03/04 Policy

Valid AULUC 2009

 

RESHAPE OF KING’S COLLEGE SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES

Proposed by: David Dunne [President, King’s College London SU]

Seconded by: Caris Hickey [V-P Sites & Services, King’s College London SU], Polly Mackwood [V-P Education & Representation, King’s College London SU], Rajesh Joshi  [ULU Men’s Officer], David Lundie [Council Member, King’s College London]

 

THIS UNION NOTES

 

1.          That the Academic board of King’s College London, at their meeting of 29/10/03, agreed to recommend to King’s College Council that several departments in the School of Health and Life Sciences should be shut.

2.          That these closures will directly affect over 470 students.

3.          That courses such as Biological sciences are “core” causes not only because of their academic rigour but also due to the lack of qualified biologists nationally.

4.          That currently 60% of students graduating in Biological Sciences from King’s College go directly into employment and a further 27% go into further education and 100% of students studying Human Environmental Sciences go directly into work. Both of these departments are to close under the proposals.  

5.          That King’s College has recently ceased offering courses in Chemistry at Undergraduate level and is unlikely ever to offer said course again.

6.          That the effectual closure of the Chemistry department has been done without consultation with Academic Board, College Council and, most importantly, the students.

 

THIS UNION BELIEVES

 

1.          That this recommendation has been arrived at without ANY consultation with students.

2.          That this closure will undermine the value of the degrees awarded to current King’s students on these courses.

3.          That the knock on effects of these closures on the other departments of the School of Health and Life Sciences as well as the School of Biomedical Sciences will be serious and irrevocable.

4.          That these closures will affect applications to all science courses at King’s College as, coupled with the difficulties in the Chemistry department, potential applicants will lose confidence in science at the College.

5.          That if this closure is allowed to go ahead no student at King’s College will feel that his or her course is safe and this anxiety may lead to underperformance.

6.          That this closure will lead to general standard of teaching in all King’s Schools will decrease as staff will leave due to lack of security.

7.          That this proposal will leave King’s in the absurd position of having a large and currently successful School of Medicine and a similar school of Biomedical Sciences without a Biology department to compliment their work.

8.          That, although some departments in the school have improved much more quickly than others since the formation of the School of Health and Life Sciences in 1999, this is not a reason to close those departments which have not improved as quickly but rather a reason to look into why they have not improved at a satisfactory rate. 

9.          That this Union should continue to oppose unreasonable closures in any College of the University to protect our members.

 

THIS UNION RESOLVES

 

1.          To mandate the Union Executive to assist KCLSU in their campaign against the closure of any department in the School of Health and Life Sciences in any way possible.

2.          To mandate the President to communicate this Union policy to the Vice Chancellor of the University of London and Council.

3.          To mandate the President to express This Union’s opposition to the recommendations of the King’s College Academic Board to the Principal of King’s College to support the KCLSU submission to that effect.

4.          For ULU to compile a list of courses ceasing to exist this year and during the past three years.

 

PASSED: 10^th November 2003