Students to blockade Social Science offices

CSS Campus at the University of Copenhagen to be blockaded Monday morning. Students fear that impending cutbacks will hit Social Science hard

by Mike Young

Offices of University of Copenhagen's CSS Campus - which houses the Social Sciences - are to be blockaded Monday morning 14 June from 6.30 am.

This can be seen from a circular all-mail sent out by student representatives after an assembly of students voted Wednesday. Students fear that impending cutbacks will hit the Faculty of Social Sciences hard, after Rector Ralf Hemmingsen announced 4-700 staff may lose their jobs at the University of Copenhagen in the coming years.

The layoffs will be the result of a proposed government budget cutback which is currently in passage through the Danish parliament.

Too late to protest when cuts start

A student assembly planning the blockade in detail will convene Sunday at 14.00.

»With this package of cuts, we will feel large and immediate consequences. It is no longer possible to cut back the number of teaching hours etc., so now the cuts will mean merging subject areas and firing staff«, the students write.

»It is too late to say stop when we start to feel the cuts, as it is a long process before this happens. When the decision is taken for one university, Rector has to decide how much each faculty has to save, from there how much departments have to save. Only then will we know specifically what it will mean for our own courses,« the students explain in the mail, which was sent out as a circular on several social science mailing lists.

Key vote on 16 June

Based on the total tally of 4-700 for the university, the social science students fear that up to 80 staff in their faculty will have to go.

The government austerity package, supported by the right-opposition Danish People's Party, is currently in passage through parliament, with a third and final vote is scheduled for 16 June.

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

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