Below is the proposed motion for renewal of CUSUs policy regarding HE Funding (Tuition Fees). It is due to be put forwards at the CUSU Council meeting on Wednesday 7th May 2008, where each College's JCR has a chance to vote on whether CUSU should adopt this policy or not. There is also an amended policy being brought forward by other members of the union at the meeting, which is calling for a complete abolition of fees. The motion outlined below maintains the principled opposition to tuition fees but calls for a focus of effort on preventing their being raised (as this is seen as a more obtainable immediate goal, with abolition of the fees being a long term aim). The amended policy being presented calls for a campaign focussed solely on obtaining free education (ie. fee abolition). The proposed amendments are shown below the original motion.

Please feel free to express you views in the comments section below, or to e-mail jcr-external@queens.cam.ac.uk. Should Queens' vote to uphold the proposed motion, the amended one, or abstein?

CUSU notes:

1. That nearly all English and Northern Irish universities will charge undergraduate tuition fees of £3,175 per year in 2008-9.
2. That a government review of variable tuition fees will be commissioned in 2009, and that such review could lead to the lifting of the cap on fees.
3. That NUS policy states that “while NUS should retain a principled commitment to the notion of free education, the focus for the 2009 review must be to secure a fairer funding system for all students, to defeat any attempts to lift the cap and further the destructive marketisation of HE”.
4. That the Vice Chancellors of the Russell Group have publicly expressed their desire to see an increase in the cap to around £6000 per year.

CUSU believes:

1. That any funding system should be free at point of entry, allowing students to take low interest loans, repayable once earning, to cover any costs of tuition.
2. That CUSU should retain support for the abolition of fees, but that it should focus resources on working to keep the £3,000 cap and increase bursary provision.
3. That Cambridge would struggle to attract their target widening participation audience should cost become a legitimate, real factor in a prospective student’s decision making process.
4. That the promise of a comprehensive bursary system cannot always offset the risk associated with paying higher fees.
5. That access to education should not be based on ability to pay and that financial incentives should not be a factor in a student’s educational choices.

CUSU resolves:

1. To mandate the CUSU Access and Funding Team to take an active role in the formation of the NUS campaign against the lifting of the cap.
2. To mandate the CUSU HE Funding Officer to organise and publicise a high-profile meeting to discuss tuition fees and their implications at the beginning of Michaelmas Term.
3. To liaise with the Aldwych Group (Russell Group student unions) and local student unions to lobby the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and our institutions to keep fees in line with universities nationally.
4. To coordinate efforts with sympathetic groups, such as the University and College Union (UCU) and Association for Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), to create a solid platform from which to campaign within the University.
5. To fight the fear of debt amongst prospective students by publicising bursaries and promoting the economic benefits of a degree, and to give this information equal prominence to negative campaigning against an increase in tuition fees.
6. To use CUSU’s presence on University committees to highlight this policy, where relevant.
7. To replace previous CUSU Higher Education funding policy with the contents of this motion.

Proposed: Mark Fletcher (President), Charlotte Richer (CUSU Access)
Seconded: Ben Henriques (CUSU Facilities and Catering), Dan Chapman (Downing), Lucie Fortune (President, Jesus), Pete Coulthard (CUSU Academic Affairs), Freya Morrissey (Newnham), Andrea Walko (Welfare and Graduates), Adam Colligan (CUSU Services), Elly Shepherd (Women’s)

Amendment 1
Amendments to CUSU Notes:

Delete CUSU Notes 3 and renumber.

Add the following to CUSU Notes:
4. That CUSU has had a strong anti-fees policy for over two years, which is due to lapse in accordance with Constitution M.6.
5. That tuition fees contribute to the increasing level of debt faced by students, which works a deterrent to working class students.
6. That the Robins Report 1962 set out a system by which students did not pay fees and were provided with grants to support them in their education.
7. That subsequent to this the priority campaigns of SUs and the NUS were for full living grants.
8. That Manchester University students recently held a 300-strong occupation to demonstrate against fees and that the NUT has recently gone out on a national strike for the first time in decades against the underfunding of education and wage cuts, as have FE lecturers in UCU.

Amendments to CUSU Believes:
Delete CUSU Believes 1, 2, 3 and 4 and renumber.

Add the following to CUSU Believes:
2. That access to education should not be based on ability to pay but on academic potential and enthusiasm.
3. That HE should be funded through a progressive taxation system and not fees, loans and debt.
4. That the promise of a comprehensive bursary system cannot always offset the risks associated with paying fees.
5. That the lifting of the cap on tuition fees will lead to an unacceptable system of economic segregation in education.

Amendments to CUSU Resolves:
Delete CUSU Resolves 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6.

Renumber CUSU Resolves 4 as 6.

Add the following to CUSU Resolves:
1. To mandate the CUSU Exec to lead the student body in a series of high profile protests and sit-ins over the next academic year in the build up to the review on fees in 2009.
2. To mandate the CUSU President to lobby the NUS to actively campaign for free education for both home and
EU/International Students and for both undergraduates and graduates.
3. To mandate the CUSU Education Officer to lobby the Vice-Chancellor to call for an end to tuition fees for all.
4. To mandate the CUSU HE Funding Officer to link up with other SUs to organise a national wave of
demonstrations.
5. To allocate the remainder of council's discretionary budget at the end of the year to a fund for these activities.

Proposed by Emily Hammerton-Barry (CUSU Higher Education Funding)
Seconded by Richard Braude

Amendment 2

Amendments to CUSU Believes:

Delete CUSU Believes 1 and replace with 'That a principled stance against fees is the most effective position for a students’ union wishing to win concessions of any kind.'
Delete CUSU Believes 2.
Delete CUSU Believes 3 and replace with 'That Cambridge would struggle to attract its target widening participation audience should cost become even more of a factor in a prospective student's decision making process.'
Delete CUSU Believes 4 and replace with 'That the shortfall in university funding cannot be met by students, and in order for Cambridge to maintain its world-class reputation, funding must be sought from other sources.'
Add 'That the introduction of the cap has always been a political expedience to persuade students to accept fees in the short term.'

Amendments to CUSU Resolves:

Delete CUSU Resolves 1.
Delete CUSU Resolves 3.
Delete CUSU Resolves 6.
Delete CUSU Resolves 7 and replace with 'To mandate each CUSU Officer with representation on governing bodies of the university to encourage the University to return to its anti-fees stance wherever there is an opportunity to do so.'

Proposed by Kathryn Maude (CUSU Target Campaigns)
Seconded by Will Wearden