Money

#voteforstudents – More than just a hashtag

Earlier today from 12.00, the Twitter hashtag #voteforstudents started trending worldwide.

#voteforstudents became the second most popular topic tweeted in the UK  within minutes. And for good reason too.

The Vote For Students website, set up by NUS (National Union of  Students) asks students to vote in the forthcoming general  election to support candidates who won’t support an increase in student fees.

The purpose of today’s Twitter event was to make the cause known and help spur students on to vote.  The student population is  huge.  Students represent 15% of the voting population, but many do not vote.  By coming together on a cause like this, students can make a big difference through their united voice.

In addition to this, the Vote For Students campaign puts pressure on political parties to speak up about the future of funding in  Higher Education.

Among the great Tweets were:

#voteforstudents  now at number two in UK trending topics, but it will be the number one thing on students minds on polling day – @estellehart

You don’t have to be a student, pledge your vote now to honest candidates at www.voteforstudents.co.uk #voteforstudents – @andrewhenrynus

We don’t want a country where poor institutions teaching poor students get poorer and vice versa #voteforstudents – @jim_dickinson

#voteforstudents  is about mobilising the student vote with the  immediate aim of stopping any increase in uni fees. – @johnpeart

#voteforstudents  isn’t just for students you can sign up today  too if you care about the future of education in the UK – @marktweets

Because if fees rise then most of us are screwed for the housing  ladder and pensions #voteforstudents – @AliceBouquet

The student vote could change the result of the next election.  Make sure our voices are heard. #voteforstudents – @uclansu

We could swing the general election…there’s 7 million in @nusuk  ‘s membership! #voteforstudents – @DannieGruff

great that #voteforstudents is trending. But it’s vital students sign up http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk & vote! – @AaronPorter

I did notice a couple of criticisms along the way too:

#voteforstudents  campaign and NUS should focus on getting students to vote, since 50% say they wont, rather than promoting their own agenda – @owenlmeredith

Impressed with the successful effort to get #voteforstudents to trend globally. Though a short tweetable manifesto would be useful. – @technicalfault

Today’s campaign to create a Twitter trending topic is one way in many that interested parties (not just NUS) are reaching out to  students to ask for their vote…and for their vote to actually count.

As for a tweetable manifesto, many Tweets were going out with the Vote For Students website linked, but @technicalfault does make a  fair point.  I’m sure if NUS were to set up a similar event, they’d consider something like this.

And I can well imagine NUS will do this again.  The outcome of the event wasn’t certain, but to trend so successfully in the UK and  around the world is a big deal given Twitter’s 40 million Tweets per day! [Update: Just a few days later, let’s make that 50 million Tweets!]

Congratulations to all who helped make #voteforstudents a top trending topic.

Now do we all go back to normal? NO. It’s time to make a difference. That’s what today was all about.  We all need to use our vote wisely.

Earlier today from 12.00, the Twitter hashtag #voteforstudents

started trending worldwide.

#voteforstudents became the second most popular topic in the UK

within minutes. And for good reason too.

The Vote For Students website, set up by NUS (National Union of

Students) asks students to vote in the forthcoming general

election to support candidates who won’t support an increase in

student fees.

The purpose of today’s Twitter event was to make the cause known

and help spur students on to vote.  The student population is

huge.  Students represent 15% of the voting population, but many

do not vote.  By coming together on a cause like this, students

can make a big difference through their united voice.

In addition to this, the Vote For Students campaign put pressure

on political parties to speak up about the future of funding in

Higher Education.

Among the Tweets were these:
#voteforstudents  now at number two in UK trending topics, but it

will the number one thing on students minds on polling day –

@estellehart http://twitter.com/estellehart/status/9281341191

You don’t have to be a student, pledge your vote now to honest

candidates at http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk #voteforstudents –

@andrewhenrynus

http://twitter.com/andrewhenrynus/status/9280856974

We don’t want a country where poor institutions teaching poor

students get poorer and vice versa #voteforstudents

http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk – @jim_dickinson

#voteforstudents  is about mobilising the student vote with the

immediate aim of stopping any increase in uni fees.

http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk – @johnpeart

http://twitter.com/johnpeart/status/9281040139

#voteforstudents  isn’t just for students you can sign up today

too if you care about the future of education in the UK

voteforstudents.co.uk – @marktweets

Because if fees rise then most of us are screwed for the housing

ladder and pensions #voteforstudents – @AliceBouquet

The student vote could change the result of the next election.

Make sure our voices are heard: http://www.voteforstudents.co.uk

#voteforstudents – @uclansu

We could swing the general election…there’s 7 million in @nusuk

‘s membership! #voteforstudents – @DannieGruff

I did notice a couple of criticisms along the way too:
#voteforstudents  campaign and NUS should focus on getting

students to vote, since 50% say they wont, rather than promoting

their own agenda – @owenlmeredith

Impressed with the successful effort to get #voteforstudents  to

trend globally. Though a short tweetable manifesto would be

useful. – @technicalfault

http://twitter.com/technicalfault/status/9282485567

Today’s campaign to create a Twitter trending topic is one way in

many that interested parties (not just NUS) are reaching out to

students to ask for their vote…and for their vote to actually

count.

As for a tweetable manifesto, many Tweets were going out with the

Vote For Students website linked, but @technicalfault does make a

fair point.  I’m sure if NUS were to set up a similar event,

they’d consider something like this.

And I can well imagine NUS will do this again.  The outcome of the

event wasn’t certain, but to trend so successfully in the UK and

around the world is a big deal given Twitter’s 40 million Tweets

per day!

http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/10/twitter-now-more-than-1-billio

n-tweets-per-month/

Congratulations to all who helped make #voteforstudents a top

trending topic.

Now do we all go back to normal? NO. It’s time to make a

difference. That’s what today was all about.  Let’s use our vote

wisely!

No More Fees Please

A new study into the future of HE funding is calling for tuition fees to rise above £5,000 a year.

The report by Policy Exchange, More Fees Please?, states:

“It is clear that if the cap is set at £5,000 or lower, once again the majority of institutions will charge the maximum fee and no real market will be activated.”

Sadly, rather than look to alternative models of funding, the call is simply to raise fees and get students to pay more.  Specific caps are not discussed in the report as, “we do not think it is appropriate to stick our fingers in the air and specify a level for the cap here”.  However, it does not go as far to suggest a removal of the cap.

photo by benrybobenry

photo by benrybobenry

As this new study is released, Times Higher Education reports of a survey that suggests more than half of students would be willing to pay fees of £5,000.  Students were asked how low fees could go until they were so low that it would make them doubt the quality of their course, and how high fees could go before they would not pay it.

I don’t like the questioning here.  Tuition fees are not the only source of funding for universities and the reality is more complex.  To ask if a lower tuition fee would make students doubt the quality of a course seems the wrong question to ask.  If taken out of that context, I’m sure students would not consider fees in the same way.

Nevertheless, the survey does suggest that widening participation will be disturbed if fees are raised.

The Policy Exchange report argues that poorer students will not suffer from higher fees.  It states:

“There is clear evidence that top-up fees have not deterred poorer students from going to university, as the anti-fees lobby predicted they would. In fact in the second and third years of top-up fees applications soared in England, much more so than in the years preceding the introduction of top-up fees. Most crucially, the increase in applications was not just from middle-class students. In the 2007-08 academic year applications in England for students from the three lowest socioeconomic groups rose by nearly 10%, and in 2008-09 climbed by a further 27%.”

Firstly, applications in the higher socioeconomic groups rose even higher.  Secondly, it’s no surprise that so many students and parents have pushed toward degree study as greater belief is put on the thought that a university education is the only way to secure a bright future.  At some point, the game will change.  Along with it, poorer students will be deterred by higher fees and applications are bound to suffer.  This is bad news.

Universities group million+ agrees:

“The simplistic approach of this report, which proposes changes to the contributions made by students whilst at university, could have an immensely damaging impact on participation. […] It’s nonsense to suggest that there aren’t thousands of people from lower and modest incomes being denied places at university. This year alone up to a quarter of a million well-qualified applicants could miss out. This report’s proposals would simply serve to put yet more barriers in their way.”

The University and College Union (UCU) say that the call to simply charge students higher fees is an “astonishingly weak” solution.

The 1994 Group does give its support to higher fees, calling it “the only feasible option”. However:

“an increase should only be introduced if it is coupled with two fundamental guarantees. Firstly, a guarantee that a targeted and robust student support system is in place that ensures that no student is unable to attend university because of cost. Higher education should continue to be free at the point of delivery with repayments contingent on income after graduation. Secondly, a commitment from universities to continue to enhance the student experience on offer to all students.”

Raising tuition fees is not the way forward, no matter how much support is given to widening participation.  The state of HE is rapidly changing and the full effects of those changes haven’t been felt yet. Nobody can truly understand the impact of recent, and upcoming, alterations in HE.

Given this uncertainty, the ‘solution’ to HE funding by raising fees could prove costly not just to students, but to everyone involved.  To base so many future plans on past situations that no longer represent the true state of HE is unwise.

Last year, I hoped for more discussion on the future of HE funding.  Now tongues are wagging, it’s time to make our opinions heard.  One fantastic way of doing that is to visit Vote For Students and pledge to use your vote in the next general election to support candidates who would vote against any increase in fees in the next parliament.

Higher fees? No thanks!

Further Reading

29 More Money Matters: Spending, Saving, Working, Living

I’m sure many of you are eagerly awaiting the next loan instalment to land in your bank account.  Hopefully you’re not still awaiting the first instalment after the student loans fiasco.

Now seems a good time to post another set of tips for keeping hold of your cash for as long as you can.

photo by Bashed

photo by Bashed

Some of these tips will sound like overkill, but they work if money is particularly tight.  You have to choose whether to save money any way possible, or to rack up some extra debt in the name of a good time. It’s up to you!

29 More Money Matters

  1. Work when everyone else is spending money – Friday evenings, for instance.  Or one of the popular student nights in your area.  You may miss a good night out, but while everyone else is bleeding money, you’ll be dancing to the tune of the cash register.
  2. Join an inexpensive club to take up some of your recreation time.
  3. Learn to say ‘no‘.
  4. Only attend major gatherings and special events. Anything decided off the cuff and all outings just for the sake of it can be turned down.
  5. Stop being proud and learn to accept money from your parents. If you are blessed with access to the bank of Mum & Dad, don’t turn it down because you want to pay your own way.  Seriously, there are some students out there who think they need to prove a point and go it alone.  If you have a cash problem, take off your stubborn hat and accept the offer.
  6. Don’t dwell on money as the reason why you’re not having fun – if you aren’t happy with your situation, blaming money is an excuse.
  7. Don’t think of loans as free money. You’re more likely to spend the cash if you don’t treat it with extra respect and recognise a loan as a loan.
  8. Be patient. Even if you can’t resist buying an item, surely you can wait until you can afford it?  Unless it’s a limited edition item that’s likely to sell out straight away, what’s the harm in waiting an extra week, or month, or year?  Let the initial excitement for the product calm down a little. Not only will the extra time help you gather the necessary funds, but you may also reach a position where the prospect of owning the product isn’t as exciting as you’d previously thought.
  9. Slap down peer pressure. Your money is precisely that…yours!  No matter how much your friends try to persuade you to buy that designer t-shirt, they aren’t the ones looking to buy it.  If they’re that bothered, ask them to buy it for you.  And don’t fall into the trap of asking mates whether you should buy something that you can’t afford…it’s an excuse.  If you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t buy it.  But you know there’s a fair chance your friends won’t see it that way.  You know that full well!
  10. Don’t take out cash. For some people, taking out a wodge of cash means the money is already spent.  A load of tenners in your pocket can last five minutes if you’re not careful.  If the physical presence of money makes you more likely to spend it, use your card when you can instead of taking out the cash.
  11. Do take out cash. For other people, using a card isn’t like spending money at all. If you fall into this trap, use the cash machine to take out a daily/weekly allowance and try sticking to it. When the lure of spending on the card is too great, don’t take it out with you. Then you can’t use it!
  12. Get a job. So many students need to work part time while they study. There’s nothing wrong with getting a job to make a bit extra. Work helps some people manage their time better, even if they end up with less time available.  That’s even more reason to consider a job.
  13. Don’t be stubborn…accept help. It’s not just Mum & Dad who can help. Generous family members may also want to boost your bank balance. Bursaries and hardship loans are also available at uni. Ask at uni if anything is available to you and check the government information on bursaries, scholarships and awards. Accepting help isn’t weak, it’s awesome. 🙂
  14. Don’t buy everything, even if you think you can.
  15. Consider every purchase carefully.
  16. Ask for a discount. Be willing to haggle. The worst outcome is simply being told ‘no’. In which case, walk away. No harm done!
  17. Use your NUS Extra card.
  18. Compare prices.
  19. Check the Web for reviews. Read them. Is it a good deal? Does it do what you want it to? Is a better version about to be released? Make sure all your questions are answered before you buy something.
  20. Use mysupermarket.co.uk and see if you can switch supermarkets to save money.
  21. Find vouchers. Vouchers and coupons are now hugely popular ways of saving money. If you don’t seek them out, you risk missing out on all sorts of bargains.
  22. Make MoneySavingExpert a regular destination. With a great list of vouchers, a regular money saving e-mail, a bot to find the cheapest MP3 music, and fantastic forums, I’m sure you’ll save loads. Just make sure you don’t spot too many good deals and buy everything just because it’s too good to miss. If you don’t need it, you can miss it!
  23. Do you really need to buy the latest edition of a textbook? If not, look for second hand bargain at AbeBooks, eBay, on campus book sales, and via your uni Intranet. Many people want to sell their old books when they’ve finished studying, so bargains are around.
  24. Sell your old books. Perhaps, like me, you want to keep your books. But if they’re now surplus to requirements, why not sell them to the next lot of students coming through? Even if you bought the books second hand yourself, selling them back on could be even more cost effective. Everyone’s a winner!
  25. Club together on a big purchase. If several of you can benefit from an item, try and work out a way of splitting the cost. This may not be practical, but it’s worth a thought.
  26. Swap stuff. You don’t want something, but your friend would love it.  Maybe you’ll find something valuable to you that your friend doesn’t want.
  27. Be Freegle! Give away what you don’t want and find freebies in your local area.  Sign up for regular e-mails offering all sorts of goodies…furniture, books, sports equipment, clothes, all sorts!  Before you can grab a free item, you need to offer one item first.  I think that’s fair enough.
  28. Consider renting expensive goods for one-off uses. It’s fine to buy something expensive if you’re making a relatively long-term investment.  But when you’re unlikely to use it more than once, see if you can rent it instead.  Do make sure the rental cost isn’t *too* high, otherwise it misses the point somewhat.
  29. Borrow stuff. Another cheap idea, because borrowing is free (unless your mate is out to make a quick buck).  Why bother keeping up with all your friends, when you can make use of their splashing of the cash?  Friends are unlikely to turn you down when you want to borrow something, unless you’re not good at remembering to give stuff back…

photo by HowardLake

photo by HowardLake

Future of HE funding matters to everyone

With an independent review of HE funding under way, what better time for Universities UK to have a funding conference, Who Pays?

What came out of today’s conference was quite worrying, given the number of speakers in favour of increasing fees and even introducing variable fees.

Thank goodness Wes Streeting was there to argue the case away from fees.  Wes is current President of the National Union of Students (NUS). He argued against a fees-based system, suggesting instead a type of graduate tax that NUS has published a Blueprint on.  It has been argued that some graduates would pay more through that graduate tax than under the current system of fees. However, the Blueprint is based on a future where the only real argument right now is for much higher fees that would cost a lot more to students than the Blueprint proposes.  Lift the cap on fees and that makes the NUS Blueprint even more tempting.

I’ve already argued in the past that the NUS Blueprint is a great way to open up the debate on funding.  If there are better alternatives, a lot of people are willing to listen.  So far, much of the debate is focused on making changes to the current system, rather than introducing a different way of funding altogether.

I don’t know how long the videos from the conference are available for, but you can find the whole talk from Wes at the Policy Review TV site (along with all other talks).  But I want to highlight one piece of the talk: the future of HE funding will have an impact on more than future students.  This is an issue for the wider public.

Here’s a bit of what Wes had to say:

“It should be obvious that asking students to pay more at such a difficult time would be regressive and damaging to the economy in the short term and the long term, when the huge added debts really impact on pensions, and the housing market, and the next generation of families. So this is no longer a question of what happens to Britain’s universities, it’s a question of what happens to Britain and what happens to our society and why this debate matters more to the general public than it has done hitherto.

“Not only that but crucial and very pertinent questions about quality and value for money will immediately become dominant. I have seen no evidence that quality has improved since 2006. And be in no doubt as you argue that students should plug the funding gap that’s increasingly arising, tomorrow’s students will not be willing to pay more for less, nor should they be asked to do so.

“That’s precisely why, in this politically vexatious debate, NUS will be taking the debate out to the general public.”

I wish the NUS every success in making such an important issue known by the public.  That should really help stop the silence regarding fees and get the debate going before the funding review needs to report and, crucially, before the general election takes place.  After the election will be too late.  The public deserve a greater say and a greater understanding as soon as possible.