LIBER8 Education Education has been under attack for years, but now we are at the tipping point. We have seen our fees rise, conditions worsen, and rights marginalized again and again. We now have to defend our colleges and universities - and put forward an alternative vision for a free, liberated education that works for everyone in our society. Liber8 Education addresses 8 key areas our movement are fighting on now so we can ensure a free and accessible education for all. 1. Fight Fees and Cuts Government reforms are turning education into a business and students into consumers. Education must be a public good, ensuring it is open to all, regardless of their ability to afford it. 2. Affordable Housing for All Students – like everyone else - deserve decent and affordable housing. 3. Liberate the Curriculum We all deserve equal opportunities. Education must be accessible and representative for all. 4. Invest in our colleges Colleges must remain open, funded, and focused on the needs and welfare of the students, staff and communities they serve. 5. Scrap PREVENT – Students Not Suspects The exchange of ideas and free pursuit of knowledge must not be criminalised. Students and lecturers should be free to teach, learn, and debate without fear of repression. 6. It Stops Here – Tackling Sexual Violence Women have a right to study and teach, free from harassment, objectification, sexual violence and any oppression. 7. More for Mental Health Poor student mental health is a deeply worrying indication of the current state of our education system. We need more and better services, available to all. 8. Defend International Students and Migrant Rights All students, regardless of nationality, should be free to study without fear of deportation, prejudice, hate or injustice.

The Issue Successive governments have been committed to turning education into a business and students into consumers. Desperate to create a market at all costs, they are putting pressure on universities and colleges to act more like businesses: more interested in selling a product than ensuring a quality education for all. This has resulted in a withdrawal of public funding for higher education, with the burden now upon students to fund their own education through ever-increasing mountains of debt. In Further Education a fees and loans system has slowly been introduced for students over the age of 19 studying in college, whilst repetitive cuts have seen college budgets dramatically shrink across the board with 25 per cent cut from the adult skills budget alone. As if it couldn’t get any worse, the current government want to raise fees even higher in HE through the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). This will allow universities to raise fees depending on how well they perform. They claim that this will improve the quality of our teaching, however its reliance on flawed and inconsistent metrics such as the National Students’ Survey (NSS) means it can do no such thing. We believe that education must be a public good that is open to all, regardless of their ability to afford it. Government want to privatize our education system, making it easier for private providers and business to gain access to public money and compete with existing institutions. Not only could we see student fees syphoned off to pay directors and shareholders, but we could also see many of these institutions fail, collapse, and provide substandard education; exploiting students and undermining the concept of universities as a social good. Let’s stop them. What are we doing about it? NUS has fought the government on their plans every step of the way. We launched the Quality Doesn’t Grow on Fees (#TEFOff) campaign and ensured key changes to their initial plans through mobilising Students’ Unions in opposition to it. We have delayed plans for differential fees, improved widening access, staved off attacks on the autonomy of students’ unions, and kept universities under the Freedom of Information Act. Despite all of our efforts the Higher Education and Research Bill going through parliament still represents a threat. In response we have tabled a number of amendments to the Bill, provided

written and verbal evidence to the Bill committee and have been supporting unions to lobby and influence their MPs and in local actions to shape their institution’s response. What can you do to help? For the next stage of our campaign we are urging students to boycott the National Students’ Survey. By refusing to fill in the survey, we can use the NSS for its true purpose: to show that we are incredibly dissatisfied. Thousands of students across the UK will be taking part in the boycott, and showing the government that they will not let their feedback be used against them. NUS has set out plans, following extensive consultation, on the next phase of the Quality Doesn’t Grow on Fees #TEFOff campaign, and will provide unions with resources to take part in action to disrupt and protest against the TEF by boycotting (not filling in) the National Student Survey (NSS) as part of our wider campaign for a free, fairer, and more accessible education system. More Information Information and resources for the campaign can be found here. Join the pledge to join the boycott here.

The Issue We are currently experiencing a student housing crisis. The cost of student accommodation has risen by 18 per cent in just two years, while the financial support available to students has not kept up. We believe that lack of controls in the private rented sector, and the influence of private providers in student halls, is largely to blame. The proportion of private-run halls has grown by 42 per cent since 20141, as many universities sold their existing accommodations or signed contracts with private providers. Educational establishments “are systematically failing to provide affordable accommodation for their students, and have either invested in expensive new-builds or sold off old property to private developers.” Shelly Asquith, NUS Vice President for Welfare We believe that students – like everyone else - deserve decent and affordable housing. Of the students renting from landlords, many express concerns of affordability and quality. The cost is high, yet the quality of housing is often poor2, adding another barrier to those who want to participate in education from widening access backgrounds. Other students may be forced to base their choice of education provider on proximity to their family home or the local cost of living, rather than the course they wish to study. Furthermore the cost of living is having a detrimental impact on student mental health: a UK-wide survey of students found 64 per cent of respondents worried about their finances all the time or very often.3 What are we doing about it? We believe that all students deserve access to good quality and affordable accommodation. In order to achieve that we will be working with Acorn and Generation Rent to set up a UK-wide tenants’ union. This will help facilitate student activism for better housing, and we will be providing tools and resources to tackle the crisis. We will also be helping to advise students on their rights whilst living in the private rented sector. Additionally we will be compiling regular reports and studies on the state of student accommodation, lobbing nationally for decisive action on the issue. What can you do to help? We are asking activists to lobby their education provider and local authority to demand better quality housing. Consider linking up with other housing campaigns in the local area to hold bad landlords and rip-off agents to account. Start by setting up a rent network to organise for 1 p.6, The Accommodation Costs Survey 2014-16 (NUS/Unipol). 2 p.41, Homes fit for study: The state of student housing in the UK (2014). 3 Mental Distress Survey 2015 (NUS Insight/Future Finance).

affordable halls on campus. In other areas, rent strikes and other forms of direct action have proven effective ways to win. More Information The Homes fit for study report (2014) looked at student experiences of housing, including both cost and quality. The Student Accommodation Costs Survey (2015) sheds light on the affordability of housing. NUS’ Ready to Rent platform offers advice on looking for, living in and leaving accommodation, as well as workshop resources to train students on their rights and responsibilities.

The Issue We believe that all students deserve equal opportunities, and that education must be accessible and representative to all. However the evidence suggests that this is simply not happening: 42 per cent of Black students said their curriculum did not reflect issues of diversity, equality and discrimination. One in 10 Trans students report that they never feel comfortable to speak up in class and almost one in four women do not feel comfortable to do so. 16.1 per cent is the gap between the number of 2:1 or 1st degrees awarded to White UK-domiciled students and BME UK-domiciled students. We need to ensure that all students feel confident to engage with the curriculum, and tackle attainment gaps so that everyone can achieve their potential without barrier or hindrance. We all deserve equal opportunities. Education must be accessible to and representative of all. The curriculum should not disadvantage any student or students because of their background or characteristics. Our curriculum should reflect the reality of a diverse society and be rich in the diversity of its content. This would help in the development and learning of all students, and ensure that they are better equipped to succeed and flourish as active citizens in a globalised world. What are we doing about it? We have made significant progress in bringing these issues to the forefront of the national agenda and are working with the government and sector bodies on strategic approaches to challenge the curricula and assessment methods. Our Black Students’ Campaign and Higher Education Zone have collaborated to provide student reps with the tools to transform and decolonise education at their institution, and ensure that it is as representative and diverse as it possibly can be. We have launched a campaigns hub to help Students’ Unions work with student reps, liberation activists and academics together to design a curricula that works for all, and to put pressure on institutions to tackle attainment gaps and institutional bias. What can we do to help? We will be offering to host workshops and presentations at unions across the country and collecting case studies of your local campaigns. You can help by gathering evidence on your campus by reviewing and auditing your course curriculum and/or assessment processes to measure how inclusive they are. Consider surveying students to see how satisfied they are with

their course content and the inclusivity of their learning experience. More Information See the hub on NUS Connect for resources on all areas of the campaign from specific liberation groups to getting the conversation started on your campus more generally. The Beyond the Straight and Narrow report looked at the experiences of LGBT+ people in higher education. The Race for Equality report outlined Black students experiences in higher and further education. The Equality Challenge Unit’s Equality in Higher Education report focuses attention on areas where the higher education sector needs to act to achieve an inclusive culture for all staff and students. More information on the campaign is available from Sorana.Vieru@nus.org.uk and Aadam.Muuse@nus.org.uk

The Issue Further Education (FE) has felt the brunt of education cuts over the two governments. Funding for FE in England has decreased by 27 per cent since 2010, Scottish colleges have merged through the regionalisation process, Welsh government have flip flopped so much on spending that it has caused instability, and government cuts in Northern Ireland have resulted in severe job losses. Successive budget cuts have left many colleges in a state of financial instability. The result has been continuous course closures, cuts to student support, and reductions in teaching provision. Last year the government announced its Area Review program for England, a review of post-16 college and sixth form centers which aims to bring about ‘fewer, larger, more resilient colleges’. We believe that it is vital that students are heard throughout that process, and that we fight to protect the principle that further education should be accessible for all. What are we doing about it? For every area announced in the Area Review process, NUS have brought together student leaders, to discuss student priorities and key concerns about should colleges in the region merge. The discussions have focused on 4 key areas: what makes high quality education, what helps students to access education, what learner voice should look like and what are the key outcomes students expect from their FE experience. Each discussion has generated a report which has been sent to the local Area Review groups, the Join Area Review Delivery Unit overseeing Area Reviews process and the FE Commissioner. NUS are additionally in the process of writing to every MP who has a college in their constituency with an overview of what students have said in their area. What can you do to help? Support our #FEunplugged campaign. We have launched our manifesto calling for 6 key things as colleges being to merge:

• Learner Voice sits at the heart of all providers • Local transport is affordable and reliable • Student support services enable students to achieve • FE delivers an education, not just a qualification • Wherever learning happens it should always be high quality • It’s time for investment in FE

More Information Information and resources for the #FEunplugged campaign can be found here.

The Issue In 2015 the Prevent initiative was introduced, making it a legal requirement for universities, colleges and other ‘specified authorities’ to ‘prevent people being drawn into terrorism’. It is now widely-regarded as a deeply-flawed and failing strategy. This would be achieved through the mass monitoring and reporting of those deemed at risk of radicalisation. This has done nothing other than to instigate fear and division within our student communities. We believe that the exchange of ideas and free pursuit of knowledge must not be criminalised. Students and lecturers should be free to teach, learn, and debate without fear of repression. Instead students find themselves cloaked by an air of censorship and suspicion. Communities who are already at the sharpest end of state repression are further targeted through Prevent: Muslim, Black and international students disproportionately find their ideas and beliefs reported to the police. Prevent operates on the discredited “conveyor belt” theory of radicalisation, where all Muslims are at risk of being recruited into “violent extremism”. It is so embedded in education, healthcare and public sectors that Prevent keeps Muslims in Britain essentially under constant surveillance. These communities likewise face pressure to implement Prevent or face suspicion. Treating all Muslims as possible criminals is fueling a rise in Islamophobia and the far-right, and amounts to a sustained campaign of fear and demonisation. It doesn’t just stop there: surveillance also extends to academics and other campaigners for social justice. Civil liberties are curtailed for us all. Our universities and colleges should be spaces to critique, challenge the status quo and explore an alternative vision for society. We are Students not Suspects. What are we doing about it? We have produced a series of “Preventing Prevent” resources to help students organise campaigns locally, and have delivered workshops all across the country to launch the Students not Suspects campaign.

On a national level we are engaging with policy makers to highlight the damaging impact of Prevent and ultimately seek to repeal this law, giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee and running speaker events at Party Conferences. What can you do to help? We are asking student campaigners to host speaker events and workshops on the dangers of Prevent. You can also pass policy through your SU to oppose Prevent, although most SU’s are under no legal obligation to engage with it. You should also consider approaching academics through the University and College Union (UCU) and ask that they refuse to report their students. Although your institution won’t be able to boycott Prevent, you can demand that they are more transparent in its implementation. Through your campaign look at how you can persuade your institution to publicly oppose Prevent through a statement from the Vice Chancellor or Principle. We are also want your stories. If you have experiences of Prevent we need to hear them. This will inform our work on a national level, and help us lobby government to repeal this law.

More Information Visit www.nusconnect.org.uk for Students not Suspects and Preventing Prevent resources, including campaigning material you can order. The Preventing Prevent handbook is packed with legal and policy information and most importantly practical advice on organising and lobbying locally. If you would like to speak with someone about Prevent contact Shelly.asquith@nus.org.uk or Aadam.muuse@nus.org.uk

The Issue Domestic violence has increased by 10 per cent in the last year and one in three women students will experience some form of harassment during their time at university. One in seven will experience serious sexual and physical violence (rape). Currently students are being let down by having inaccessible and inappropriate reporting systems. With local women’s services being dramatically cut also, those who are dealing with the aftermath of violence and harassment are forced to fend for themselves. “Many universities and colleges lack basic protocol on how to respond to cases of sexual assault – they are failing women students.” Hareem Ghani, NUS Women’s Officer This will negatively impacts women students’ time in education, their participation in lectures and seminars, their relationships, self-esteem and feeling of safety on campus. Some students will even drop out of their course in response to a system where incidents barely get reported and when they do the victim is often blamed for their experience. We believe that women have a right to study and teach, free from harassment, objectification and sexual violence. If ignored, it will continue to harm the experience of women not enabling them to participate fully or take an active role not only during their time at university or college but in society more widely. It stops here. What are we doing about it? NUS is providing resources and training to enable students to understand consent and the impact of lad culture. We have worked with the wider sector to offer guidance to institutions on how to offer proper support for students that are survivors of sexual violence. We are also providing support to women’s officers, campaigns and feminist societies across the UK, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to strengthen our movement. What can you do to help? You can get your students’ union involved by proposing a motion at your student council or similar, mandating your union to lobby your university to speak out nationally. You can also lobby your Vice Chancellor or Principle if you think that your university or college is not effectively responding

to or supporting students who have experienced sexual violence. For instance, if the reporting process or disciplinary procedures are not appropriate. Consider launching a campaign through hosting an event that raises awareness around the issue and encourages fellow students to get involved. We will also be looking to hear your stories so that we can compile reports and studies on the experience of women on campuses in the UK. This will enable us to make a case for action on a national level. More Information The Hidden Marks report (2010) looked at women’s experiences of harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault. The That's What She Said report (2013) outlined women students experiences of lad culture on campus and how it impacted their education and welfare. NUS’ Tackling Lad Culture Hub offers information and resources for students’ unions who want to create their own strategy. More information on the Women’s campaign is available from Hareem.Ghani@nus.org.uk See the Women’s hub on NUS Connect for resources to run training sessions for students on campus and information on a variety of campaigns.

The Issue The need for student mental health services has been rising year-on-year. Research has shown a 132 per cent increase in students seeking support. Supply, however, has not met this demand. Far from investing in student support, universities and colleges have faced cuts in counselling services, whilst students face a growing wait to access over-subscribed services. In the future, anxiety over increasing living costs and debt will only deepen this problem. Poor student mental health is a deeply worrying indication of the current state of our education system. We need more and better services, available to all. At the moment our institutions are not equipped to deal with this problem. We know that only 35 per cent of colleges have a mental health policy and the majority of colleges reported that only some ‘front-line’ staff had been given mental health training. In the NHS, the funding that was directed to mental health services stood at 12 per cent in 2012 and since then this figure continues to decline. One in four people now will experience mental health problems, yet services that are available continue to be chronically underfunded. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 changed the way local services are commissioned. The changes included setting up local Clinical Commission Groups (CCGs) that decide where to allocate health funds. Students however are often under represented on CCGs meaning health care issues that affect students are not properly considered. Additionally, recent cuts to the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) have contributed to funding pressures on university services in England which in turn risks universities spending less on their mental health support services for students. Inadequate funding for and increased outsourcing of mental health services to private companies have negatively impacted the services that students rely on. What we are doing about it? We are conducting nationwide research to better understand how mental health affects our members and also ascertain what support services are available. The research will provide evidence NUS needs to make a compelling case for universities and colleges not to cut mental health provision and ensure students and their unions are equipped to challenge and support their institutions to improve support available. The research will also consider:

• The intersection of identity and access to quality, appropriate and accessible mental health services i.e. impacts the cuts to DSA have on access to mental health services

for disabled students or how recent cuts impact mental health of Black, Women and LGBT+ students

• The key issues affecting students’ mental health and wellbeing such as employment, housing and finances and the impact of policies such as PREVENT.

We will also continue to work with and contribute to the Association of College’s Mental Health Portfolio group as well as continue to work with UUK on their guidance on mental health for universities. Student participation in their local Care Commissioning groups is a particular priority, and NUS will work with Student Minds to create guidance to facilitate the participation of students in their local CCGs. We will also work on increasing the capacity SUs have to assess the funding and quality of counselling services on their campuses through workshops and also provision of briefings, toolkits and ‘How To’ guides. What can you do to help? We are asking students to share their experiences through our national research project. We will be publishing ways in which you can participate in focus groups and online surveys later this year. Students’ Unions have a specifically important role to play, because statutory services often lack awareness of student life and NHS restructuring creates opportunities for institutions and SUs to build networks and work with external agencies, such as GP practices, NHS mental health services, and voluntary organisations. NUS will be looking to work with support students’ unions in finding ways work with CCGs to ensure that consultation with students is carried out and that students are aware of how to contact and influence their local CCG. We are also encouraging students and Students’ Unions to lobby for proactive measures to reduce demand for support such as wellbeing and resilience initiatives. More Information You can find resources for your mental health campaign through our Welfare Zone. You can also find guides produced by our Disabled Students’ Campaign (DSC) here.

The Issue International students have existed as part of the UK education system for hundreds of years and have carved a place on our campuses that cannot be replaced. They make up 20 per cent of our student population. This is not including the countless international researchers and academics that make vital contributions to the world-leading British education system. However over the past few years International Students have experienced a series of policies that has made them feel under attack and unwelcome in the UK. During this time international students have had their access to work restricted, charges being introduced for access to NHS treatment, the introduction of biometric identity cards, landlord immigration checks, and more. All students, regardless of nationality, should be free to study without fear of deportation or the injustice of being denied the same rights as their British counterparts. International students make up 40 per cent of net migration into the UK, constituting a significant and important proportion of migrant communities. What is happening to those communities will be felt by our international students. In a post-Brexit atmosphere, the rise in hate crime and xenophobia experienced by migrants as a whole has also impacted international students on our campuses. Furthermore, refugees and asylum seekers are facing impossible conditions to access higher education. Many are classified as international students, and have to pay extortionate overseas fees. Many are denied the right to work and are not eligible to apply for student loans in England or similar government support in Wales or Northern Ireland. This system is unfair. We call for young refugee and asylum seekers to be able to access student loans and to be classified as home students for the purpose of their fees. The current language used around migration is a prime example of how the government is further marginalising and targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our society and our student communities. We believe that migration is an important part of our social fabric, and must be protected at all costs. What are we doing? Our International Students Campaign looks to create strong, influential international student communities. There are many ways in which the government, universities and others can reduce barriers to higher education for migrants, and we can be part of that change.

We have been campaigning on issues impacting the welfare of international students, as well as proactively resisting discriminatory Home Office immigration policies. We are • Creating of a Student Protection Scheme • Giving access to Higher Education for Asylum Seekers • Demanding no more net-migration targets • Creating a fair fee system #FixIntFees • Supporting international students in crisis • Calling for the internationalisation of campuses

What can you do to help? You can find briefings and resources on how to support international students and migrants at your colleges and universities through the link below. More Information Information and resources on the NUS International Students Campaign can be found here.

1. Fight Fees and Cuts

2. Affordable Housing for All

3. Liberate the Curriculum

4. Invest in our colleges

5. Scrap PREVENT – Students Not Suspects

6. It Stops Here – Tackling Sexual Violence

7. More for Mental Health

8. Defend International Students and Migrant Rights