Louie Nardini, York Socialist Students

The marginalisation of working-class students continues with this latest round of cuts at the University of York. Socialist Students has been doing campaign stalls against the 50% cut to bursaries for poorer first-year students. Instead of £2,000, they now receive £1,000.

With university life already hard enough for low-income households, this adds further difficulties and fewer incentives. Education should be encouraged, regardless of income barriers.

That is why we advocate for fully funded, free education. That extra £1,000 belongs in the pockets of the students who make up the university, not its shareholders.

---

Liverpool students oppose right-wing Labour minister on visit

Jess O’Shaughnessy, Liverpool Hope Socialist Students

Liverpool Hope Socialist Students came out to protest against Labour minister Alison McGovern when she visited our uni on 21 November. McGovern has supported Labour maintaining the Tories’ two-child benefit cap, keeping hundreds of thousands of children in poverty. She also supports Labour’s disability benefit cuts.

We stood outside the main university building, explaining why we opposed her – putting forward the dire need for a new workers’ party. The students we spoke to agreed.

Hope University management considers Alison McGovern to be a worthwhile speaker, while the university itself continues through cuts and redundancies, and has not opposed rising tuition fees. Socialist Students launched the ‘Funding Not Fees’ campaign to demand that tuition fees be scrapped, with extra funding provided for education.