Use your vote to support academic freedom
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We can start to campaign for a UCU that defends academic freedom by electing office-holders who support this principle.
We asked the UCU members standing in the current elections (February 2021) whether they would support “HE32”, a motion put to UCU Congress in 2019 to express support for academic freedom, with specific reference to gender, but which was voted down. The responses we received (some of which are drawn from responses in previous elections) are tabulated below. Where candidates didn't/ publicly refused to reply, forcing us to use other evidence to establish their position, that is noted. If you're a candidate and wish to amend your position please email ucu4af@gmail.com.
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This time around, we have also asterisked candidates running on the new "UCU Commons" slate. This is a faction clustered around the current general secretary, Jo Grady, who has openly expressed hostility to gender critical perspectives and done nothing to defend gender critical members' academic freedom or address the lack of support they have received from some local branches. In the very first bullet point of their values statement, UCU Commons endorses a "no debate" position on trans rights. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the UCU Commons faction is hostile to the academic freedom of many UCU members.
We encourage all UCU members to give your strongest preference vote to candidates who back academic freedom, and to assign your lowest preference to those who do not.
We will update this page with additional actions as the campaign develops.
Honorary Treasurer (1 seat)
Paul Anderson (QMUL) - no response
Steve Sangwine (Essex) - no response
Stephen Desmond (Solent) - no response
Geographically-elected members of the National Executive Committee
Midlands HE (3 seats)
Dr Chris Grocott (University of Leicester) - no response*
Rhiannon Lockley (Birmingham City University) – NO
Alan Barker (University of Nottingham) – YES
Teresa Forde (University of Derby) - no response
Dr Emma Battell Lowman (University of Leicester) - no response*
David Harvie (University of Leicester) - no response*
Midlands FE (1 seat)
Dharminder Chuhan (Sandwell College) - no response
John Paul Sullivan (Warwickshire College Group) – unable to contact
North West HE (2 seats)
Bijan Parsia (University of Manchester) – NO (via Twitter)*
Saira Weiner (Liverpool John Moores University) – no response
Philippa Browning (University of Manchester) – YES
Julie Wilkinson (Manchester Metropolitan University) – YES
Sunil Banga (Lancaster University) – NO
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North West FE (1 seat - uncontested)
Helen Kelsall (The Trafford College Group) – unable to contact
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South HE (4 seats to include at least one woman)
Sally Pellow (University of Reading)[woman] – YES
Dr David Hitchcock (Canterbury Christ Church University) – NO ("academic freedom... in no way protects discriminatory speech nor does it protect the speaker from certain consequences of speech, for instance losing access to a speaking platform")
Stephen Albert Desmond (Solent University) – no response
Michael Carley (University of Bath) – YES (voted for HE32)
Mark Abel (University of Brighton) – no response
Richard Bradbury (Open University) – unable to contact
Peter Wood (Open University) – no response
Aris Katzourakis (University of Oxford) – no response
Dr Deepa Govindarajan Driver (University of Reading)[woman] – no response
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South FE (2 seats)
Alison Chapman (City College Plymouth) – unable to contact
Stewart Fraser (New College Swindon) – no response
Philip Wilson (Chichester College Group) – NO
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Scotland HE - UCU Scotland President
Dr Chris O’Donnell (University of the West of Scotland) – no response*
Lena Wånggren (University of Edinburgh) – no response
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Scotland HE - UCU Scotland Honorary Secretary
Dr Eurig Scandrett (Queen Margaret University) – no response
Ann Swinney (University of Dundee) – NO
Dr Chris O’Donnell (University of the West of Scotland) – no response*
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Wales FE (and vice president UCU Wales) (1 seat - uncontested)
John James (Coleg Gwent Newport) – unable to contact
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UK-elected members HE (4 seats; to include at least one post-92, one academic related)
Dr Rohit K Dasgupta (Loughborough University) – no response*
Dr Chris O’Donnell (University of the West of Scotland)[post-92] – no response*
Sally Pellow (University of Reading)[academic-related] – YES
Michael Carley (University of Bath) – YES
Bijan Parsia (University of Manchester) – no response*
Dr Emma Battell Lowman (University of Leicester) – no response*
David Harvie (University of Leicester) – no response*
Eric R Lybeck (University of Manchester) – NO (HE32 "claim[s] a mantle of academic freedom that, in fact, encourages its opposite")*
Shereen Benjamin (University of Edinburgh) – YES
Grant Buttars (University of Edinburgh)[academic-related] – NO (via Twitter)
Lesley McGorrigan (University of Leeds)[academic-related] – no response
Michael McKrell (University of Central Lancashire[post-92] – YES
Andrew Feeney (Northumbria University)[post-92] – no response
Marion Hersh (University of Glasgow) – NO (her election address claims academic freedom is used “as a pretext to undermine the rights of minority groups, most recently trans people”)
Chris Grocott (University of Leicester) – no response*
Peter Wood (Open University) – no response
Gareth Brown (University of Leicester) – no response*
Nicholas Chancellor (Durham University) – no response*
Anthony O’Hanlon (University of Liverpool)[academic-related] – NO (via Twitter)
Stephen Albert Desmond (Solent University) – no response
Sunil Banga (Lancaster University) – NO
Maria Chondrogianni (University of Westminster)[post-92] – no response
John Hogan (Anglia Ruskin University)[post-92] – no response
UK-elected members FE (2 seats)
Saleem Rashid (The Sheffield College) – YES
Jacqueline D'Arcy (Warwickshire College Group) – unable to contact
Margot Hill (Croydon College) – NO
Representative of disabled members (1 seat; ballot to elect one HE representative. Seat for FE representative unfilled.)
Jane Charlesworth (University of Warwick) – NO (“Academic freedom is clearly being used here to express anti-trans views that undermine trans members of UCU”)
Marian Mayer (Bournemouth) – no response
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Representatives of LGBT+ members (2 seats; one HE and one FE member to be elected)
Peter Evans (South Thames College) will be declared elected as the only FE candidate; ballot for one HE representative – unable to contact
Shereen Benjamin (University of Edinburgh) – YES
Bee Hughes (Liverpool John Moores University) – no response
Ryan Prout (Cardiff University) – no response
Dr Mark Pendleton (University of Sheffield) – NO (voted against HE32)
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Representatives of black members (2 seats; at least one woman to be elected)
Dr Victoria Showunmi (University College London)[woman] – no response
Juliana Ojinnaka (The Sheffield College)[woman] – unable to contact
Dr Deepa Govindarajan Driver (University of Reading)[woman] – no response
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Representatives of migrant members (2 seats, at least one non-EU member - uncontested)
One seat remains unfilled
Robyn Orfitelli (University of Sheffield) [non-EU] – NO
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Representatives of casually employed members (2 seats; one HE member and one FE member to be elected - uncontested)
Cecily Blyther (Petroc) will be declared elected as the only FE candidate; ballot for one HE representative – no response
Sam Morecroft (University of Sheffield International College) – no response
Ben Pope (University of Manchester) – no response*
[Christina Paine has withdrawn]
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Representative of members in land-based education (1 seat - unfilled)
No nominations received
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Representative of members in prison education (1 seat - uncontested)
Brian Hamilton (Novus prison education branch) – no response