Gold Paper Petition
18 Mar 2017
The campus UCU and UNISON branches and the Students’ Union have united to draft the Gold Paper, a document opposing destructive changes across higher education including the Higher Education bill currently making its way through parliament and highlighting the need for Goldsmiths to oppose these changes and to continue to represent and enact critical enquiry, social justice, creative practice and innovative teaching.
1 Inquiry into College Mental Health Crisis: An urgent inquiry into the mental health crisis on campus; a commitment to increased funding for counselling and a re-structuring of services based on a consultation process with both staff and students.
2. Housing Justice: In line with the ongoing student rent strike, we demand that rent in Student Halls of Residence be cut to 50% of the average student maintenance loan and that the Halls of Residence are brought up to the minimum housing standard stipulated by the housing charity Shelter.
3. Democratisation of College Governance: At least 50% of Council should be elected by staff and students at Goldsmiths. Alongside this, the Warden’s open meetings should be turned into a genuinely democratic forum to which all staff and students can bring motions and debates that, if passed, have to be acted on. Timetables should be organised so that all can attend and Assembly attendance should be reflected in AL and fractional contracts.
