Save Middlesex Philosophy

Some Middlesex University Philosophy students, along with Philosophy professors Peter Osborne, Peter Hallward, and Christian Kerslake, were suspended from the University this afternoon. Hallward and Osborne were issued with letters announcing their suspension from the University with immediate effect, pending investigation into their involvement in the recent campus occupations. The suspension notice blocks them from entering University premises or contacting in any way University students and employees without the permission of Dean Ed Esche (e.esche@mdx.ac.uk) or a member of the University’s Executive.

The Campaign,
Friday afternoon, 21 May 2010.

UPDATE: More information about the Philosophy suspensions

The student occupation of the library at Trent Park ended early this morning, as planned.

This second occupation undertaken by the campaign to save philosophy at Middlesex set out to achieve three goals. It aimed to broaden the campaign to include other threatened programmes and disciplines at Middlesex, to stand up to management bullying, and to initiate a new phase of actions and events drawing attention to the scandalous closure of one of the most successful and distinctive philosophy programmes in the UK. The library occupation achieved these goals more or less immediately, and there was no strategic need to prolong it; the campaign will now move on to address its next round of targets.

The library sit-in began shortly before the library was due to close, at 6:45pm on Thursday 20 May. The management responded by sending a new team of security guards to block off all access to the building, and by immediately calling the police. Four policemen arrived around 8pm, and spoke for a couple of minutes with the whole group of protestors, at the entrance to the library. A few minutes later the police decided that the injunction obtained by the University on Friday 14 May did not apply to this new occupation, and left the protestors undisturbed. The protestors spent the night in the library and then left the building shortly before it was due to open, around 8am. No students or researchers were prevented from using the library.

At this point it is already clear that the management attempt to close down Philosophy at Middlesex has backfired – and will continue to backfire – in spectacular fashion. We continue to receive scores of new letters of support. The Middlesex Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy is rapidly building new links with other institutions in London, in the UK and in Europe. The CRMEP will emerge from this campaign stronger and more resilient than it was before it began.

Everyone who supports the campaign should check this website for updates on future actions in the next couple of days.

The Campaign to Save Philosophy at Middlesex
Friday 21 May 2010.

At 8pm on Friday 14 May 2010, Middlesex University management served a High Court injunction to end a twelve-day student occupation of the Mansion building at Trent Park. The occupation began on Tuesday 4 May, when Philosophy students gathered to protest the management’s abrupt decision to close their unique and successful programmes. The occupation quickly succeeded in focusing remarkable levels of national and international attention on the scandalous situation at Middlesex.

The injunction came into effect at 8am on Saturday 15 May. The students finally decided to end their occupation on Saturday afternoon so as to join a rally, outside the Mansion, in support of the campaign to save philosophy at Middlesex. During the rally, Tariq Ali and members of the campaign spoke out forcefully against the management’s decision to close the programmes, the way this decision was taken, and the way its consequences and implications have been handled.

Today the University management had a clear choice. They could have continued a process of negotiation with the students that management initiated, belatedly and reluctantly, after immense international pressure, on Thursday 13 May. They could have discussed concrete steps for the renewal of MA and PhD recruitment. They could have considered, with their enthusiastic students and staff, options for redesigning and relaunching the BA programme in Philosophy.

Or else: they could have made an appeal to the High Court in order to gain the legal power to drive their students out.

True to form, the management has made its decision. Faced with students who were determined to protect their subject and the future of humanities teaching at Middlesex, management decided to treat them like criminals. Rather than talk to them face to face about the renewal of their programmes, management decided to bully them off the campus.

Middlesex management has been bullying its staff and students for many years now. As everyone knows, the power of a bully ends when the people he intimidates band together and confront him. Middlesex philosophy students have taken a first step towards such confrontation: we appeal to other students and staff, at Middlesex and elsewhere, to join us in this struggle.

This occupation is over; the campaign continues.

To protest the management’s decision to expel the students, please send a message to the board of governors and members of the University executive, to the email addresses below; if you are willing for us to post your letter on our website along with other letters of support, please BCC it to savemdxphil@gmail.com.

Please check this website(www.savemdxphil.com) for future events and regular updates.

The Campaign to Save Philosophy at Middlesex
Saturday 15 May 2010
www.savemdxphil.com
savemdxphil@gmail.com

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Email addresses of the Middlesex University management and board of governors:

michael@partridges.org.uk; A.Gajownik@mdx.ac.uk; A.Durant@mdx.ac.uk; thelindens@googlemail.com; andrew.parsons@rlb-law.com; avrobinson1@tiscali.co.uk; l_spence1@sky.com; Bridget.Rulski@guardian.co.uk; colin.hughes@guardian.co.uk; T.Cockerton@mdx.ac.uk; P.A.Johnson@mdx.ac.uk; jritterman@blueyonder.co.uk; dinagray@btinternet.com; j.alleyne@mdx.ac.uk; geoff.lambert2@ntlworld.com; W.Ahmad@mdx.ac.uk; J.Compton-Bishop@mdx.ac.uk; j.mulroy1@btinternet.com; K.A.Bell@mdx.ac.uk; lorna.cocking@btinternet.com; M.House@mdx.ac.uk; M.Keen@mdx.ac.uk; m.driscoll@mdx.ac.uk; PeterCheeseman1@aol.com; Peter.Thomas2@justice.gsi.gov.uk; RS1000@live.mdx.ac.uk; stephen.hand@lr.org; s.knight@mdx.ac.uk; T.Kelly@mdx.ac.uk; T.Butland@mdx.ac.uk; e.esche@mdx.ac.uk