How has the occupation been going, has there been, has moral been good? How many people have occupied?

Things have been going very well and spirits have been high. It’s been well-attended, positive and constructive, and we’ve heard from some great speakers. There’s a very real feeling of people pulling together and creating something a bit different to the standard university experience. Students are meeting each other and discussing the issues, listening to lecturers they’d never have come across otherwise, and most importantly, doing things for themselves in terms of food, communication, organising the programme and all the other jobs that need doing. As for numbers, we started off with 150 when we occupied yesterday, people came and went throughout the day and we had 50 or so overnight. We now have about 100, listening to a lecture by a supportive geographer: the excellent Ian Cook.

With the minority of students who have caused clashes with the police do you think that has harmed your message?

There may be some range of opinion on this but many of us dispute the premise of the question that students caused clashes. The policing of demonstrations has been pretty brutal: there are numerous videos a few clicks away that show unprovoked assaults by individual police officers on students and of course the institutional practice of kettling, which has involved keeping young teenagers in the cold with no access to toilets. Incidentally, people who’ve been on a few demonstrations or been involved in something like Climate Camp know that violence and provocation is standard practice in public order policing.

It is no wonder students are angry. We are told to direct our grievances through the normal political channels, voting every four or five years and lobbying MPs in between, with no means of recourse if they ignore us. We can hardly pretend we have a properly functioning democracy when Lib Dem MPs make what seem like unambiguous pledges to vote against fee rises before the election and then do the direct opposite afterwards. This is hardly representation, it’s politics by fraud. It’s no wonder that direct action is the result.

What advice had you sought before your occupation, and what advice would you give other student bodies hoping to follow your lead?

There wasn’t much advice sought, as we simply followed the inspiring example of other occupations around the country. UCL’s action was mentioned quite a few times so we’re grateful for their work. It’s also important to say that while our occupation is in an Exeter University building it is students at Exeter College who led the way round here while University students have been more apathetic. There has been scattered talk of an occupation for a while but it was only in the last day or two that things came together. Working together is the most important thing.

Our advice to students wishing their university could do something similar is simply to find some like-minded people, have a chat, then do something! There is no set model for an occupation, just use good sense and learn as you go along. No one is going to get killed but there is a lot to gain by stepping outside the narrow bounds of ‘acceptable’ political action and seeing what people can do when they engage in radical democratic practices like creating a student-run space. So just go ahead! Be constructive and positive, and remember that in spite of the apathy and nay-saying around you there are plenty of people on your side.

NUS is supporting you do you think they could have done more before their initial march in London? Are you going to vote for NO Confidence in NUS President Aaron Porter?

The problem with the student union establishment, if there is such a thing, is that their leadership, who do work hard in the interests of students, rely on good working relationships with university bosses and so feel uneasy about confrontation. This has been our experience in Exeter and probably the same goes for the NUS. Perhaps this means there’s room for a range of approaches, some ‘inside’ and some ‘outside’, but Aaron Porter was too quick to condemn direct action when a few windows got smashed, as if this somehow made the demonstrators thugs. This is the line taken by political, media and business elites: keep your politics to narrow channels that have been defined for you by people in power. So letter-writing is fine because it can be ignored, but trashing Tory HQ isn’t because it can’t be ignored.

The NUS ought to be right behind students occupying their universities and reclaiming their own spaces for free education, critical thinking and democracy in action. Many student leaders have entered parliamentary politics in the past and perhaps much of the NUS leadership have their eyes on Labour selection meetings in the next few years.

Has your university been very supportive of your occupation, has this been a surprise any reaction you have had?

We know that our vice-chancellor Steve Smith is a leading voice in favour of £9000 tuition fees, because he leads Universities UK and speaks in the media on behalf of university management. So we suspect he’s not too pleased, but we haven’t heard any threats or hostility and no hired goons have been sent in to sort us all out. Actually we’ve had a very constructive relationship with university security from the start, and this was something of a surprise. They have allowed free access in and out, brought us bottled water and left the heating on overnight. I suppose they had various ways to play this and decided to avoid confrontation. We’re quite happy with that because we are mainly about reimagining the university and creating a space for protest and free education, while drawing attention to the fact that our vice-chancellor, Steve Smith, does not represent Exeter’s students and staff.

We have not set out to disrupt the university’s operations and hinder people’s learning. In fact, when we all poured into the lecture theatre yesterday we all sat down, there were a few minutes of chaos, and then the lecture that was going on resumed, to everyone’s amusement. We sat quietly until the end and the lecturer got a huge round of applause for taking it so well. This was an excellent constructive start and it’s really set the tone.

For all none students out there tell us just what these cuts could do to higher education?

There are all kinds of harmful effects. We will have the highest tuition fees in western Europe, a market in higher education such that students from poorer backgrounds will be incentivised to go for a cheaper course despite being academically suited to a more expensive one. A decline in social mobility, which is already at a 50-year low, is inevitable if we go back to the 1950s when poor kids couldn’t afford to go to university. The principle that admissions can be based on the arbitrary qualification of personal wealth (effectively parental wealth) rather than academic merit and other relevant personal qualities is a deeply unappealing one. It’s part of a general marketisation of society in which we are all consumers and education is just another investment or economic asset.

It goes beyond this though. Budget cuts will fall heaviest on subjects not perceived as economically useful, especially the social sciences and the arts. We’ll see research shift even further towards that which is profitable for universities and away from that which is valuable to society, especially by looking critically at the way it’s run, or just intellectually fascinating. Proportionally speaking we’ll see more technology research, provided it can generate patentable output, more research that can generate business tie-ins and a spin-off companies, more military-funded research, and less of anything else if it doesn’t turn a profit.

How has the press coverage been, have you been getting support from your students?

It does appear that Exeter students are more apathetic than in some other places, but it would totally unfair to characterise the whole student body as apathetic, because we’ve had some brilliant support. As for press coverage, one of the first things we did yesterday was sit down and draft a press release, put it to all 150 of us to get consensus on it, and then fire it off to as many mainstream media outlets as we could think of. Independent media like the fantastic Indymedia website we could do ourselves, and of course here we are communicating with the New Current. We haven’t seen any negative press. It was clear when a camera crew were in earlier that they were interested in finding a certain angle, specifically our use of the internet and social networking to put the word out, but we’ve no real complaints. The BBC did a good web piece following our press release, and mentioned Exeter in the same breath as Manchester and Leeds on the 6 O’Clock News, which was a nice surprise.

What would you like to say to your VC and to people looking in on these occupations?

That despite what they might think about students being passive consumers of education or interested in our studies purely as a way of gaining advantage in the job market, very many of us care passionately about education and want to defend universities from the attacks they’re coming under, often from inside as in the case of our vice-chancellor and management. We’ve been hosting free lectures where all are welcome and debating issues and deciding on things democratically and collectively. It’s another model for how we could live and I hope people see it as setting a positive example. Very often when politicians or the media talk about issues as if there is no alternative to a particular undesirable course of action they are actually making all kinds of assumptions and thinking within narrow bounds. We’re trying to widen possibilities a bit.

Do you think peaceful protest like NCL and Edinburgh are the way forward?

A range of tactics is always a good idea. There is nothing inherently wrong with lobbying MPs and many of us do that on many issues all the time. On the other hand, it’s not the only thing we can do and voting and letter-writing is just a small part of democracy. We don’t know enough about those two actions to judge them, but peaceful, creative direct action is a very productive and empowering thing to be involved in.

Yesterday saw another wave of student occupations across the UK with Glasgow University students joining the now swelling 180,000 students in occupations at universities. TNC has been lucky to be able to get the chance to talk with some of these students groups who are shedding and amazing light on the situation and the possible cause of action that will be taking place after Day X.

We would like to thank the Glasgow Occupation and Phillip Neal for taking time out to get their views over to us.

How has the occupation been going, has there been, has moral been good? How many people have occupied?

We currently have 80 people in occupation of the Gilmorehill Lecture theatre, which has been threatened with closure, morale is high and we are currently using the space to arrange teach ins and discussions surrounding higher education and the next steps.

With the minority of students who have caused clashes with the police do you think that has harmed your message?

The clash with the police was not one that involved any injuries, it was a response to the time delaying by management. We believe it has not harmed our message as there was no injuries. The police and management both agreed that the a police presence was not necessary due to our peaceful occupation and left campus.

What advice had you sought before your occupation, and what advice would you give other student bodies hoping to follow your lead?

Our occupation has been inspired by the 20 plus occupations currently going on up and down the country and occupations happening worldwide, our advice and tactics have been borne of the movement. Advice for others – go for it occupy! Each occupation breeds its own strategy and tactics.

NUS is supporting you do you think they could have done more before their initial march in London? Are you going to vote for NO Confidence in NUS President Aaron Porter?

The NUS so far has pledged to provide legal and other help as well as support to occupations up and down the country. If Aaron Porter continues to renege on his promises we think the campaign to force a no confidence vote could and should gather speed.

Has your university been very supportive of your occupation, has this been a surprise any reaction you have had?

University management have been supportive and have granted us freedom of movement, many view this as the next logical step in the wave of actions that have happened in the past few weeks. The glasgow uni principal agrees with 100% funded education – its time he acts on his beliefs – if the MOD forced a massive reduction to their budget then Muscatelli and other principals should do the same.

For all none students out there tell us just what these cuts could do to higher education?

The cuts to higher education not only affect those in and hoping to get into education but society as a whole. The cuts have the potential to damage those subjects that provide the motor for ideas in society and the voices that are critical of society as well as stunting the development of people for generations. Creating a two tier education system that benefits the rich and those with money and not holding access to education as a key principal threatens to send us back to the victorian model of educsation.

How has the press coverage been, have you been getting support from your students?

We are currently in contact and trying to contact multiple outlets of media and have groups of students pledging to come along later.

What would you like to say to your VC and to people looking in on these occupations?

These occupations show the strength and the passion people feel about issues on education. However many also see the struggle linked into the fight for the public sector and against the Condem coalitions decimation of society caused by the cuts. This is not the end. Those involved today will be on the picket lines of tomorrow in support.

Do you think peaceful protest like NCL and Edinburgh are the way forward?

As with all protest the methods involve given the response of each actions. Escalations are necessary and will happen if those in power refuse to listen to those who make their voices heard. The demands and debates around the current crisis are ones that are sensible and ones that should be debated in wider society, not just the halls of whitehall.

We have just found out that yet MORE students have joined the growing student occupations all over the UK with Exeter and Glasgow joining today. Day X, December 9th, is the day that Parliament is set to vote on the new plans and is also the day two very different student protest take place. The main one organised by the breakaway student group will take place at Parliament Square, with NUS holding a Candlelit Vigil on at the River.

TNC will have interviews with these two new student groups later tonight. You can find out more on their blogs here Exeter & Glasgow

The peaceful protest at Leeds University looks as though it is coming to an end early with the University issuing them with an eviction notice. The Universities timing seems a little odd with Day X (December 9th) only a day away. But they have been told that the eviction will be taking place at 8am 8th December.

For a full transcript of the eviction notice you can read their blog HERE.

Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre has been the base for the Leeds Occupation and though Sheffield and UCL had sought to evict their students there was something of a negative reaction in both cases with students revolting. For Leeds University this is a huge shame on them and is one that is inevitably going to stick with them for a long time.

Support Leeds Occupation and go onto their blog, if you are local then show your support tomorrow!