Magdalen College JCR rejected a motion this week which would have seen them condemning the NUS President, Aaron Porter, and OUSU President David Barclay for promulgating a “misinformation campaign” about the cuts to higher education funding.
Henry Curr, the third year PPE student who proposed the motion, argued that it was “irresponsible to say that proposals are a “slap in the face” for students from disadvantaged backgrounds”, on the grounds that the guidelines set out in the Browne Review do not require students to pay back their fees until they are earning money.
The motion argued that “The £6.92 a week paid back by a graduate earning £25,000 under the proposals does not constitute a ‘crippling debt'” and claimed, “What can put disadvantaged children off university is poor information about how student finance actually works”.
However David Barclay, who was present at the General Meeting on Sunday, said that there is strong evidence to suggest that people will be put off by the cost of the proposed fees.
In response to the part of the motion which would have condemned him personally he said, “It is rather hypocritical to accuse me of hyperbole when this motion itself is full of hyperbole.”
Curr’s proposals also supported condemning the NUS protest on 10th November, saying, “Protests such as these serve to reinforce misperceptions about the system and thereby make the access problem worse.”
Barclay responded, “I did what I did because I wanted the student voice to be heard. I think access is at the heart of what OUSU does, and if the Government votes to implement these proposals, OUSU and I will do all we can to explain system and encourage access.”
An additional clause in the motion which claimed that “The NUS and OUSU are using access as a cover story to preserve middle-class benefits” was rescinded, along with one endorsing the Browne Review’s proposals on raising tuition fees.
A number of students present at the meeting spoke against the proposals. Matthew Shribman said, “Nothing good can come from this motion. The motion will paint Magdalen in the wrong light.”
Curr’s motion failed with 58 votes against it, 29 in favour and 10 abstentions.
The debate at Magdalen follows a motion passed on 7th November at Christ Church, which mandated the JCR officers to support the Government’s proposals to raise tuition fees.
