“I’m living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart.”
– E. E. Cummings (1894 – 1962)
As a student, I don’t expect to have an abundance of money. I’m not saying that I savour every last penny of my loan, or that I am in any way sensible with the small amount of earnings I make. The tuition fee debate over the last 12 months has sparked a lot of controversy, and many people are angry about this – most of us know that politicians stretch the truth as far its elasticity will allow. Nick Clegg, I am talking about you (again). You have lied to us, and we are hurt. The worst part is, it is, and always will be us that have to pay. Nick Clegg will never know the heartbreak of telling his children that he simply can’t afford to put them through University. Recently it has been announced that many Universities will be charging the full £9,000 for fees, that was supposedly going to be reserved for “very special circumstances”. Clearly old polytechnics up and down the country are just that.
As the second year of my degree draws to a close, I don’t have to worry about these extra charges. I feel deeply for those that do. I know smart, brilliant people who will now not be attending University because the fees are too high. People that wanted to become doctors, people that given the chance want to be able to help other people. I, like many others, am angry, because this is extortion and because there is nothing we can but recess into a deeper class divide. My fees will total roughly £10,000 when I leave education, which is a lot of money. I came into this with open eyes, and I was fully aware of the charges I faced. The main issue for me? The fact that nothing works.
The University I currently attend has announced that from September 2012, the full £9,000 a year will be charged. At the moment, £3,225 is ridiculous. I went into the library on Wednesday, to print an essay. When I arrived, I discovered that the servers were down, which meant I could not access the internet, which included the email with my 3,500 words in. I could, and should, have backed it up – problem solved. Except none of the printers were connected to anything, which meant it wouldn’t have made any difference. On Friday, I went back in to print something totally different out, only to find that the problem hadn’t been solved and there was not one printer in the entire building that worked. Today, Monday, I called the finance office to see if I could obtain a letter to give to the bank, and how long this would take to process. I was told that I could go in today and pick it up there and then. When I arrived, I was informed that the servers were still down, and even if they weren’t it would take until Wednesday morning to process. And that is only if the network is back up and running. I know that you can’t expect everything to work all the time, and given the amount of usage and pressure the systems are exposed to, it is only a matter of time before something breaks. However, with 18,000 students, each paying on average £3,000 a year, you’d think that they would be able to afford to get somebody in to fix things faster. Apparently, this is not the case. Had this been an isolated incident, it would be a slight annoyance. Add to unavailable tutors, disruptive building works and extra charges for societies – I’d like my money back please? I know I’ll only spend it on shoes and bags that I don’t really need, but at least I’ll be able to enjoy it.
I am aware its been a while, so just to cheer things up; in other news and in true British fashion, I’d quite like the weather to make its mind up – scarves and sunglasses is a very hard look to pull off. I’ve got less than a week left of year two, and it would be nice if for at least some of it could be spent in a beer garden! Very excited for Rob Brydon on Friday; slightly concerned that they’ve called to ask if I’ve got any funny stories. I’m sure I have plenty, but I’m not certain how many of them are suitable for broadcasting. I have discovered that Bruce Forsyth will be the main guest for the event. Glastonbury is just over 5 weeks away, and I still do not own a tent or any wellies. I have an income now though, so I shouldn’t have any problems getting it sorted!
mydisgustinghabit 