Thank you to all 185 of you who came to our last student meeting, we have now set out our position below with details for the next all student meeting, and you can access the updated FAQs and minutes from the previous meeting on our dedicated website page. 

Our Position
We are gravely concerned and as your Union we stand in full solidarity with Our Students and Staff during this deeply unsettling time. While we acknowledge the wider financial pressures across the higher education sector in Scotland, we are alarmed by the scale and speed of the University’s Leadership proposed cuts - including over 75 academic roles at risk, disproportionately affecting schools such as Education & Social Sciences (35.7 Full Time Equivalent) and Business & Creative Industries.

These cuts threaten not only the quality of education but the support services and learning environment that your (Our Student Community) rely on.

Key Concerns

• Educational Quality: Significant reduction in academic staff risks higher staff-student ratios, decreased supervision quality, and potential loss of course variety and availability.
• Student Support: With professional services already stretched and under review, further erosion of disability, learning, and mental health support will worsen the student experience.
• Transparency and Involvement: While staff have been consulted through formal mechanisms, students have not been meaningfully included in the Organisational Change Process (OCP) decision-making structures. When we as student presidents have asked for information or updates, or to involve students in the process, we have been constantly told that it is not yet time to involve students.

What Students Are Demanding

From our All-Student Meeting on 12 June 2025, where over 180 students joined to raise concerns, we have consolidated the following urgent and formal demands to university leadership:

 1. Financial Protection for Students

• No additional costs to students due to course or campus changes
• Guaranteed completion of degrees at UWS with equivalent quality and accreditation
• Protection from any fee increases related to restructuring

2. Academic Quality Safeguards

• Maintain appropriate staff-student ratios
• Guarantee no mid-programme course closures for current students
• Uphold professional accreditations throughout and after any changes

3. Enhanced Communication and Consultation

• Structured and ongoing engagement with student representatives at key points throughout the OCP consultation process, ensuring the student voice is actively considered
• Communication of timelines and milestones of the OCP
• Regular meetings with the Students’ Union and the student body

• Use of accessible, plain English in all communications

 4. Protection of Student Support Services

• Immediate moratorium on cuts to existing student services
• Continued provision of current disability and learning support
• Continue to provide support for students with mental health needs via the Student Services team

 5. Clarity on Alternative Arrangements

• Transparent partnership frameworks for any inter-institutional transfers
• Explicit student consent and full information before any programme relocations or changes
• Guarantees that alternative arrangements meet or exceed current standards

6. Process and Accountability Requirements

• Mandatory student impact assessments for all proposed changes
• The University should treat the Trade Unions as partners in the OCP process.
• Independent review of implementation outcomes after 12 months
• Fair compensation for any negative impact on the student experience

Call to Action

Follow-Up All Student Consultation Meeting
Tuesday 15 July 2025
3:00pm – 4:00pm (Online)
Joining Link has been sent to your UWS student e-mail address

This is your chance to:

• Hear updates directly from the Students’ Union
• Share your concerns and shape our collective response
• Prepare for possible collective action if concerns remain unaddressed

We Stand Ready

We are committed to working constructively with university leadership - but we will not compromise on the rights, education, and wellbeing of our students. This is not just about staffing numbers - it is about your future, your learning, and the kind of university we all want to belong to.

Let’s stand together - for transparency, fairness, and a UWS that puts students and staff first.
 

Omowaleola Adebayo
Student President

Timiebi Oyinpere
Vice-President Education

Immad Ud Din
Vice-President Welfare and Wellbeing