We have all heard the stereotypical view of students, and to be honest, it’s getting a tad boring. The last thing I expected, however, was to read an article in Buzz, ‘the University of Birmingham’s award winning magazine’, which does nothing to challenge this view.
In an article written by the University marketing team, exploring the impact the University has on the community and promoting the upcoming Community Day, Students are portrayed as lazy and ‘bleary-eyed’. Nothing is said of the students who volunteer with student groups, academic student representatives, external volunteering projects, or Guild Councilors, who all make a remarkable impact on the campus, local and wider community. Nothing of the student led volunteering projects, such as LINKS who volunteer first aid at local events, Carnival who raise thousands of pounds for local charities or Kids Adventure who need to fundraise £20,000 each year to fund exciting adventure holidays for local children from disadvantaged backgrounds. And nothing of all the other amazing students who volunteer or perform in local schools, on local conservation projects, organize children’s play schemes and activities, offer support and advice to other students, and much more. In fact, nothing that even suggests that students volunteer or play a positive role in the community at all.
‘Events such as...our huge outdoor parties, such as Valefest, with their accompanying noise, can stretch on well past midnight’. Nothing is mentioned about Vale Festival being a student-led music festival which aims to raise the awareness of, and raise around £25,000 each year for, various environmental issues.
The ‘Selly Oak Wardens’ are given a mention, but nothing of the students who instead of getting a part-time job just anywhere, apply for a job which contributes back to the community and works hard to make Selly Oak a great place to live for students and residents.
As an elected representative to champion the fantastic work our students do, I am really disappointed by this representation of our students, who yes, may go out until the early hours having fun, but who also work tirelessly and unselfishly for the community in which they live and even further afield. Dance Club Latino, BUDS, STAR, Kids Adventure, Infinity Stage Company, Article19, Carnival, Purple Mermaid Circus, Community Wardens, Saturday Morning Play Scheme and GMTG have all committed to putting on performances, workshops and activities at the Community Day in June, volunteering their time to engage with the local community and make the University's event a day to remember. This was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the University of Birmingham student's achievements and efforts to University staff, which, unfortunately, has been missed.
For the full article, please find it on p7 here: http://www.newscentre.bham.ac.uk/buzz/4768_Buzz_122_AW.pdf
Please comment about how you feel students contribute to the community, or any general comments.
Leaving Speech
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*More or less as delivered to Guild Council on 14th June 2010*
To me, this is a room and a building full of ghosts.
There was a time I could name almost ev...
13 years ago
Comments on Facebook so far:
ReplyDelete"Very disappointing - they do allude to what students get up to, but they have completely missed the essence of what those students who do choose to get involved achieve and give back to the community"
"I have to say I am a bit more than appalled by the University marketing team..."
"Well we best use the community open day to challenge that view ourselves."
"It also misrepresents how much work is involved just getting a degree too. I've heard of some courses where you can get away with sleeping until lunchtime, but haven't had too much opportunity to try it myself!
BTW - nice coup for the Lib Dems in that edition of Buzz. Bit dodgy from the Uni's perspective though?"
"Grrrr this has upset me a lot! Im really quite angry. Surely any impact a building is going to have on the community has got to come from the people in it - us, the students.
Well said on all you said Emma, I am 100% behind you whatever you decide to do. Im a little embarassed that's in my uni's magazine."
"A fantastic blog here Emma and I totally agree with you.
What is more annoying about what the University has said is that although they do not mention anything good of what students have done, and yet they support and contribute to the Guild Awards which recognises the great things that students do, the majority of which is unpaid and like you said, gives something back to the city that hosts them and their 'antics' as the university has put it.
It also annoys me that the University simply dismiss students in such a way, but then again a University IS FOR STUDENTS! I feel that the University need to find a balance on how they speak of us. High schools and colleges would never do such a thing, so why should one of the UKs leading higher education institutions?..."
"Many of us students work far longer hours than a standard 9-5 job, fitting in community work around our university degrees, as well as part time work. And we still manage to fit all that in and wake up later on some days!
And if that Vale Fest comment in Buzz was meant to be a light hearted compliment...the author of the article has totally missed... See more the point of the festival! Sure its a big party but like Emma said, so much money and awareness is raised!
Thanks for standing up for us students Emma :)"
"I have to say I am a bit more than appalled by the University marketing team... See more’s ignorance regarding Student community impact. Or even worse they choose not to include it in this article to justify the paid role they, and thousands of others have at the University, while hundreds of Students volunteer their own time to give back to society.
ReplyDeleteThis article especially upsets me considering I am part of a Student Group which does give a huge amount back to the community, and was short listed twice at the Guild Awards 2010 for our achievements. I am part of Infinity Stage Company and we are the only Charitable Drama Society at the University of Birmingham. There are 9 of us on the committee, each working tirelessly towards a goal of donating as much money as possible to our chosen charity for the year. We do this by putting on at least three student productions each academic term alongside fundraising to hit our target. We also encourage all students at the University to get involved in our drama productions and in the volunteering opportunities and partnerships we have built up over the years in the local area. Last year we donated £5000 to Barnardo’s Birmingham which was an amazing achievement! This year our chosen charity is Cerebral Palsy Midlands, who are based in Harborne.
http://www.infinitystagecompany.co.uk/"
"Go LINKS (St John Ambulance) lol! Seriously, this is a great blog, please go kick some ass on behalf of all the students who spend thousands of hours of their time volunteering for others, as well as studying for a degree and working in part time jobs!"
ReplyDelete"Emma, I think it's great that you've spotted this, that you're so indignant, and that you've drawn so many students' attention to it - it shows how much you care about your job and the students you represent.
However, it's all very well writing a blog or posting something on Facebook for students to see, but are you (or any of the other sabbs) going to take the University to task over this?"
I think the response to this article has been a huge over reaction. I'm an active student at Birmingham who has been part of numerous student groups within the Guild; yet I have no qualms about the portrayal of students as 'bleary-eyed’. The article only plays on the sterotype that a great deal of students get up late morning and mentions nothing about students being lazy per se. Unfortunately, not all students are motivated to volunteer in student groups and thus the label is arguably deserved. In any case, the article is not about 'the students who volunteer with student groups, academic student representatives, external volunteering projects, or Guild Councilors, who all make a remarkable impact on the campus, local and wider community', it is about the place of the university within the city. To take an anecdotal comment out of context and twist it is, in my view highly, unprofessional behaviour of a Guild representative. The Guild and the university should be working together on issues such as the community; to come out and blog about it, rather than discuss it with the author internally doesn't seem productive at all.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
ReplyDeleteThanks for you interesting comment. I completely agree that writing a blog is not enough on its own, and I am sorry you feel I have twisted the comments out of context. However as a student representative I feel it is important to highlight issues such as these with the student body, and from being privileged enough to work supporting and encouraging the remarkable activities our students partake in, I do not feel students are not given enough credit in the slightest. Your right, not all students do get involved, but some devote hour after hour and don’t ask for anything in return. However to then have an article that completely ignores the impact our students have on the community, is unacceptable. The image of students will not matter to some individuals, such as yourself, however this does matter to others, and I will support and champion them in any way I can. You will be pleased to hear that working with the University is a priority for all the Sabbatical Officers, and I have been speaking to the University Marketing and Communications office today, who were sincerely apologetic at any offence caused and explained this was not their intention. They have offered for the Guild to write an article about the impact of students on the community and the fantastic work they do for the next issue, which is a huge achievement and well-deserved recognition for our students. I have also contacted the Community Day event organiser, and the President and I have addressed these issues with the Vice Chancellor David Eastwood. The article is about the impact the University has on the community. There would not be a University without it’s students, and yet they haven’t been recognised in this article. The article is also promoting the upcoming Community Day, which the Guild have been an integral partner in organising activities to showcase the work of our students, and engage the community in activities they can benefit from. So I in light of this, I do feel that student groups, academic student representatives, external volunteering projects, and Guild Councillors are all relevant, as they all impact on the community. The bottom line is, the article needn’t go into detail about the activities of our students, however it should recognise that students do positively contribute to the community, and not tarnish all students with the same, stereotypical brush.
Emma
Firstly, contrary to what you claim, I do care about how students are portrayed and make an effort myself to not be the sterotypical student who fails to take advantage of the opporunities that the Guild and student groups afford. To claim that 'The image of students will not matter to some individuals, such as yourself' is personally offensive and I suggest you think about wording your blog replies more carefully in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that volunteer groups do not get enough praise for their work. However, that will not be changed by a comment in an article in Buzz (Have you thought that you can be bleary eyed and having woken up a lunch time without being lazy, perhaps having spent a week with Kids Adventure or having produced a play the night before as part of the Infinity Stage Company...). Similarly, the sterotype of the 'lazy' student will persist despite all your best efforts. As such, perhaps it is appropriate to treat the article and the author with a little more respect to think that he, as Marketing and Communications officer, would want to disparage the university's students in any way.
You may think you are right in championing the student groups in any way you can, but if such support causes friction between the Guild and then university, it could be argued that you are going too far.
I'm really disappointed with Ben's comments on this blog. I do not feel that the label is 'arguably deserved' as not all students are involved in volunteering and community projects - by attending events and contributing to fundraising almost every student is involved in some way in supporting such projects regardless of whether they are a member of a student group.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone on campus could have avoided seeing the amazing work done by two students in raising £5000+ for Haiti this year even if they are not involved directly with a student group and are 'bleary-eyed' in the morning.
The Vale Festival is referred to in the article as a 'party' and does not even mention that it raises thousands of pounds for charity, or that the Selly Oak Community wardens are all students and last year cleared over 60 tonnes of rubbish from Selly Oak in the summer. I would argue that almost all students have been to the Vale Festival throughout their time at University and yet the charitable function of the festival is completely overlooked in the article.
The Guild of Students gives students the opportunity to work within the community, something which the University itself does not offer, and so to say that the University and Guild should be working together on this would necessitate the University first recognising the brilliant work already done by students. This has clearly not been achieved by the article, and I think it's important that Sabbatical Officers make public the misrepresentation of students as Buzz is only circulated amongst staff and so this view of students could have been portrayed with students left unawares.
I know I am reiterating points made by other students and by Emma already but it just frustrates me that students continue to be ignored by the University when it would not have a 'place within the city' without such students.
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry if I caused offence to you, that was not my intention at all. I was actually trying to agree with you that not all students are involved, and even those that are may not mind how they are portrayed to staff within the University, however some are. Once again, apologies.
Please don't be concerned that the University and Guild aren't working together, as we are, and extremely well. The University and Guild can still work together whilst not always having to agree - take top up fees as another very timely example. The Sabbatical role is to represent students at all levels and not be afraid to challenge views which are detrimental to what the University and the Guild are both trying to achieve at a strategic level.
Thank you for your comments
Emma
I am not sure an official university article that discusses local communities perceptions of our University should even risk reinforcing a negative stereotype of its student cohort. When i read the comment about students making it in around lunch time i certainly did not take that to mean "students have produced a play the night before as part of the Infinity Stage ". Although i am certain that the University would never intentionally disparage its students, i feel that it has definitely played up to the negative sterotype of students with that comment. Someone mentioned above that this stereotype will persist, and to some extent i agree with this view but is it acceptable for our own university to portray us in that light? The answer to this is clear.
ReplyDeleteI am heavily involved with volunteering myself and i feel that just because students chose not to volunteer it doesn’t mean that the tag is "arguably deserved". How many times have students had it in the neck from someone for being lazy and a "tax dodger". I won’t discuss how hard most of students actually work in order to obtain their degrees.
To dismiss Vale Fest as a big party and uses the event to highlight a negative impact the university has on the local community its very disrespectful and day i say it, very ignorant.
My main issue i take with the wording of the article is that the author has needlessly turned an attempt at a really positive article into one in which it negatively portrays students in a bad light. Someone wrote above that taking an anecdotal comment out of context and twisting it is, in their view highly, is unprofessional behaviour of a Guild representative. I would argue that making the anecdotal comment, likely to offend students in the first place is unprofessional, ill advised and i don’t actually feel that anything is being twisted here by this Sabbatical officer.
Well Done Emma, I completely agree with you and congratulations on getting another article about student effort - some well deserved recognition.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is Ben, as you pointed out the article does not refer to what students do in their student groups, community wardens etc etc - any article about Birmingham Univeristy's place in the community SHOULD be saying these things and I for one am a tad embarassed that it doesn't. Without the community wardens working in our communuity, volunteers groups like COMAC and conservation volunteers making our community better place to be, the shows put on for anyone who wants to come see, the activities and holidays put on for the kids of the area by Kids adventure, the students being of incredible benefit to the elderly in buddy-a-granny schemes,Carnival raising thousands of £ss for charity flying the Brum flag, the massive bonus to schools our students are through their volunteering, things like Intervol doing amazing things and in doing so showing the world how awesome and how much Brum Uni cares about people less well-off then ourselves. We are of massive benefit to the community in areas from sport to playschemes, autism to leaukemia, learning to playing. We involve, teach and care.
Any article about Brum University in the community has to mention these things, for without these things going on, it's just a fabulous building. We get the Univeristy of Birmingham out there making the difference to the community and for our own univeristy not to recognise that makes me uber sad.
Well done Emma xxx
Facebook comments from students:
ReplyDelete"I'm am totally upset by the following comment:
Events such as...our huge outdoor parties, such as Valefest, with their accompanying noise, can stretch on well past midnight’.
ValeFestival take our noise levels very seriously, and aim to keep all noise levels to a minimum whilst sound checking before the day and during set down. Which is very hard for the size of festival we are!... See more
And as I see it, the comment may be implying that noise levels go on well past 00:00. This is not true, in any way! We are legaly obligated not to play any out door amplified music after 10pm through courtesy to our wonderful neighbours! Although the afterparty which Shackleton hosts can carry onto 2am, the noise levels are their own responsibility, and it is no different to the sound levels which are encountered every Friday and Saturday nights in Bar 1, which can often go on for much longer!
Vale Festival has been a huge part of my live throughout University and I resent anyone calling me a 'lazy', 'bleary-eyed' student. We work all year to put on an amazing event and carry on a summer 'tradition'. (as our university seriously lack them) Yes, I would say Vale Fest was a tradition, though new, it is now a Tradition an if it wasn't there not only students would be upset, the university would also be let down because it gets them so much good press, and also we would be dissapointing those who could be benefiting from the money we raise.
But, I know this quote has just been singled out here, but I would like to extend my gratitude to all those other student groups that make the event happen , without you, the festival would not be as diverse as it is. Thankyou!"
"I resent the comment about Valefest's 'accompanying noise' carrying on into the early hours - it seems unnecessary in a sentence that seems otherwise as though it's intended as a compliment. It's description as just a 'party' is also highly unjust considering everything else that goes into and comes out of it.
Glad to hear about the apology though, and congrats on the efforts!"
"Emma, I think it's great that you've spotted this, that you're so indignant, and that you've drawn so many students' attention to it - it shows how much you care about your job and the students you represent.
However, it's all very well writing a blog or posting something on Facebook for students to see, but are you (or any of the other sabbs) going to take the University to task over this?"
I think I'm more surprised by the debate in the comments here than I am about the University reinforcing negative stereotypes!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Clare in that the label is not 'arguably deserved' at all - and I find it hard to believe that any student can 'have no qualms' about finding their Uni endorsing such negative views of the student body.
If the article had mentioned any of the wonderful things students and student groups do to counteract the comment, then I highly doubt we'd be having this discussion at all!
Thanks for highlighting this Emma - you certainly haven't gone 'too far' in bringing this up. :)
|| Sam
I can't believe that people are neglecting the fact that the paragraph after the mention of 'bleary eyed' says 'we give a lot back', 'whether people are even aware of the good work we do?' and shortly after 'We know what we do,but does our community know or care?'. How can people claim, having supposedly read the article, that the piece neglects to 'recognis(e) the brilliant work already done by students'. The article is about the common misconception of the university within the local community, who may not know the wealth of good students do. More than that, the piece attempts to address it. Just because it doesn't list the work that student activities specifically do does not mean that it is not supportive of the work we as students do.
ReplyDeleteEmma, I just wondered why you didn't try to speak with the author directly before putting up a blog post? Would it not have been better to discuss the matter with Mr Straw first. If he then suggested via email or in a face to face meetign that students were lazy and the like, then the blog post would have been appropriate. As it stands, you seem to have inflamed the situation without considering other options first.
Hi again Ben,
ReplyDeletePlease be assured that a blog post is just one of the options open to respond to such a situation. My intention was to raise the article the very next day at the Community Day meeting, as this is an article promoting the Community Day and therefore has bigger implications, at which the author is present. The meeting was unfortunately cancelled, however I have spoken to the Community Day project lead and the Marketing and Communications Office, as well as the Vice Chancellor. I have also offered for the author or the marketing team to write a response or comment to publish on my blog and to students, which I am currently waiting for. It is quite clear that this article is not maliciously intended, but it has neglected to simply acknowledge the contribution students make to the community, and has undermined the efforts of student volunteers who work extremely hard to organise a fantastic charity event. As I have mentioned before, I am here to represent students and keep them informed about issues which affect them, which this issue clearly does. As this is an article which is accessible to not only staff, but students, the community and the wider public, I feel I am justified in expressing my concerns about the article, whilst simultaneously working with the University to ensure this does not happen again. We are now currently drafting an article about the student impact on the community, which recognises and portrays our students as they deserve. If by inflamed you mean that students have had their attention drawn to an article which involves them, and they have expressed their opinions which are now being acknowledged by the University, I think this is only a good thing. This is giving students a voice about something which many feel very strongly about. This isn't about individuals, this is about a simple recognition of students contribution to the community.
Kind Regards,
Emma