student Opportunity

Samuel Maloney, PhD Student and STP Tutor, Physics

Mario Micallef, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Andrew Marsh, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

Thomas Martin, Senior Teaching Fellow, Economics

Mónica Martín-Castaño, Senior Teaching Fellow, SMLC

Kelly Mayjonade-Christy, Teaching Fellow, French Studies

June Mc Cready, Teaching Fellow, Centre for Applied Linguistics

Noel McCarthy, Professor, Warwick Medical School

Catherine McCarthy, Research Officer, Widening Participation

Stacey McDowell, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Catherine McNicholl, Widening Participation & Outreach Manager, SROAS

Francesca Melhuish, PhD Candidate, Politics and International Studies

Gabriel Meloni, PDRA, Chemistry

Philippe Michaud-Rodgers, Postgraduate Student, Mathematics

Mihai Balnescu , Academic Writing Consultant, Student Opportunity (Student Development dept))

Sander Molenaar, PhD candidate/STP tutor, History

Sander Molenaar, PhD Candidate, History

David Mond, Professor, Mathematics Institute

Charlotte Moonan, Business Development & Marketing Officer, School of Life Sciences

Richard Moore, Senior Research Fellow, Philosophy

Lauren Moore, Impact Coordinator, Research and impact services

Sara Morales Izquierdo, PhD student, Psychology

Joel Moreira, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Javier Moreno Zacarés, Research Fellow, Politics and International Studies

Louise Morgan, PhD Student and Sessional Tutor, History

Solange Mouthaan, Associate Professor, Law

Maeve Moynihan, WICID Administrator, Politics and International Studies

Tara Mulqueen, Assistant Professor, Law

Kenichi Nagasawa, Assistant Professor, Economics

Rosalyn Narayan, Student Experience and Engagement Coordinator, Economics

Raquel Navas, Teaching Fellow, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Jayan Nayar, Associate Professor, School of Law

Mahnaz Nazneen, Teaching Fellow, Economics

Rosa Nazzaro, Sessional tutor, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Phillip Nelson, Research Fellow, PAIS

Zahra Newby, Head of Department, Classics and Ancient History

Michael Niblett, Associate Professor, English

David Nicoll, Phd candidate, History

Chenwei Nie, PhD candidate, Philosophy

Filip Niklas, PhD candidate, Philosophy

Muireann O’Dwyer, Teaching Fellow in British and European Politics, Politics and International Studies

Rachel O’Neill, Wellcome Fellow in Humanities and Social Sciences, Sociology

Marcel Obst, PhD Student, Sociology

Christine Okoth, Research Fellow, English and Comparative Literature

Meleisa Ono-George, Associate Professor, History

Martin Orr, Warwick Zeeman Lecturer, Mathematics

Goldie Osuri, Associate Professor, Sociology

Andrew Oswald, Professor, Economics

Upamanyu Pablo Mukherjee, Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Gioia Panzarella, Teaching Fellow, Global Sustainable Development

Stefania Paredes Fuentes, Associate Professor, Economics

Melissa Pawelski, PhD Student at Warwick and Sessional Tutor, School of Modern Languages and Cultures (French), Warwick

Lynne Pettinger, Associate Prof, Sociology

Tom pettinger, associate tutor / phd student, PAIS

Oleg Pikhurko, Professor, Mathematics

Harry Pitt Scott, PhD student, English

Piermarco Piu, PhD Student / Sessional tutor, Sociology

Nicola Pratt, Reader, International Politics of the Middle East, Politics & International Studies

Paul Prescott, Reader, English

Laura Prisco, PhD Student, School of Life Sciences

Caroline Proctor, IT Manager, School of Law

Maria Puig de la Bellacasa, Associate Professor, Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies

Kevin Purdy, Associate Professor, School of lIfe Sciences

Pierre Purseigle, Associate Professor, History

Richard Puxty, Assistant Professor, Life Sciences

Mariana Racimo, PhD student, Economics

Shirin Rai, Professor, PAIS

Tania Read, Research Fellow, Chemistry

Benjamin Redding, Sessional Tutor since 2014, History

Melissa Reddy, PhD Student, Psychology

Michela Redoano, Associate Professor, Economics

Sophie Rees, Research Fellow, Warwick Medical School

Scott Regan, Senior Project Manager, WMS

Nicole Reily, PhD student, Chemistry

Lena Rethel, Associate Professor, PAIS

Maria Reyes Baztán, PhD History, History

Maria Reyes, PhD student and STP, History

Giovanni Ricco, Assistant Professor, Economics

Thomas Richards, PhD Student, Mathematics

Ben Richardson, Associate Professor, PAIS

Noorin Rodenhurst, PhD Student, Psychology

Johannes Roessler, Associate Professor (Reader), Philosophy

Nicola Rogers, Research Fellow, Chemistry

Charlotte Roman, PhD Student, Mathematics for Real-world Systems

Anna Ross, Associate Professor, History

Federico Rossi, Assistant Professor, Economics

Christopher Roth, Assistant Professor, Economics

Clare Rowan, Associate Professor, Classics and Ancient History

William Rupp, Senior Academic Developer, Organisational Development

Chris Russell-Smith, PhD candidate, Philosophy

Kristyna Rysava, PhD Candidate and Casual Support Teacher, School of Life Sciences

Orkun S Soyer, Professor, School of Life Sciences

Parastou Saberi, British Academy Newton Int. Fellow, PAIS

Raza Saeed, Assistant Professor, Law

Michael Samuel, Sessional Tutor, Film and TV studies

Marta Santamaria, Assistant Professor, Economics

Aditya Sarkar, Associate Professor, History

Sudipa Sarkar, Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Research

Jessica Savage, Senior Teaching Fellow, Global Sustainable Development

Michael Saward, Professor, PAIS

Saul Schleimer, Reader, Mathematics

Helmut Schmitz, Professor of German Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Laura Schwartz, Reader in Modern British History, History

Gavin Schwartz-Leeper, Deputy Head of School of Cross-faculty Studies, Liberal Arts

Christine Schwöbel-Patel, Associate Professor, Law

Greg Scott, QA Support Officer, CTU

Leon Sealey-Huggins, Assistant Professor, Global Sustainable Development

Sharifah Sekalala, Associate Professor, Law

Benedict Sewell, PhD student, Mathematics

Jack Shardlow, Associate Tutor, Philosophy

Gerard Sharpling, Senior Teaching Fellow, Centre for Applied Linguistics

Osian Shelley, PhD Student, Mathematics

Aditi Shenvi, PhD student, Centre for complexity science/Department of Mathematics

Stan Shire, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, School of Engineering

Rochelle Sibley, Senior Teaching Fellow, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Igor Sikora, PhD Student, Mathematics

Gabriel Siles-Brugge, Associate Professor in Public Policy, PAIS

Shantanu Singh, PhD Student, Economics

Shubhra Singh, PhD student, Economics

Harminder Singh, Senior Teaching Fellow, WBS

Jonathan Skinner, Reader, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Jonathan Skipp, PhD Student, Centre for Complexity Science

Anna Skorobogatova, PhD student, Mathematics

Alastair Smith, Senior Teaching Fellow, Global Sustainable Development

Richard Smith, Reader, Applied Linguistics

Jennifer Smith, Associate Professor, Director PGT, Economics

JE Smyth, Professor, History

Somak Biswas, Early Career Fellow, History

Emma Southall, PhD Student and Teaching Assistant, Mathematics

Tommer Spence, PhD Student & STP Facilitator, Warwick Medical School

Helen Spencer-Oatey, Professor, Applied Linguistics

James Sprittles, Associate Professor (Reader), Maths

Vicki Squire, Professor of International Politics, Politics and International Studies

Michael Staniforth, Senior Research Fellow, Chemistry

Anastasia Stavridou, PhD Candidate and Sessional Tutor, Centre for Applied Linguistics (CAL)

Leo Steeds, Early Career Fellow, IAS

Dave Steele, PhD candidate, History

A. Stefano Caria, Associate Professor, Economics

Charlotte Stevens, PhD Candidate, SLS

Shaun Stevenson, PhD Student/Module Tutor, Philosophy

Ann Stewart, Professor, School of Law

Zak Stinchcombe, PhD Candidate, Philosophy

Bjorn Stinner, Associate Professor, Mathematics

Katherine Stone, Assistant Professor, SMLC

Mark Storey, Associate Professor, English & Comparative Literary Studies

Celine Tan, Reader, Law

Shahin Tavakoli, Assistant Professor of Statistics, Statistics

James Taylor, Teaching Fellow, Film and Television Studies

Esmee te Winkel, PhD Student, STP teacher, Maths

Irina Terrero Rodriguez, PhD student, Chemistry

Caryn Thandi Petersen, PhD Student, Sociology

Florian Theil, Reader, Mathematics

Adam Thomas, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Jake Thomas, PhD Student (and Teach via STP), Mathematics

Simon Thorpe, Associate Tutor, Law

Jo Tierney, STP Tutor, History

Julie Tod, Senior Research Technician, School of Life Sciences

P Tomlin, Reader, Philosophy

Alperen Tosun, Research Student, Economics

Myka Tucker-Abramson, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Joshua Tully, PhD Student, Chemistry

Daniel Ueltschi, Professor, Mathematics

Alex Underwood, PhD candidate and STA, Philosophy

Sivamohan Valluvan, Assistant Professor, Sociology

Guido van Meersbergen, Assistant Professor, History

Thijs van Rens, Associate Professor, Economics

Caitlin Vandertop, Assistant Professor, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Maude Vanhaelen, Reader in Classics, Classics and SMLC

Rashmi Varma, Reader, English and Comparative Literary Studies

Alejandro Veiga, PhD student / STP tutor, Hispanic Studies

Christian Velasco, Early Career Fellow, IAS, Institute of Advanced Studies, Warwick

Erwin Verwichte, Reader, Physics

Leticia Villamediana, Senior Teaching Fellow, SMLC

David Vitale, Assistant Professor, Law

Lara Vomfell, PhD Student, WBS

Khursheed Wadia, Associate Professor, Sociology

Oba Waiyaki, PhD Student, Computer Science

Barnaby Walker, Teaching Fellow, Philosophy

Leigh Walker, Research Impact Coordinator, Research and Impact Services

Illan Wall, Reader, School of Law

Bingsong Wang, Teaching Fellow, Economics

Paul Warmington, Professor, Education

Mike Waterson, Professor of Economics (part time), Economics

Sam Watson, Associate Professor, Warwick Medical School

Matthew Watson, Professor, Politics and International Studies

Julia Welland, Assistant Professor, PAIS

Sue Wharton, Associate Professor, Applied Linguistics

Tom Whittaker, Head of Hispanic Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures

David Wild, Professor, Statistics

Harrison Wilde, PhD Researcher, Sessional Tutor, Statistics and Computer Science

Carl wilkinson, Lab technician, School of life sciences

Chris Williams, EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Mathematics

Leanne Williams, Associate Professor Teaching Fellow, School of Life Sciences

Jon Winfield, PhD Student, IER

Georgia Wood, PhD student, Chemistry

Caroline Wright, Associate Professor, Sociology

Sally Wright, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Research

David Wright, Associate Professor, Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies, School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures.

Chantal Wright, Interim Director, Warwick Writing Programme

Apurav Yash Bhatiya, PhD Student, Economics

Fuk Ying Tse, Associate Tutor, Early Career Fellow, Warwick Business School

Mert Yirmibes, PhD Student, Philosophy

Philip Young, Associate Professor, Life Sciences

Ahmet Yusuf Aydin, PhD Student, Economics

Nazifa Zaman, Student, co-ethnic minorities Officer WSU, History

Stanislav Zhydkov, PhD student, Associate Tutor, Mathematics Institute

Velimir Zivkovic, Assistant Professor, Law

Agathe Zobenbuller, Teaching Fellow, School of Modern Languages

Nikolaos Zygouras, Professor, Mathematics

 

Warwick UCU stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and with Black communities involved in acts of resistance across the US in response to the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many other Black and Indigenous men and women. We stand with and commit to supporting Black staff and students who may put themselves at risk of discrimination or exclusion as a result of protesting or mobilising against police brutality and white supremacy.

Racist police brutality and murder are not just endemic in the US, but are a problem inherent to policing worldwide. Police harassment and murder of BAME people in general, and Black people in particular, is rampant in the UK, too. Even though UK police do not have the ready access to guns that their US counterparts do, Black communities in the UK still bear the brunt of police harassment, violence and murder. Just this week the IOPC launched an enquiry into police brutality in Birmingham; it has emerged that Black people are twice as likely to be fined by the Met Police for breaches of the coronavirus lockdown.

In recognition of the impact of racist police violence on our local communities in the West Midlands, Warwick UCU resolves to make a donation of £100 (the most we as a committee are able to donate) to support Black Conscious Coventry. We also ask that our members, particularly non-Black members, take the following concrete actions:

• Learn more about black history and anti-racist social justice organising. Here are a few sources:
  • NUS Black Students’ Campaign are compiling a twitter thread including information about black history, protest info and self-care.
  • An article on the often-forgotten role of black workers and black struggles at the centre of British trade union campaigns.
  • A list of books on racial justice available in the Warwick University library.
  • The Institute of Race Relations has an excellent resource section and a “Calendar of Racism and Resistance.”
• Become familiar with and support important student activist groups at Warwick, particularly the Warwick Anti Racism Society, Warwick Anti Sexism Society (WASS) and Warwick Occupy. You can read WASS’s powerful statement here.
• Write to your MPs to demand the UK stop selling teargas and rubber bullets to the US police forces, to demand that the UK government responds to the report released today confirming that BAME people are more at risk of dying from COVID-19 and to call for continued investigation into the death of Belly Mujinga, a railway ticket clerk who was spat on while working and who subsequently died from COVID-19.
• Join local organisations working to end racist policies, such as the hostile environment and PREVENT. 

If you have spare cash, please consider donating to these Black-led UK organisations working for racial justice.

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Below is the motion we passed unanimously our committee meeting on 4 June 2020.

Warwick UCU stands in solidarity with those experiencing racist police violence and those working to end it

This committee notes:

1. The ongoing racist policing practices in the USA, the many deaths of black people at the hands of the police force including George Floyd, Ahmed Auberry, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, Tony McDade and far too many others, and the current violent policing of protesters demanding justice for these murders.

2. The ongoing racist policing practices in the UK and the many deaths of black people following contact with the police, including Darren Cumberbatch, Kingsley Burrell, Trevor Smith, Dalian Atkinson, Mark Duggan and far too many others.

3. That the West Midlands Police is currently under investigation for overuse of force against black men, including the use of weapons.

4. That discriminatory policing is now occurring in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting racially minoritised people in the UK, that the government has not taken seriously the evidence that this disproportionality is related to structural racism, and that pandemic-related policing has also disproportionately targeted the same groups.

5. The effects of structural racism, including policing practices on members of our union, on our students and on our communities.

6. That racist violence is structural, a product of and basis of our society, and that it is the responsibility of all trade unionists to oppose and work to unpick racism in all its forms.

7. The need to stand in solidarity with those who experience police violence and those working to end it, by taking ongoing and practical action.

This committee resolves:

1. To stand in solidarity with those who experience police violence and those working to end it.

2.  To support members speaking out or protesting about these issues should they face intimidation, exclusion from opportunities, or discrimination of any kind as a result.

3. To donate £100 to the work of Black Conscious Coventry.

4. To increase political education for our members on questions of structural racism, in HE and beyond.

5. To write to local representatives (MPs, WM Police and Crime Commissioner, and candidates for next WMPCC) to ask them to outline specific actions they will take to address racism within the police and criminal justice system.