Victory for Keele University philosophy students
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By Rochelle Owusu- Antwi: Students protesting at Keele University have won their battle to stop their philosophy department being axed.
There will be a new intake of philosophy students next academic year 2011-12, StaffsLive can reveal.
Around 60 people gathered and marched to the Walter Morbey Building yesterday (March 23) where a meeting between senior management, the faculty and Keele’s sabbatical officers took place.
Current Student President Kari Rittoo gave a simple thumbs up from an upstairs window causing elated protesters to break out into applause after the two hour meeting.
People from all over Staffordshire gathered to show support including students, lecturers, residents and even former President Adam Mason.
An online petition presented to the Vice Chancellor Nick Foskett and other members of the Senate included more than 2,600 signatures.
Philosophy lecturer James Tartaglia told StaffsLive: “We feel an amazing sense of relief and are happy a tradition and academic discipline that goes back to the very beginnings of Keele University is going to be continued and that philosophy is not going to close.”
Proposals to be forwarded to the university’s governing council for an April 7 meeting will not now mention the programme’s closure as a means of achieving savings.
However the University Centre for Professional Ethics (PEAK) still faces risk of closure in a bid to cut spending. The University Council is yet to decide.
Philosophy and Media Studies student Vicky Jones said: “As philosophers we couldn’t be contemplative for once. We had to stand together and be up in arms. This has shown us we must act when it’s needed.”
To hit their target of saving £6.5million the university’s Senate decided the head of each faculty will have to make sufficient departmental cuts.
Philosophy student Tommy Lee, 20, said: “If the proposed closure of philosophy did go ahead, we would have seen how bureaucratic foolishness is undermining the validity of a much valued and loved, traditional subject.
“To cut philosophy is to cut out the heart of free thinking altogether.”
