There’s going to be a student protest today to demand compensation from the uni due to the UCU strikes

Two student campaign groups have organised protests to coincide with the University of Manchester's senate meeting this afternoon, set to be attended by Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, alongside an assortment of senior academic staff and heads of school.

'Take Action! UoM' demand that students are financially compensated for the major disruption caused following the UCU strike action, whilst a simultaneous protest hosted by 'Demilitarise Education' calls on the University to cease all investments and research contracts with the arms trade.

David Huish, an organiser of the 'Take Action! UoM' campaign, told The Tab: "It’s about time that the university acknowledged their lack of transparency and started taking student considerations seriously."

In an open meeting last week, University management reiterated their stance that financial compensation would not be possible, as they are unable to calculate the amount that would be owed.

Following widespread reports that Vice-President of Teaching, Learning, and Students Professor Clive Agnew stated their "contract is to deliver a degree," rather than an education, the university moved to explicitly ban audio and video recording of future meetings. This was claimed to be in the interest of facilitating "open and honest discussion."

The 'Take Action! UoM' protesters plan to meet outside the Student's Union at 2:15pm, with the protest set to take place at the Whitworth Arch from 2:30pm. The group will be handing out flyers providing information and setting out their demands.

Students within the group are coordinating to pursue compensation through the university's official complaints procedure, which gives students the powerful option of referring the complaint to the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education should the university not make an offer deemed satisfactory.

The Independent Adjudicator confirmed back in March that students could be set for compensation, and released a briefing note encouraging students to submit complaints.

Demilitarise Education #GetNancyOut protest

A campaign video by BDS UoM depicts Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell watching as a fighter jet drops explosives on Yemen.

Meanwhile, a #GetNancyOut protest hosted by 'CAAT Manchester' and 'BDS UoM' follows a recent report by the BDS campaign group, which claims to expose "the University of Manchester's extensive commercialisation, financial and research links to the arms trade, including sales to oppressive regimes."

They claim that The University of Manchester's partnerships with several companies, including Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, render UoM an active participant in the global arms trade, and "therefore complicit in war crimes all over the world."

Equipped with drums and megaphones, the protesters aim to ensure their concerns are heard both inside and outside the adjacent senate meeting.