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INKYTEXT 299
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CLOSURE OF MITCHELL'S BREWERY
Issue No 299 Friday 4 June 1999
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Editorial correspondence should be sent to InkyText@lancaster.ac.uk
Subscription requests to Inkytext-distribution-request@lists.lancaster.ac.uk
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MENU
Minutes, Amendments, Matters arising
1. Editorial: On Information
2. News: Retirement, Pilkington Awards, Suzette Heald, John McGovern, Unison
pay ballot, UMAG, AUT action, Nurse-led health unit, Introducing SPR,
Mitchell's Brewery Closure.
3. Inkytext Works Outing Diary [Held Over]
4. Physics Relay, 1999: Results and Report
5. Small Ads and Events: Room to let, Kawasaki ZZR, Folding Camper, Summer
Mentors wanted, Kosovo Peace Campaign, Prop Forward sought, Art Degree
Show, Global Resistance and Permanent Revolution, Campus Flat to let.
6. Readers' Letters: Best bit as usual.
MINUTES, AMENDMENTS, MATTERS ARISING
------------------------------------
BENJAMIN SANREY (Lyon), already nearly 3 weeks old, is still in an
incubator but being fed his mother's milk. The operation to link his
bowel, intestine, stomach and pancreas has been an outstanding success.
By last week he had overtaken his birthweight (1.7 kilos) and he is now
over 2 kilos.
KOSOVO ACADEMIC APPEAL: Michael Jackson is happy to help coordinate
collection for this. He can be contacted at 01524 823 573 or by e-mail
at mike-de-hest@talk21.com
NORTH-WEST EURO-ELECTION CANDIDATES with a university connection
include (as well as Tim Farron and Prof John Fitzgibbon Whitelegg) Lord
Inglewood, from Hutton-in-the-Forest near Penrith, the old Etonian
former Tory MEP leader and later National Heritage minister who used to
be an assiduous Court attender and took part in a memorable Debating
Society event where he attempted to oppose the Editor. He tops the
Conservative list and is certain of election, unlike Economics senior
lecturer John Whittaker, who tops the UK Independence Party list.
BEST WISHES TO OUR INTREPID CROSS COUNTRY travellers, now a week into
their expedition. Huge amounts have been raised already for St John's
Hospice and the Macmillan Unit. Sign a sponsorship sheet at the Post
Office or stick your notes into the bottles on campus bar counters.
Grizedale's gang follow shortly on their race around to scale the peaks
of three nations.
1. EDITORIAL: ON INFORMATION
----------------------------
'Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien' (trying to do better can conflict with
doing well) is a French saying of which one has been regularly reminded
in recent years by officialdom's fatuous obsession with 'excellence'.
Excellence is logically and etymologically a superlative notion, which
is why the concept of 'excellence for all' is an absurdity. Worse:
striving for an alleged excellence that purports to be objectively
definable encourages one to overlook those messy, time-consuming,
immediate and individual problems that hinder the quest for excellence.
Not everyone can be excellent, by definition, but all can be helped to
be good, or at least better than they are, even if that means learning
to muddle through ad hocly and somehow get things done more or less in
time. Which is what this journal does.
These thoughts were prompted on learning that last week's UMAG had had
a presentation from the Librarian et al. on 'the need for a corporate
aproach to developing an information strategy and for definition of
institutional and faculty specific requirements to enable its
delivery'. Having some interest and experience if not in Info Science
at least in Info Arts, I winced and closed my eyes.
Soon after her arrival 4 years ago, the new Librarian exercised her
professional interest in Information Science by producing a lengthy
paper proposing the engagement of a graduate from Twente University in
the Netherlands to produce a survey of our information needs. Other
events supervened. On his appointment as Pro-VC, Professor Davies
undertook in a different way an investigation into the information
needs of our community.
It is not clear that anything at all has come of these two
initiatives, nor how long it might take to for something concrete to
emerge from the new one. Professor Ritchie, now completing the fourth
year of his incumbency, has failed to understand the urgency of these
matters, or else feels that the creation of Vickytext and Donnatext
satisfy all conceivable official internal needs and is willing to rely
on the goodwill of SCAN and this journal for anything else.
This journal will be persuaded of our management's interest in
information when it manages to produce a weekly cyclostyled sheet, or
merely a website, to soak up some of the quasi-commercial ads for which
there is clearly overwhelming demand and which bedevil the life of the
editor. Or perhaps merely to do things like ask health centre patients
what they think of the nurse-led unit.
It does not inspire confidence to learn that, after four years, UMAG
has now invited 'the Information Strategy group to quantify the
resources needed and the phased time scale for implementataion of the
next steps' but that 'no guarantee of available resources could be
given.'
2. NEWS
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BEST WISHES TO BILL CHRISTIAN (Conferences) whose retirement do takes
place today, Friday 4th June at 12.30pm in the Conference Centre. All
welcome. A presentation will be made to Bill by Euan McGregor at 1pm.
MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY WAINE (German) AND STEVE PUMFREY
(History) who are this year's winners of the Pilkington Awards for
teaching.
CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES to Suzette Heald (Sociology) on her
appointment to a chair in anthropology at Brunel University.
BEST WISHES TO JOHN MCGOVERN who is to become Director of Marketing
and Recruitment in the Academic Division. His brief will cover all
aspects of overseas promotion and recruitment. John will continue with
IELE pro tem and arrangements have been made to enable him to carry
both responsibilities until he can transfer fully to Administration.
UNISON PAY OFFER: Lancaster University Branch members were recently
balloted on whether to accept the 3.5% pay offer. The result was that
the offer should be accepted. 170 responses were received, with 155
voting to accept the offer and 15 voting to reject it.
AN LAUT GENERAL MEETING was held at lunchtime yesterday. Very
disappointing attendance (about 30 according to one report). A motion
calling on the national executive of the AUT to propose coordinated
national activities was proposed by Professor Smith and readily
adopted. It was felt that this would encourage a wider response, since
otherwise isolated withdrawal from examining, TQA, RAE and other
actions might be feared damaging to the individuals and departments
concerned.
[NOTE: It is understood that reference was made to this journal. It is
NOT, repeat NOT, the view of this journal that the LAUT executive may
not be representative of the membership as a whole. That was, on the
contrary, the view expressed by some members of the executive itself
and merely reported here. If correct, it would also be unexceptionable
and true of many similar bodies. Being unaware of the membership of
LAUT it is not possible for outsiders to have any view on the matter. A
list of exec members can be found at
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/aut/executive.htm (Ed.)]
UMAG'S WEDNESDAY MORNING MEETING with Deans and other budget holders
(Library, ISS, etc.) discussed the salary-capping proposed and how
easily each area would be able to cope with the cuts in its budget
indicated for each of the next three years. It seems likely that each
will have claimed to be able to muddle through this time round but not
to be able to cope at all with the cuts proposed for 2000-01 and
2001-2002. Fears in some quarters that this will lead to a new balloon
game with renewed whisper campaigns for the clinical excision
of some entire academic area.
LAUT EXECUTIVE MET YESTERDAY at 17.00 to discuss further local action
in support of the pay claim. A list of excellent suggestions from the
Liverpool local executive is to be put to members. It is expected that
some activity will focus around degree ceremonies.
[NOTE: Given that any ultimate improved offer will emanate from or via
UCEA, it seems that practical short-term action might usefully be
geared to persuading the VC to use any influence he may have over
colleagues who take part in that body's decision-making processes,
including his friend the Liverpool VC who is chair. Views differ on
whether embarrassment caused by pay campaign activities surrounding
degree ceremonies is more or less likely to sway him. Some feel that
Milosevician obduracy is a more likely response than capitulation.
(Ed.)]
NURSE-LED HEALTH UNIT: Last week's SCAN carried an informative piece
on this new unit, which we appear to have been bounced into outwith all
due consultative and constitutional decision-making features. It is
scheduled to take over the 24 hour nursing contracts of the health
centre on 1st August and start in October, prolly located above
Security in the present Careers area. It is not at all clear that
anything can change this. Can't Council or Senate have a say sometime?
LUSU Ed and Welfare officer Stephen Kettle expressed numerous cogent
concerns about the venture on both procedural and practical grounds,
noting that the nurses will not have access to patient records, and
that appointments will have to be booked via the Welfare one-stop-shop
on the ground floor of Univ House.
Nor is it clear whether staff can avail themselves of the new
facility, at present often the only way to obtain an appointment with
the doctor in under 4 days, a feature the new unit will presumably not
be able to offer. [Q: Are any of those who did the negotiating actually
health centre patients themselves?]
The Director of Student Welfare, Sylvia Brennan, is quoted as saying
'The consultative process is just starting. We haven't yet sat down and
worked out the details. We haven't been that open with it so far, but
the difficulty has been the negotiations between the University and the
Health Centre.' In understated recognition of potential confusion
between the two facilities she acknowledged 'We've got a job to do in
educating staff and students'. LUSU executive have already voted not to
take part in promoting the new unit.
INTRODUCING SPR: This is the official new acronym by which the former
TQA (Teaching Quality Assessment) is to be known now that it has been
taken over from HEFC(E) by the QAA (Quality Assessment Agency).
Nottalotta people know that. It _seems_ to stand for Subject/Programme
Review but haven't found anywhere that makes this terribly clear.
Excellent sites explaining the changes at Liverpool and Birkbeck.
KEELE JOBS: A splendid display ad for jobs at Keele in Tuesday's
Guardian proclaimed they were 'Laying the Foundations for the 21st
Century', which made the inclusion of a temporary lecturership in
visual arts from September to January seem mildly ironic. Perhaps the
chairs in English, International Relations and Geophysics will be more
permanent.
MITCHELL'S BREWERY is to stop brewing beer at the end of July but will
continue ownership of its managed-house estate. This brings to an end
centuries of independent brewing in Lancaster and the loss of 8 jobs.
It will create another development area in central Lancaster (behind
the Dukes Playhouse, on the site of the former brewers Yates and
Jackson which sold out some years ago. Another blow to CAMRA.
3. INKYTEXT WORKS OUTING DIARY
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[Held over]
4. PHYSICS RELAY 1999: RESULTS AND REPORT
-----------------------------------------
Position Team Time Corrected Ladies Mixed Age/Gender
1 Wannabe Doctors 17.26
2 SPACtech 18.01 17.20 1
3 Misfits 19.35 18.16 2
4 Geography Mixed 19.55 1
5 4-Momentum 20.29
6 Vorsprung Durch Technik 20.37 18.22 3
7 Chaplaincy Chaps 22.06
8 Chaplaincy Charmers 25.47 1
9 Registry Rockets 31.31 27.30 2 4
This year's race was slightly earlier than usual which have
contributed to a reduced entry. It rained both before and after so the
going was soft, which meant slower times than last year.
The Wannabe doctors were clear winners. They had left it it to the
last minute to enter, obviously to put other teams at a disadvantage.
Last year's winners, SPACtech were leading after the first leg but were
pushed back into second place, partly due to a fall on the second leg.
They still managed to pick up the age related prize. The Chaplaincy
ladies team made it two wins in a row, and Geography had a walkover in
the mixed category, but still expect to get their beer.
Best wishes to Frank Foster, the race founder, who had a bad cold, but
should be better in time for next year's race. Many thanks to all who
came including the helpers and timekeepers David, Dick, Gareth, Graham,
Mandy, Roger, and Tim. And especially to the organiser, Alex Finch.
Team prizewinners:
Open: Wannabe Doctors
Tim Lake, Richard Binns, John Weaver, Richard Rosing
Age/Gender: SPACtech
Ian Mercer, Martin Ward, Steve Holden, Choong Kooi Chee
Mixed: Geography Mixed
Jamie Pearce, Harriet Orr, Colin Pooley, Joanna Briggs
Ladies: Chaplaincy Charmers
Rebekah Eames, Anita Wilkins, Ann Oliver, Jenny Lenthall
5. SMALL ADS
------------
LARGE AIRY ROOM WITH VIEWS OF MOUNTAIN to let from September, sharing
a flat with one mature postgraduate male student. Central Lancaster.
160 GBP pcm, including most bills. Non-smoking preferred. For further
information Contact flat@christendomtrust.demon.co.uk or telephone
69756.
--------------
FOR SALE. J Reg' Kawasaki ZZR 600 D3. 14,500 miles. Taxed to August
1999. Tested to March 2000. 2 750 GBP. Please contact Graham on 01524
68875.
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RIGHT PROP FORWARD WANTED: The AUCH (Gers) Rugby Union Club (heart of
Armagnac) are seeking a 'pilier droit'. They can offer a flat, use of a
car and a good salary. Being in the top flight along with Brive and
Toulouse they want a good player and have a preference for
Britanniques. The president, a friend of Professor Quainton's from
student days, has appealed for help. Interested parties can telephone
the club at 00-33-5 62 05 06 96 or ask the editor for further info.
-------------
FOR SALE - CONWAY CHALLENGER FOLDING CAMPER 1990, Very good condition
with awning and electrics, 4 berth, cooker & sink unit, extras, 1200
GBP ono. Tel. (01524) 848104 after 6 pm.
---------------
CAMPUS FLAT TO LET: One-bedroomed flat to let from July to September.
Double bed, large patio. Rent 312 GBP per month. Apply Karen Dubois
tel. (5)92588.
---------------
MENTORS REQUIRED FOR SUMMER COLLEGE
Accommodation at Lancaster University may be available
The Summer College is a collaboration between Edge Hill, St Martins
College and Lancaster University. This five week access programme is
designed for students whose entry qualifications may not meet the
required standard because of family, personal, health or other
circumstances beyond their control.
We require enthusiastic and out-going undergraduate students to help
orientate the Summer College students to University life and to be
available to advise and help as necessary. You must have good
communication and interpersonal skills, as well as be familiar with
university facilities and procedures at Lancaster, Edge Hill or St
Martins College. Evening work will be required.
Hours: Average of 20 hours per week, (with some evening work). Hours
to vary depending on programme requirements and social activities
Pay: 4.50 per hour
Plus free university accommodation on campus for 5 (or 6) weeks.
Period: Sunday 4th July - Friday 6th August inclusive. Plus 2 days
training W/C 28 June. Closing Date: Friday 11th June 1999
For a full information pack and application form please contact Becky
Clarke, Summer College Assistant, D.C.E., Lonsdale College Tel: 592622
Email: r.j.clarke@lancaster.ac.uk
---------------
CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE IN THE BALKANS
Are you, too, increasingly angry at NATO's aggression in the Republic
of Yugoslavia as well as at the displacement of Kosovar Albanians?
Do you believe that war is not the only answer to conflict resolution?
Are you concerned by this government's growing hawkishness and
inability to permit/listen to dissenting voices?
Do you think that the 'new world order' is no more than the semantic
fig leaf for American neo-liberal imperialsm?
If you answer' yes ' to one or more of these questions and/or would
like to explore them more fully before you decide: come to the regular
Monday 7.30 pm meetings at Friends Meeting House (next to Station)
COME TO a 'teach-in' on Monday 7th June, place as above
JOIN THE ANTI-WAR VIGIL in Cheapside on Saturday 5 June
JOIN THE NATIONAL DEMO in London on Sat June 5; coach leaves
Lancaster bus station at 7.00 a.m. - tickets 10 pounds
For more info on the Lancaster Campaign for Peace in the Balkans
contact Romy Clark on 592402
--------------
ART DEPARTMENT FINAL DEGREE SHOW
Peter Scott Gallery & Art Department Studios
PREVIEW : 10th June, 6.30 - 9 p.m. Everyone welcome.
The Show runs from 11 - 23 June
Works are available for sale.
Opening hours: Monday - Friday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Thursday evenings 6 - 8.30 p.m.
Saturdays 12th & 19th June : 10 a.m. - 12 noon.
-----------------
PERMANENT REVOLUTION
10>2pm@The Warehouse
Wednsday 9th of June
Earlybirds tax of 2q
But it's 3q after 11
Sound--up & Mishmash
Others TBC. Vodka75p
All monies to June18
Day of Global Resist
ance & much Carnival
See www.j18.org info
Free -info/tea/fruit
videos and lots more
Please distribute me
-----------------
6. READERS' LETTERS
-------------------
Lucy Ryan's letter 'on behalf of all the LUSU executive' struck me as
being mildly touchy. She tells us that the executive (the strictly
informal term for the LUSU sabbaticals) are 'not at war, and [...] not
even arguing over the matter'. This must come as a relief to all those
who didn't so much as suggest that these things were happening. Yet, in
the next breath, Ms Ryan tells us that sabbatical opinion is 'so
divided on the issue [...] that we ourselves should not make a decision
[...] but rather, in the interests of democracy should refer the matter
to Union Council for a decision [...]'
I can only applaud this honesty but the rest of Ms Ryan's letter is
far from satisfactory as an account of the reasons for the lack of a
LUSU position. I find the explanation of why no Union Council vote
could be held a little incredible.
Lucy Ryan tells us that the next meeting of Union Council was the
following Thursday (27th May). If LUSU still holds Union Council
meetings every fortnight, this puts the date of the last meeting at
Thursday 13th May. Given that the AUT ballot results came through on
Wednesday 12th, and that the 25th was the likely date, it strikes me as
peculiar, to say the least, that the strike could not be discussed.
This is not a matter of being too late for the agenda - there is ample
provision in the procedures for emergency discussions and votes. Indeed,
past Union Councils have had no difficulty with impromptu discussions
and votes when it comes to impeaching sabbatical officers.
The most extraordinary remark in Ms Ryan's letter comes just as she
bemoans LUSU's inability to make its mind up, thus: '[...] I think we
all consider that making a decision over such an issue when opinion is
far from unanimous would not be in the best interests of democracy.' I
take it from this revealing slip that LUSU is only capable of making
the easy decisions, when everybody is happy and unanimous.
Nick Bardsley
---------------------------
Thanks for putting the County ad top. Best wishes to the human
resource on its works outing. Hope it returns fully recharged.
Martin Widden
[Pas de quoi - tout le plaisir est pour moi. (Ed.)]
----------------------------
What does it matter if professors are male or female so long as they
do a good job? We are in danger of being flooded in the future anyway,
thanks to the number of women in academe already specialising in
'Womens' Studies' whatever that is, with hundreds of females who won't
be able teach anything else!
Rosemary Anderson
-------------------------------
If we assume actual NW Eurovotes will be in the proportion used in the
example in IT298, the nearest main town to the residences of the
likely winners and (next in lines) will be:
Labour GLOSSOP, BOLTON , WIGAN, WARRINGTON, WORKINGTON, (PRESTON)
Cons. PENRITH, PRESTON, LONDON, CHORLEY, (LONDON)
LibDem OLDHAM, (LIVERPOOL)
Green (LANCASTER)
The main purpose of the European Parliament seems to be to turn the
gravy boat towards one's constituents. Remembering that your vote can
only affect the margins, those not having family ties in Workington,
Preston, Chorley ,London, Oldham or Liverpool may get some message from
this analysis.
Michael Jackson
Hest Bank
------------------------------
There are a great many of staff and students undertaking research,
teaching and courses in the areas of culture and media at Lancaster
University.
This area of strength is apparent in the existence of The Institute of
Cultural Research, The Centre for the Study of Environmental Change, The
Institute of Women's Studies, Culture, Media and Communication &
American Studies, as well as in the research interests of those based
in larger departments such as Sociology, English, History, Politics,
Law, Religious Studies, Theatre Studies, Art, Music and others.....
The caricature Lou Armour paints, (based an incident which didn't
occur) of media and cultural related studies, is not only incorrect,
but is likely to irritate a large and diverse body of academics and
students working and studying in these fields, as well as those of us
working directly in the degree schemes and departments you intimate
towards.
It may be worth Dr Armour considering this before using deleted
expletives so freely in the future. As for next year's A-level
students, they seem to want to study Culture and Media, 350 of them
have applied to CMC for 30 places and as far as I am aware CMC has the
largest Part One course in the University.
Imogen Tyler
Touchy-feely, girlie Director of the Culture, Media and Communication
Degree.
[NOTE: I do agree with much of what you say, of course, but I do
believe an incident not dissimilar to that described may indeed have
taken place. Remember that Dr Armour is a former soldier, once with the SAS,
for which much can be forgiven. (Ed.)]
---------------------------------