Heard it on the Grapevine

From the latest edition of Grapevine (the University of Nottingham Students' Union newsletter, for those of you not in the know):

The Students’ Union Education Officer, Alex Hawkins, will be spending a week in Malaysia from 7th October as part of a team assessing the quality of students’ education at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. His role will be to ensure that student views are heard in the process.

To highlight the manner in which University money is spent, Alex has downgraded his flight from business to economy class and will be staying in a youth hostel instead of a hotel. A quick search online finds a business class flight to Malaysia for £2470 while an economy class flight is only £489. A saving of one thousand nine hundred and eighty one pounds, for just a few less inches of legroom and a slightly rougher meal!

We are becoming an international university, with another campus recently opened in China. Senior staff at the University fly around the world business class, not only to these campuses but to many other international events. If the Vice Chancellor flew economy then there might be enough money to pay for an extra counsellor or member of academic staff.

The University’s international focus may be intended to make profits and increase the global reputation of the University in the long term, but what about its’ obligations in the short term? The University has to remember that now, more than ever, it is financially accountable to its’ students.

Alex is requesting that some of what he is saving the University should be spent on buying 100 energy saving light bulbs for students, so that the whole trip can be made carbon neutral.

I'm usually one of the first people to criticise the SU, so it makes a nice change to be able to applaud them for something.