Corpus students took on their college yesterday over room rents and rising costs.
150 out of the tiny college’s 250 undergraduates stood on the New Court lawn among accusations that the college is treating them “like children”.
The JCR backed protest was aimed at the alleged “dishonesty” and “incompetence” of college authorities.
One JCR source told The Tab: “they do not consult us, or they consult us and do it anyway, or they lie and say they have consulted us when they haven’t.”
The complaints stem from the college’s handling of drastic financial cuts. In the last 3 years Corpus has been hit by losses of £1,600,000 last year £1,850,000 in 2008 and a whopping £2,050,000 in 2007.
The minutes of a meeting between the Bursar and college bosses admit that “information about the deficit…could lead to press comment on alleged mismanagement of the College’s affairs”.
150 Corpus students gather in New Court despite the protestations of the lawn sign (front right).
News of the colleges financial troubles will surprise many as Cambridge folklore has long had it that Corpus is the richest college per student in the university.
Oliver Rackham’s 2002 book Treasures of Silver at Corpus Christi College documented the colleges unrivalled collection of rare wines and ports, silver and medieval manuscripts. Rackham also claimed the college possesses “a thirteenth-century drinking vessel made of the horn of an extinct animal”.
The massive deficits have forced the college to make deep cuts. Corpus has frozen salaries as well as allegedly sacking staff in the Porter’s Lodge, Bursary, Housekeeping, and Catering department. A recent college report admits that “Staff morale was very low in some areas”.
Students yesterday complained about a 10% hike in room rents and even having to eat breakfast in the bar area using disposable wooden cutlery.
Corpus JCR representatives hold a placard with CUSU President-elect Rahul Mansigani and current President Tom Chigbo.
A leading JCR source was keen to press that the gathering on New Court lawn was not a “protest” but rather an "event". One particularly dapper gentleman was even keener to insist that the event was not “left wing”.
“I’m not left wing – God no. But I’m here for the College.”
Outgoing JCR President Patrick Farmbrough told The Tab that the college authorities were guilty of “systemic miscommunication”.
He continued: “Today isn't about pushing a particular agenda or picking a fight with anyone. It's about showing that we care about our college, and that we want to be fully involved in the decision-making process. I think the fact that over a hundred and fifty students from such a small college showed up says it all.”
The college have not yet replied to our request for a comment.
Reporters: Simran Singh and Guy Kiddey.
Just to note, the second photo shows the '08-'09, '09-'10 and incoming '10-'11 JCR Presidents (left to right) alongside the CUSU representatives.
The 'JCR Representatives' in the photo are the current and previous 2 JCR Presidents: From left, Ross C.Johnstone (2008-2009), Patrick Farmborough (2009-2010) and new JCR President Rhys Grant.
Shit college. No chat.
I think this is exactly what we should be doing more of when we need to– the College authorities have been acting unreasonably for a long time, and it's vital that students engage and show that they're interested in the way their College is run.
Credit has to go to the incoming and outgoing Corpus JCR Committees, especially Patrick and Rhys, who organised an enthusiastic protest with more than half of Corpus Undergrads turning up, managing to make their point visibly and effectively whilst not disrupting education, as well as poking fun at the rules about walking on the grass!
tim's a dick
Dislike how this article trivialises the issues we are protesting against. Rents are increasing by considerably more than 10%, year on year. Eating breakfast in the bar is the least of our worries; this was one of many complaints against the catering dept (e.g. cancelling or reorganising our own college sports dinners to make way for external i.e. more profitable events, cancelling a third of our formals without decreasing kitchen charge, cutting weekend catering while also removing almost all of our kitchens – starving on weekends is so much fun…). And that's just a little bit of the catering… we have lots more problems and people to rage at.
Corpus, I don't this article trivialises the problems at all. Detailing such farcical cuts like cutlery merely highlights the lengths to which College will stoop.
silly whiny bastards.
The students have brought it on themselves. I have no sympathy.
in what way ? intrigued..
James Edmunds – I agree, the students brought it on themselves by stupidly voting this all through via the democratic channels available to them… Oh wait, no, that was a dream. The students stupidly ermmm… had no representation on many of the issues, and stupidly ermm… weren't consulted or informed properly by the college, and stupidly erm… I give up. What exactly have the students done wrong?
James Edmunds is a dick
It is time for a change!
Corpus are shit. No one cares. They can go fuck their mothers.
I know no one is Corpus. Have never visited it and care little for their problems as it will never effect me.
However ignorant people slagging them off should get a life. If your College was treating you so poorly you'd have something to say about it.
Good luck Corpus!
When I was an undergrad, we complained about Chris Kelly's closure of the bar, re-organisation of the room ballot to penalise the less-well performing students, lack of decent gyp rooms, reduction in funding of anything not directly academic.
Ten years later, all of those changes are long forgotten; the sad truth is that any college only has a memory as long as an undergrad's length of residence – once we all left for the real world, nobody is around to remember how things were in the past.
Colleges are the social and pastoral heart of a student's life in Cambridge. Yes, students are there to study and ultimately to gain degrees but they also need to be accommodated in conditions that allow for this! Yes, a college needs to be financially viable (Robinson, anyone?) but can't jeopardise its long – term future and attractiveness to the next generation of students by short – sighted slashing.