I’d Like a Refund Please

“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!

Get Me Some Twigs and a Pen Knife.

Bank holiday weekends are wonderful. I’ve always been in the kind of job that means you don’t get to enjoy them, and makes them worse than regular weekends – but being a student bum has totally changed that. Two bank holiday weekends in the space of two weeks? Magical. I can only hope all of yours are as wonderful as this:I wish I could tell you where it was taken. We started off in Dunster, and ended up in Lynmouth (which is the quaintest, most beautiful seaside town I have ever seen) and this was on a toll road somewhere along the way. When I say toll road, I mean that there was a man stood outside his house in a shed attached to a gate, charging people £2.50 for the privilege. Worth every penny, not only for the amazing scenery, I also got to play with my camera a bit more. I bought an Olympus E-PL1 in November last year, and I have used it roughly 4 times since then. I have made a promise to myself that I will be getting it out more often from now on!

Student loans haven’t quite made it to the bank for all of us, and I am among those – but for those of you shaking your fists at your screens, swearing about tax robbing idlers, I have a job interview tomorrow morning, and trial shifts Saturday, Monday and Thursday. I’m almost excited to be getting back into work again, and I’m certainly looking forward to being less horrifically poor over the summer. Things are always more fun that way! I got my hair cut and coloured this morning, and have spent the last hour or so covered in oats and banana, all in the name of beauty. A close friend has been working at Lush for the last year or so, and I am now officially a convert. I actually think I want to eat my own face a little bit, it smells amazing. I had a slight allergic reaction to a packet face mask a month or so ago, and was recommended their “Oatfix” fresh face mask, which is lovely. My face feels pretty good, and I can’t stop touching it. Please just go and get some? I’d advise leaving any credit cards at home, the staff are pretty good at their jobs, the products speak for themselves and I have no totally rearranged my beauty and cleansing routines around their goodies – but now have no money for the pub.

As it is now after midnight, I ought to mention the royal wedding. Should that be capitalized – “Royal Wedding”? I’m not sure about the correct protocol or grammar in this situation. I hope that I’m not the only one who caught the utterly hilarious mystery guest on Russell Howard’s Good News this evening. William Hanson, international manners and etiquette expert. He comes in about 17 minutes in, so please go and watch it, just to see him squirm. He calls everybody that isn’t titled a”commoner”, and then defends himself as the audience boo by telling them it is the official term. Because officially being a commoner makes it better. I’m a huge fan of Russell Howard, but this is one of his proudest moments, as he becomes the child within himself. Go and watch episode 6 of series 4, please, so you know what I’m nattering on about.

Desperate Housewives?

Day one of sorting my life out and I’m sat in my pyjamas watching children’s TV. How I love the holidays. The lambs are feeding better now too – I’m just looking forward to not needing a shower as soon as I’ve finished giving them the bottle. Still need names for the two girls – I’m thinking maybe Thelma and Louise? There aren’t really too many pairs of girls names, a lot trickier than I thought it would be. The sun is no longer shining, and it actually looks pretty miserable outside. You have to love the British weather.

The reason this is titled “Desperate Housewives” today is because I recently read a news story about David Willetts. The University minister for the UK, Willetts feels that feminism is a huge issue for social mobility. According to Dave, “women who would otherwise have been housewives had taken university places and well-paid jobs that could have gone to ambitious working-class men.”

From Frank Warren's Postsecret

I mean, I understand that there has been a shift in the working demographics for this country, but to blame it entirely on feminism? I am sorry that I have taken such a valuable space in education. He is right, that space could have gone to a man. I’m not particularly fond of feminism. I’m all for women being granted opportunity and equality, but I think people need to remember that there are differences between men and women. And when it all boils down to it, feminism should really be about choice more than anything else. That is when I came across this secret. Postsecret may or may not be something that you are familiar with, but I have been reading every Sunday for as long as I can remember. It is an ongoing community art project where people send in postcards with their secrets on the back of them. This postcard in particular stood out after reading the news story. Sometimes, I agree with Dave on his take on feminism. I think it is sad that clearly some women feel pressured into education because it is naturally the next step. But before the Pankhurst sisters are spinning in their graves, I will say that I am incredibly grateful for the sacrifices they made. It is a shame that people thing feminists only exist in razor dodging lesbians.

This afternoon I have a wonderful friend coming to collect me, who is then going to drive me round and help me find a job. Job searching is so soul destroying, I’m thankful for the company. Also, I think people have now realised if it isn’t free, I won’t be able to join in. I really, really hate being poor. Now for the lunchtime feed – I promise I will get some pictures up while they’re still cute!