Here at the Guild, every single one of our members has the power to set our priorities and decide what you want us to work on next. Whether it be getting free period products in our bathrooms or working to make our campus more accessible, sharing your ideas with us via Change It could be the first step in bringing them to life.
Thursday 16th February saw the latest meeting of the Guild’s democratic decision-making body, Guild Summit. This is where 50 randomly selected students come together to discuss and have their say on the latest Change It submissions. You can find out more about how Summit works here.
At this meeting, the following idea was discussed: Support UCU’s Postgraduate Research (PGR) Manifesto To Recognise PGRs As Staff. This idea asks the Guild to support the UCU’s PGR manifesto, which calls for PGRs to be recognised as staff by universities. The manifesto proposes that PGRs get comparable terms and conditions as employees, access to adequate facilities and ends the requirement to deliver unpaid teaching, amongst other proposals.
Attendees at Summit came to consensus to support this idea and made suggestions on further ways the Guild can show its support for Postgraduate students. Thank you to all attendees for their valuable contributions to the discussions.
There were 3 main actions for the Guild that came from Summit, these were:
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To inform the UCU Liverpool branch of the Guild’s position
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To further support Postgraduate students, through collecting feedback and running social events and spaces
We are continuing our work on this topic, and will update on any future actions.
Student Officers’ Statement:
PGR’S are a vital part of the university, and their research, teaching and insight must be valued. By giving PGR’s full rights as staff, they become entitled to the same rights as those they work with and share responsibilities with. The UCU’s PGR manifesto includes PGRs being provided access to comparable terms and conditions as employees, PGRs being provided with adequate facilities to complete their research, PGRs granted access to regular feedback and support, ending any requirement to deliver unpaid teaching duties as part of a scholarship, bursary or stipend as well as PGRs being included in staff meetings, mailing lists, projects and events. PGRs deserve to be treated with the respect and the improvement of their working conditions should be a priority in universities and across the higher education sector.
For more information, you can check out the full manifesto here UCU - New PGR manifesto calls for end to exploitation
Get Involved:
If you’re a Postgrad student and you’re keen to get involved, we have lots of ways you can do so:
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Come along to our International, Mature & Post-Graduate students' Meet-Up on Thursday 27th April at 2pm in The Library room – to meet fellow students, have your voice heard and help us to create a Guild for everyone!?
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Join our Postgrad Society and introduce yourself to likeminded people across all departments, allowing you to make connections with people in the city and an opportunity to make friends for life
If you’re a Postgrad student and have any feedback or suggestions on what you’d like to see from the Guild, please get in touch!
Ready to make change?
If you’re keen to follow in the footsteps of other student change-makers, and make a real difference to your university experience, submit an idea to Change It now, and students could be discussing your proposal at our next Guild Summit!