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94 18
October 2012 ***************************************************** 'Truth:
lies open to all' ***************************************************** Every
fortnight during term-time. All
editorial correspondence to: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk. Please delete
as soon as possible after receipt. Back issues and subscription details can
be found at http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext. The
editors welcome letters, comments, suggestions and opinions from readers. subtext reserves the right to edit submissions. subtext does not publish material that is submitted
anonymously, but is willing to consider without obligation requests for
publication with the name withheld. For
tips to prevent subtext from getting swept up into your 'junk email folder',
see http://www.lancs.ac.uk/subtext/dejunk/. If
you're viewing this using Outlook, the formatting might look better if you
click on the message at the top saying 'Extra line breaks in this message
were removed', and select 'Restore line breaks'. CONTENTS:
editorial, senate report, sports centre traffic, marking, information
security, other media, learning zone, city block, anthony
marsella, ian parker,
underpass, breeam and lica,
signs, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL The
recent re-structuring of the bars has – quite rightly and unsurprisingly -
not passed without comment elsewhere. SCAN has covered it in depth, and the
new University comment magazine ' First
Observation: such was student concern about what was happening that a General
Meeting was called at which Jo Hardman and Mark Swindlehurst
were given an opportunity to explain what was going on. This was, by almost
all accounts, a pretty unsatisfactory affair, and illustrates yet again an
all-too-familiar characteristic of University management practice. Memo to
all managers, everywhere; when taking decisions that affect other people, it
is a good idea both to consult them about their opinions and to keep them
informed as to how they are likely to be affected. If you do not do this,
they will probably get upset. End of memo. (In fairness, it should be said
that those taking the decisions maintain that proper consultation did in fact
take place and the relevant procedures were observed. It is however apparent
that a lot of people don't agree.) Second
Observation, related to the First: This has all been astoundingly badly
handled. Experienced and loyal staff have been
treated as though they have nothing to contribute to any part of the process,
and some have been effectively demoted – not because they have done their job
badly, but because the new structure demands it. Tail wagging the dog, never
goes down well. Third
observation: the General Meeting called by LUSU was inquorate,
not least because of the paucity of Fourth
Observation: regardless of the quality of the actual managers, a system of
peripatetic managers for the bars, as opposed to a system of a designated
licensee for each one, risks robbing every bar of its face to the world –
bars are not primarily about design, or architecture or even the beer and
food; they are about people. This new system is also yet another example of
removing individual identity from the Colleges, an issue to which we shall no
doubt be returning. All
of the above comes with the caveat that everything anyone thinks they know
about this issue is probably wrong – which is part of the problem bequeathed
to us by the mishandling mentioned above. There
is a petition on the bars at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/lancaster_college_bars/. ************************************************* SENATE,
10 SEPTEMBER 2012 The
first Senate meeting of the academic year was a bit of a marathon, lasting
over two and a half hours. Apparently it had not been thought that there
would be enough business to have two Senate meetings this term – but there
was certainly too much for one. Business
started with the 'Vice-Chancellor's update'. Firstly he discussed the removal
of Within
the 'Information' section of the agenda, the Pro-VC for Research gave an oral
report on Open Access and Research Data Policy, with discussion focussing on the former. He reminded us how this summer's
report by Dame Janet Finch (a former Lancaster Pro-VC) has given added
impetus to the 'Gold' model of open access publishing – where authors would
pay an upfront fee to get their articles published. There was no detailed
discussion about how this would be handled internally by the University – for
example, whether some research might be discouraged because of the cost of
publishing it. Instead, the focus was on the considerable additional cost
during the transitional years (three? five? ten? more?) when both systems
would be in operation. More broadly, the VC thought that University members
should also maximise the power of 'green' open
access publishing (for example putting pre-publication versions of articles
onto PURE or E-Prints) to disseminate the University's research output at low
cost. There will be a paper from UMAG on all this to be discussed at the next
Senate. The
list of proposed recipients of honorary degrees in 2012-13 was also
announced, prompting a discussion of the almost total lack of women on the
list. Professor Smith said that it had already been noted that the nomination
process tended to produce a list with a distorted gender and ethnic balance,
and said that new guidelines were being discussed that might help to correct
this. Under
items for discussion, there was a report from Gavin Brown, Dean of
Undergraduate Studies, on the effect of having introduced revised
undergraduate assessment regulations (you know, A-, D+, aggregation scores,
etc.). He reported that their introduction had had no big effect on averages,
but had stretched the range of marks given up into the Upper Second and First
ranges - which was of course what they had been partly intended to do (to
overcome markers' apparent reluctance over giving the higher grades). There
was some concern expressed, especially by student reps, that this might produce
a sense of There
was only brief discussion of the proposed Institutional Academic Standards
and Quality Committee, which, it was insisted, was not an attempt to roll
back the clock to before 2010, when we had three committees working in this
area; the new committee would have tight terms of reference – ensuring
comparability of standards across all our degrees. Then we moved on to the
oral update from Professor Bob McKinlay, Deputy
V-C, on international partnerships, reporting on a recent joint trip to
Brazil to develop institutional research and teaching links with universities
there, and on discussions with a private investor to help establish the
proposed Guangwai-Lancaster University in Guangdong
Province, China. He then turned to the plan to establish a However,
an amendment had been tabled by two senators, proposing that Senate should record
that it regretted the lack of 'full and proper discussion' of the proposal by
Senate, and that it 'views the target date of September 2013 for teaching
commencement with scepticism' and recommends
delaying marketing the provision until all the details are in place. The
Deputy VC was clearly angered by the amendment, calling it 'disappointing',
and suggesting (rather unfairly) that it was an insult to all the people who
have been working hard on this on The
final presentation was by Mark Swindlehurst, on the
new Estates Masterplan for 2012-22. He emphasised that the plan was not a description of what
the University wanted or intended to build, but an attempt to get a coherent
framework within which developments might go ahead as the need and funding
arose. He said that an initial emphasis would be on improving the 'sense of
arrival' for people coming to campus – for example establishing a number of
'green fingers' breaking through the line of buildings between the perimeter
road and the spine, and improving the approach to the Great Hall. The spine
itself would be improved, upgrading the canopy and lighting, and establishing
more social spaces along it. He identified many spaces within the perimeter
road where new buildings might be placed as and when needed, including those
vacated by departments moving into new premises. He added that the plan was
to go through the whole estate over the next 5 years, bringing existing
buildings up to standard. Some of the discussion centred
on the idea of the University establishing more of a presence in Lancaster
centre, possibly at the Storey Institute or the Castle, the principle of
which seemed to be supported by the VC. The
Senate meeting ended at about 16.40, with your correspondent regretting he
hadn't managed to eat his lunch beforehand.
***************************************************** SPORTS
CENTRE TRAFFIC Subscribers
will recall that in subtext 92 that we commented unfavourably
on the traffic arrangements on the exit road where it passes the Sports
Centre. (For clarity, we only worry about the road, we love the Centre
itself. Except that the dry-side changing rooms are too small.) Taxi drivers
who made the Now
the University has, it seems, taken heed, and a fair bit of work was done
over the summer. There are more traffic bumps, the existing ones have been
widened, and the angle of pedestrian access has been altered. These changes
will probably save some pedestrians from being mown down, which is
undoubtedly an improvement. However, what hasn't happened is to move the bus
stop on the exit side ten feet further forward, which would allow cars to get
past when the bus is stopped there. Not only does this produce queues at busy
times, but it encourages cars (well, big 4x4 cars mostly), to mount the kerb in order to squeeze past. The grass will suffer and
eventually someone will get hit. From a driver's perspective, it's just plain
annoying. ***************************************************** UNDERGRADUATE
ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS The
new marking scheme introduced last year resembles something cooked up by
Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs (aka
The Wizard of Oz – but you knew that) more and more by the day. The bells and
whistles, quasi-algebraic, converted aggregations fancy front-of-house
marking show belies a frantic pedalling backstage
in an attempt to disguise the amount of extra work it appears to be
generating. Whilst the general grumbling at its instigation was around grade
inflation and maintenance of standards (see also Senate report above), it
appears that the other end of the scale is where there are major problems. To
proceed to the final year with an honours degree
students must achieve (following any opportunities for reassessment) an
overall aggregation score of 9 or above with no more than 30 credits
condoned. Fairly easy to achieve one would think. But this year the
University was faced with an unprecedented number of cases to adjudicate
upon. To avoid so many students not proceeding and/or being asked to leave
the University marks were changed and/or adjusted or students were invited to
resubmit their resubmission – presumably again and again until they pass. We
should not be too shocked by this particular course of action – see below. We
are certain to be returning to this subject, and would be interested to hear
reactions from colleagues who have had to implement the new system. ************************************************** INFORMATION
SECURITY POLICY and MANDATORY TRAINING Apparently
all staff should by now be aware of the University Information Security
Policy and associated processes. (Did you know about this? It is apparently
designed to raise awareness about how to protect restricted or personal
information and our responsibilities to keep such information secure.) Staff
can either follow a short online course or attend a workshop, followed by a
short online test to confirm understanding. We are informed that training is
available to raise awareness about how to protect restricted or personal
information and our responsibilities to keep such information secure. Staff
can either follow a short online course or attend a workshop. Rather
Orwellian is the instruction 'Please note that this training is mandatory for
all staff'. Successful completion of the online assessment is recorded on the
HR system. subtext has a suggestion for those with little enough
time already available for filling in endless REF forms. Do not despair - skip the training and go
straight to the assessment. It only takes a few minutes - the pass mark is 80%.
If you fail it doesn't matter, you can retake 'til you pass, just like the
students. Upon completion you will receive a certificate!! ************************************************** OTHER
MEDIA It's
nice to know we're not alone in thinking there is still quite a lot of room
for media containing discussion of University matters. Last year we welcomed
'The Whistleblower' into the lists, and now there is 'Lancaster To Euston'.
The former started well but has quickly descended into ad hominem snippiness
– the piece on Assistant Scan Editor and Thursday night Radio Bailrigg stalwart Ronnie Rowlands'
petition about the bars was both cheap and inaccurate. Only 4 issues in is a
bit early to start a race to the bottom, eh? Not big or clever. The new
'Lancaster To Euston' is a fairly serious affair, though not without humour. The look is 1970s mimeograph retro, but at least
it doesn't make your hands dirty. We welcome it, and wish it well. ***************************************************** LUNCHING
ZONE It
might have come as a surprise to anyone using the El-Zee last year to realise that the Zone has a regulation that states that
no hot food is to be consumed within it. The regulation was more honoured in the breach than the observance. One seldom
went in without noticing the smell of baked potatoes and baked beans. Most
days it was the place of choice for University House staff to eat their
lunch. Tables and desks overflowed with sticky evidence of students refuelling as they worked. The place increasingly looked
– and smelt - less and less like the swishy hi-tech learning environment that
was intended, and a lot more like a slightly better appointed 1980s student
JCR. Now
we see that a fairly discreet sign has been out up suggesting that lunchers confine themselves to the small area of tables
by the spine entrance. It won't stop the place smelling of baked potatoes or
sandwich wrappers littering the place, but at least it might cut down on
gravy-stains on the work surfaces – if, that is, anyone pays attention. ***************************************************** CITY
BLOCK AFFRONTAGE Talking
of a 'sense of arrival' (see Senate report above), the approach to And
then, just after the Alexandra along After
the trams were withdrawn in 1930 the building eventually became known as
Victoria Court, with retail on the ground floor, and offices above. (Readers
might remember the furnishing store with its window displays that used a
slightly creepy seaside humour.) But more recently
it was bought by The
redevelopment was designed by the Liverpool architects Union North, who said
that their plan for the new Penny Street frontage 'reinterprets an existing
stone facade that is juxtaposed with a matrix of inserted gold framed study
bedroom windows and is "fossilised"
within an extended stone frontage'. The
City Council were warned about the likely visual
effects of the development by several groups, including Lancaster Civic
Society and the Victorian Society. The LCS argued that on the Penny street
side the development would be a 'large unattractive decorated box', too large
and, unlike the existing City Block development next to it, with no nod to
the proportions and building-sky relations characteristic of the surrounding
buildings - let alone its position at an important entrance to the city. Now
that the building has been unveiled we can see that the warnings do not seem to
have had any effect on the final building, which looks even worse than the sanitised images that appeared in the Architects Journal.
The sense of symmetry that was still there in the building's Victoria Court
incarnation has been lost. The central arch is no longer an opening, but
merely part of the plate-glass frontage to the Sainsbury's Local shop, which
extends along to the right; the left-hand part of the building forms the
entrance to City Block. Worse
is what's happened above street level. As well as the sheer formless bulk of
the building being too imposing, the trace of the old façade just makes the
building look a mess. The transition from the worked sandstone to the new
smooth cladding doesn't make sense; the three pediments that topped the original
frontage are still visible but their line has not been incorporated into the
new façade in any way. The brutal lines of rectangular windows, with
protruding gold surrounds, march across the now blanked-out window openings
of the original building without even bothering to lift their feet over the
original lines or symmetry of the old façade.
The handsome bay window that once protruded over the central arch now
appears just as a particularly ugly oval scar with no aesthetic logic at
all. The
incorporation of the original façade into the new one turns out to have been
a big design mistake. It certainly did the job of softening the resistance of
the Council to allowing this development in a conservation area, but it's
meant that we're left with an even worse building, one in which the dead eyes
of the old building stare out from the body of the new one. We need a new
architectural term for this ruse – it's not so much fossilisation
as 'fetus in fetu' (look it up). The only good
thing about the visual effect is that it can serve as a constant painful
reminder of human folly, rather like the one wrong stitch that is supposed to
be incorporated into every Persian carpet. ***************************************************** ANTHONY
MARSELLA Anyone
wondering what the recently departed and largely unlamented University
Marketing Manager has been up to lately might like to follow this link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005SE2SXA. It's
worth reading just the first couple of pages, if only to realise
that 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is perhaps after all not actually the worst book
ever written in the history of publishing. ***************************************************** IAN
PARKER Ian
Parker, a major figure in discursive and critical psychology and Professor at
One
subscriber contacting us on this subject referred to ***************************************************** UNDERPASS
BLUES We
were going to review the new underpass arrangements in a civil and restrained
manner, but then a subscriber ranted on at us for a while about it, so we're
going to use his words instead. Those who consider this a touch intemperate
might care to remember the inconvenience everyone was put to, the damage it's
done to the business of the shops in the Square, and the fact that the work
took TWO YEARS to complete. 'Apart
from plugging the leaks and stopping Alexandra Square plummeting into it, all
I can see that they've done is put up some red paint, a few lights and some
very sub-standard stone and plaster work. The 'roof' is still an ugly lattice
of concrete ribs. The lift doesn't work. The only electronic time-table is
hidden outside and visible from one approach only. Heaven forbid that people
waiting for buses should be able to see when they are due - much better to
keep uninterested people in Intemperate
and probably unfair. Though we could also mention that there's no clock,
which would seem at least useful and arguably fundamental in a place where
people and machines must coincide. Nor is there a single seat to rest on –
not even those thin slanting things you get at bus shelters designed to be
just uncomfortable enough to stop people spending time there. And it's worth mentioning that the
underpass flooded during Freshers' Week. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...... ****************************************************** BREEAM
AND THE The The
'outstanding' rating recognises not only that the
material of the building has relatively little embodied energy, but also that
it can be expected to be economical to operate in energy terms throughout its
life. As a result, it will cause low
emissions of carbon dioxide. The structure of the Dating
from 1990, BREEAM was the first comprehensive Building Sustainability Rating
Tool in the world. Developed steadily since then, it has been used to rate
large numbers of buildings world-wide, and has proved a good earner for the
Building Research Establishment; but it is not without shortcomings. The
chief criticism is that it focuses on technical aspects of building design,
such as the embodied energy and the energy used in operation, but doesn't pay
much attention to users' response to the indoor climate. In some buildings
that are BREEAM-rated (but not any of ours, as far as subtext knows) there
have been complaints about poor ventilation and about the indoor climate in
general. The
USA's competing building assessment scheme, called LEED, requires that
projects share with the Green Building Council all energy and water usage
data for at least five years from occupancy, so in the USA it is possible to
compare the work of different architects and contractors for the performance
of their buildings. It is interesting that BREEAM doesn't require the sharing
of this kind of data: it only offers an option that extra credits can be
gained by collecting data on user satisfaction and on water and energy consumption
for the first three years. Perhaps BREEAM should be a bit less British about
its assessment - a bit more sharing of information and general openness could
only be an improvement on what is already a very well-regarded scheme. ********************************************* SIGNS A
couple of posters struck us as interesting over Freshers'
Week. (And how many years can you say that?) The first was for the University
Cricket Club, which illustrated its call for volunteers with a picture of a
woman, wearing cricket pads and carrying a bat. All good so far, but rather
spoilt by the fact that the only other thing that she was wearing was a green
bikini. It's hard to do more over this sort of thing than to heave a very very deep sigh and wonder how we could have travelled so
far and advanced so little, so that's what we'll do. (Subscribers who don't
read the Guardian might be interested in an article on this tendency which
can be read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2012/oct/10/is-student-life-becoming-more-sexist?) The
other poster that caught the eye was the one for the Student Conservative
Party, which asked 'Do you Find Power Sexy?' Thanks for that, reminding us
how much we all fancy Nick Clegg. *********************************************** WHAT'S
IN A NAME (PART 2) After
our Nancy Wright-inspired item in subtext 92 on the nicknames that staff
bestow on their colleagues, readers sent in a few more examples: 'Our
Heroic Leader' (used ironically of a former head of Physics) 'Teflon'
(brilliant at avoiding taking on any responsibilities) 'ESSO
man' (of someone in the catering industry – 'Every Saturday and Sunday Off') More
please. *****************************************************
LETTERS Dear
subtext I
have just discovered by chance that just before each term begins, the Library
sends a skip full of books which have not been used for a while for
shredding. Why not offer them to staff and students first, or give them to
charities, or send them to Michela Masci, DELC ***************************************************** Dear
subtext, Apropos
of your mention of a 'rumbustious Irish wolfhound'
in subtext 93, years since, an undergraduate male whose name I once knew had
an Irish wolfhound whose name I once knew. I first met both of them when I
picked the student up at the hitching post (does that still exist?) thinking,
I suppose, that the massive animal beside him would run alongside my small
car, or perhaps pull it. But no, the dog got in too, and incredibly curled
up, somehow, with his owner on the passenger side of the car. Well, almost
entirely on the passenger side. As I recounted the story later in the Furness
Common Room (does that still exist?), round about the Monkey Rack the dog
decided to lick my hand (resting as it was on the gear shift) and absolutely
enveloped it. It was rather disconcerting, but I slowly extracted my hand and
drove on. But
the dog was the very definition of civility and after that when I saw the
pair hitching, I always stopped. The dog did a bit better when we bought a
larger car. But had he been rumbustious, a great
word, I probably would have given him only the one ride. Bob
Bliss, Dean, ***************************************************** The
editorial collective of subtext currently consists (in alphabetical order)
of: Mark Garnett, George Green, Ian Paylor, David
Smith, Bronislaw Szerszynski and Martin Widden. |
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