Breaking: There was a silent sit-down protest in the Forum today

We are now in our fourth, and hopefully, final week of strike action, despite the UCU overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal from the UUK to stop the strikes yesterday.

Approximately a thrid of all timetabled activities have been affected by the strikes here in Exeter, and that has resulted in several student led protests in support of the striking staff. The student occupation has been going on for over a week now in Northcote House, and today there was a silent sitting protest in the Forum.

The protestors just outside Pret

There were approximately 100 students involved in the protest, with the curent Guild President and other sabb officers also being in attendance. The sitting protest was organised to be held today because of the offer holder day.

The organisers of the protest said that they were doing the offer holders a favour by drawing attention to some of the discouraging realities of our university among all that glitter they will be force fed tomorrow”

Shades, the current Guild President sitting in the foreground

There were some mixed reviews to the protest: "There is plurality in opinion, but we’ve got to show our support in anyway we can! It’s the way to have our voices heard", Elliot, fourth Year

"I’m not sitting down I’m just getting aggy now", Will, third Year

A ground-level view of the protestors blocking the entrance Pret

"If anything it’s probably encouraged me, because they’re standing up for what they want, and they’re being supported for doing it, no one is stopping them", Laura, BSc Geography offer holder.

"We haven’t even read the emails, but it’s blocking people entering Pret!" Tara and Tom, second year Business students.

A shot of the protest from above

Whatever the outcome of the strikes, I think we can all agree that they have gone on for long enough now and a decision needs to be made as soon as possible before the disruption becomes too detrimental to our education.