WARWICK University Students Union has passed a historic vote of ‘no confidence’ in Univerisity Vice Chancellor, Nigel Thrift, with a landside majority.
The motion, entitled ‘No Confidence in Nigel Thrift’, was submitted by students via the SU’s democratic channels and was discussed at an All Student Meeting on Monday, February 2, before being voted on online by the student body.
Of a total of 1120 votes cast, 682 students voted for the policy, with 289 votes against and 149 abstentions, meaning the policy was passed with 60 per cent majority.
The motion cites pay inequality, the allegedy violent response from West Midlands Police officers to a student sit in on December 3, 2014, staff redundancies, and the suspension of academic Thomas Docherty as reasons for a loss of confidence.
Miguel Costa Matos, third-year politics student at the university and Proposer of the motion, said: “This is a historic vote, which shows that despite his knighthood, Nigel Thrift has lost the confidence of those he is meant to support.
“Something has gone seriously wrong when students find themselves in opposition to university management.
“In a functional education system, a university would be run in the interests of students and staff, rather than against them.
“Unfortunately, Nigel Thrift is evidence that this is not the case.”
The Student’s Union revealed the results of the All Student Meeting on Friday, February 6, and said that the Union would now adopt the ‘no confidence’ motion as policy.
When The Observer contacted the University for a comment, they released the following statement: “The University is aware of the motion.”
The motion comes amidst the university’s 50th Anniversary celebrations and follows on from the announcement that Professor Thrift is to be knighted as part of this year’s New Year’s Honours list for ‘Services to Higher Education’.
