We sent a open letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, and this is his official response
We sent an open letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University and below is his official response. As a sabbatical team are not fully satisfied by the official response on some of the questions, such as student representation on SMT (Senior Management Team) and other University boards, and regarding the lack of student social place on the North Holmes Road campus and Medway.
All of these are crucial for the student body, and these issues are going to be followed up by the 2016/17 sabbatical officers, who will be asking you about your views too.
Vice Chancellor's Response
Dear Krum
At our regular meeting last Friday, you handed me a list of six questions on behalf of the Students’ Union. Thank you for raising these issues. I am pleased to be able to respond to each point, below. Where necessary I have consulted with my SMT colleagues.
- Is the University committed to ensure student representation at all levels of governance, including University SMT and the Remuneration committee?
The students’ voice in the University governance and operations is very important and we have taken care to ensure representation from the Students’ Union (SU) or the wider study body at key, relevant, committees. These include the SU President’s membership on the University’s Governing Body, the Academic Board, and the Education and Student Experience Committee. Students are also represented at three other senior committees and have seats on many of the Faculty committees. Deans in each of the four Faculties would welcome an opportunity to improve student representation at Faculty committee level and welcome student engagement in shaping the academic and wider student experience.
This is in addition to student representation on all programme committees. Therefore, SU has representation on all key bodies whose core remit relates to education and the wider student experience.
The SU’s contribution to the University’s medium and long term strategic developments is equally important and the SU is represented both on Master Plan Steering Group and the Canterbury Christ Church Process Improvement Programme Board.
- Why is there a huge staff common room but not a single, non-commercial, social learning space on Canterbury or Medway campuses?
Over the last seven years, we have invested significantly in new or improved student facilities. In Canterbury, this includes Augustine House, St George’s Centre, the Food Court and Touchdown, and city centre student accommodation. Over the last 10 years, we’ve invested £82m in new and renovated buildings. Further investment is underway at Medway Campus to provide a new Student Hub C4 as a shared space for all three universities.
The longer term Estate Master Plan does give us great potential to provide additional teaching, research, social and collaboration space for students and staff, with the conversion of the former Prison site in Canterbury. We do recognise, however, that this a little way off. In the interim, we will explore the possibility of further social space at Canterbury, however, as a city centre university with limited space and availability of teaching rooms already under considerable pressure, priority must be given to timetabled teaching and learning.
- Is the University planning to build a travel plan that benefits students as well as staff?
As you know, we have established a Group to consider this issue and the Union President is a member.
Yes. The University’s Sustainable Travel Plan, which will be published later this year and will include details of the University’s investment in alternative travel, is intended to benefit students as well as staff. The Sustainable Travel Plan will outline a wide range of options and opportunities to mitigate the impact of reduced parking in the future, and colleagues and all students will be invited to participate in the consultation in the early part of the next year academic year.
- Is the University going to ensure that sport remains student-led, or do you plan to take it over and be driven by University interests?
We believe that sport plays an important part in university life for many students. It’s important that Christ Church Sport and the Students’ Union work closely together to provide services, support and sports opportunities for all students, of all abilities.
At a recent meeting, chaired by the Senior Management Team’s institutional lead for sport, with the Students’ Union and university colleagues, the group discussed the organisation and delivery of competitive sport by the student sporting clubs, to make it as efficient and financially sustainable as possible.
A smaller group, involving the SU and Christ Church Sport, will meet over the summer to produce a new partnership model which will be subject to student consultation around November. This model will be based on three main principles:
• Participation, excellence, community and culture in the sporting provision for all.
• Partnership working across the University function to ensure efficient, effective and excellent sporting provision for all.
• Student-led, student-run and democratically organised student sporting clubs which are professionally supported by Christ Church Sport in their engagement with competitive university sport.
- Is the University planning to help the students from disadvantaged backgrounds and international students by starting a housing guarantor scheme?
International students, as well as students with disabilities or special requirements, are given high priority on our University accommodation, which often avoids them going into the private rental market. There are legal issues attached to the University acting as guarantor for students in the private rental market. However, we are looking at a wide-range of mechanisms to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds and accommodation is part of the wider picture.
- When is the University planning to make all University buildings accessible for students with disabilities?
We agree: this is a really important issue for students and staff, and indeed anyone who visits our campuses. While we are working within the constraints of a 1960s estate we are making every effort to ensure our buildings are accessible, and the majority are. Over the summer, for example, we are relocating teaching space out of Hepworth to Moore, because of difficulties around accessibility.
Accessibility has clearly featured prominently in the design of our more recent buildings and will continue to feature in future buildings as part of our Estate Master Plan. Students and staff with specific accessibility requirements are working with us in the development of these plans.
In the meantime, if any of our students experience any issues relating to accessibility, we would encourage them to make contact with us as soon as possible, by contacting facilities-helpdesk@canterbury.ac.uk or phone the izone.
Given that your letter to me was an ‘open letter’ I hope that you will publish this response. Please could you or Ben also circulate this response to your Trustees.
As your term as Union President comes to an end this month can I take this opportunity to thank you for your work in leading the SU and the positive way in which you have worked with the University.
With best wishes
Professor Rama Thirunamachandran
Vice-Chancellor and Principal