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STUDENTS occupied a Brighton University building today that is due to be sold as part of cuts which have led to mass redundancies.
They took over Pavilion Parade to reclaim it “as an autonomous space for students and the local community” and in solidarity with striking lecturers.
The protest was against the “corporate greed of the university, the commodification of education, and in response to the recent cuts which saw over 100 staff made suddenly redundant.
“Moreover, it answers the growing need for joyful, creative community spaces in a world which is increasingly fragmented,” the occupiers said.
A spokesman for the group added that the space “stands in solidarity with striking lecturers” and quoted Dr Ryan Burns, a senior lecturer and secretary of the local branch of the University and College Union (UCU) as saying: “Our message is clear: we will not go back to work while over 20 of our colleagues still face compulsory redundancies.”
One of the occupiers said: “As a student, I’m extremely concerned about the way that this university has repeatedly prioritised shareholder profit over the people who it is meant to serve and exist for.”
Another added: “Students are finding themselves trapped after financially committing themselves to a course that will not run due to the university’s management failures.
“We would love to continue with our degrees, our passions, our jobs … but the university’s management and lack of response has gotten in the way and we have now been forced into resorting to more drastic action.”
UCU regional official Michael Moran said: “It is incredible to see the overwhelming levels of support and solidarity from students at Brighton University.
“Students know that the huge cuts to staffing that university management is trying to force through will damage their learning.
“Management now needs to listen to staff and students and halt these dangerous cuts.”
The occupiers have invited academic staff, students and members of the local community to use the building, accusing the university’s management of having “consistently dismissed the voices of its staff and students and paved the way for privatisation and gentrification over a supportive learning environment.”
A University of Brighton spokesperson confirmed that a group had gained entry in the early hours and set off the building’s security alarms, adding: “University staff will seek to engage with the group constructively and with a focus on ensuring their safety and wellbeing while on university property.”
