University of Manchester students to vote in referendum on President Nancy Rothwell’s future
The vote is being called a "historic and unprecedented step" for students, with the referendum described as the first of its kind in almost 200 years of UoM's history.
University of Manchesterstudents will vote on a referendumof ‘no confidence’ in President Nancy Rothwell and senior staff in March.
The poll is being described as a “historic and unprecedented step” and the first of its kind in almost 200 years of UoM’s history.
Campaigners have argued a vote of no confidence in Rothwell and her team will send a “resounding message” and “make it abundantly clear that their positions are completely untenable”.
The announcement of the referendum alone has piled more pressure on the university’s key figures – who are being accused by students of “repeated failures and broken promises” throughout the pandemic.
Voting will take place from 8-11 March, with results published on 12 March.
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When contacted for comment, a University of Manchester spokesperson responded: “The pandemic has caused a great deal of disruption for students, and they have not been able to have the university experience they would have expected.
“We have all worked very hard to provide all our students with the best possible learning and student experience in these unprecedented and challenging circumstances. We have not got everything right, but we are committed to working closely with student representatives to address concerns and meet student needs.”
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On Monday 8th, nominations will open for the next Exec team, Part-Time Officers and NUS delegates.
We will also be facilitating an all-student referendum on behalf of our membership, as a result of a petition we received.
— University of Manchester Students’ Union (@ManchesterSU) February 1, 2021
Local students have experienced a disruptive academic year in 2020/21; with the vast majority required to participate in most lectures via video link due to COVID restrictions.
Relationships between students and management staff were strained early on due to isolation requirements and complaints over the quality of food parcels delivered to halls.
Other residents claimed they had experienced issues with accommodation; such as leaking roofs and flooding.
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In November, students at the university’s Fallowfield campus tore down security fences that had been put up overnight without warning.
Protest groups also occupied the derelict Owens Park to demand rent refunds for the first semester, blasting the UoM’s initial two-week reduction offer as a “slap in the face” before settling on a 30% discount.
Rothwell was also forced to issue a public apology following a ‘racial profiling’ incident at university halls in which one student was pinned up against a wall by security staff and accused of looking “like a drug dealer.”
@BenMcGowan_
UoM published a pledge at the end of 2020, admitting it “hadn’t got everything right”.
But tensions in the student community have continued into semester two; both in Manchester and beyond.
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Campaigns have been taking place across uni campuses in 2021 – being described as the “biggest student protests in 40 years.”
In January, student accommodation platform Housemates called on the government to provide urgent financial aid to students and halls during the national lockdown.
A £50 million support fund was announced last week – with the money set to be distributed by the Office for Students (OfS) directly to universities.
But the University and College Union (UCU) described the measure as a “sticking plaster”.
General secretary Jo Grady said: “Small-scale funding packages like this are simply a sticking plaster and not the answer to the widespread problems facing the sector. The Government needs to go further and provide proper funding to avoid irreparable long-term damage to the sector’s reputation.”
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First vendors confirmed Glossop Market Hall, including two indie Manc traders
Danny Jones
The first vendors for the upcoming Glossop Market Hall have been announced, and the lineup includes two beloved Greater Manchester independent businesses.
Better still, the third is another noteworthy name from the North West.
Glossop Market Hall is scheduled to launch later this year, setting up shop in the historic town hall complex, where the High Peak Borough Council, a retail shopping arcade and various other municipal buildings have stood in various different iterations for nearly well over a century.
With the Derbyshire town set to celebrate the opening of the newly revamped market hall, those behind the new Glossop attraction have now revealed the first three names set to take up residence there.
As you can see, the biggest names already signed on to cook from one of the six kitchens is a Manchester favourite food hall in its own right: Hello Oriental.
The Pan-Asian paradise not only has a subterranean space below Circle Square, but also at The Trafford Centre, as well as a dessert spin-off in Freight Island.
Indie trader number two comes in the form of B&V Trading, who are based at Stanley Square in Sale and specialise in eco-friendly, UK-made treats, toys and essentials for four-legged friends.
After proving a hit with the locals, their small stall at nearby Altrincham Market has grown to see them open up not just a second site in the leafy Cheshire suburbs of Knutsford back in 2022, but now boast a third location in neighbouring Macclesfield.
Speaking of Macc, local gin and whisky makers, Forest Distillery – based up at the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn pub towards the Peaks – they round out the first wave of regional businesses set to pop up in Glossop Market Hall (GMH) when it finally arrives this winter.
And once again, as the update on social media reads: “This is just the beginning”.
Natives, day-trippers and tourists from all over are bound to visit this place when it opens sometime in November (exact date still TBC), and with space not only for a dedicated bar, dining space and a coffee shop, but a total of 17 retail spaces, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
GMH becomes just the latest among a growing trend of food and drink halls popping up all over our part of the country, with virtually every Greater Manchester borough now boasting at least one of their own – or, in the city centre’s case, what feels like a dozen now.
Exhibit number… not sure, we’ve lost track at this point.
Ruben Amorim insists he ‘cannot’ quit as Manchester United manager
Danny Jones
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has reiterated that he won’t quit his job at the club and that his departure will only come through being sacked.
The struggling head coach has notched the lowest tally of any permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and despite a much-needed win against Sunderland this past weekend – not to mention a much more positive performance overall – there are still growing calls of ‘Amorim Out’.
Amorim has registered just 34 points from the 33 Premier League games he’s been in charge of so far,
Nevertheless, as per quotes from The Guardian over the weekend, the Portuguese head coach assured that he will not be stepping away from the role and would have to be sacked for him to leave Man United.
Speaking to the outlet after the 2-0 home win this past Saturday, Amorim said: “No, that is a decision of the board – I cannot do that. Sometimes I have that feeling, and losing is hard, not to create the momentum.
“It’s so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, [and] something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also, the players and especially the staff here. But that is not my decision, and I think it would be really hard to leave if I don’t do everything to follow my career here.”
The 40-year-old still has the support of many supporters, but it’s fair to say that many neutrals and even die-hards who would like to believe they have put their faith in this rebuild and the INEOS project up to now are growingly increasingly impatient and doubtful, with plenty of vocal detractors already.
Amorim continued, “It’s a dream to be here and I want to continue here, and I want to fight for this; but the problem is now what makes me suffer is to lose games, not to lose my job.”
He also added the caveat that, unlike those who were unfortunately laid off during the two rounds of redundancies over the past 12 months alone, “you fear [losing] your job when you have to pay the bills, and I don’t have that feeling.”
It’s also worth noting that this is by no means the first time he’s fielded questions of the matter of resignation, having previously worried fans with divisive comments about sometimes ‘hating’ his players and flitting between wanting to either quit or echo Fergie and stay at Old Trafford for decades.
"Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years."
Rúben Amorim defended his emotional response after Manchester United’s defeat to Grimsby Town but admitted he wants to improve how he reacts 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/nXuN0Ztoee
Despite the United administration assuring that he has their backing, every game feels like it could be make or break for Amorim at the moment.
Although he does have the respite of the October international break coming up, the first game back is against the reigning champions Liverpool away at Anfield – a team he is yet to beat.
In fact, you could also argue that this may only serve as disruption to any kind of momentum they may have generated with the victory over the Black Cats; only time will tell.
You can see his most recent post-match press conference in full down below.
Ok, Man United fans: Amorim won’t quit, but do you think he should be sacked, or does he deserve more time?