The strange death of David


Kelly Samuel Johnson speaks to a doctor campaigning for a new inquest; pg 9


Est. 1945 | pimedia.org.uk PI December 2011


Libya: secularism with an


Islamic face Christopher Hyland interviews the leader of a party vying for power in Libya; pg 11


OF F ICIAL NEWSPAPER OF UNIVERS ITY COL L EGE LONDON Ken Livingstone tells us everything, pgs 14-15 π Matthew Volkov


UCL HAS announced plans to explore the creation of a new campus in the London Borough of Newham. The proposed site is located in the Greater Carpenters Neighbourhood, east of the Olympic Park – one of London’s most deprived areas. An agreement between UCL


and Newham Council has laid out a six-month framework in which to introduce proposals for development. Professor Malcolm Grant,


UCL Provost, said of the plans: “The challenges of delivering this exciting vision will be substantial, but the regeneration potential is of great significance for the local community, the Olympic Legacy and the economy of London as a


Muay Thai: punishing but


rewarding martial art Mike Maris describes a gruelling trip to Thailand; pg 30


NEWSPAPER No. 37


Union votes no confidence in Provost


Ashley Cowburn and Samuel Johnson


AN EMERGENCY members’ meeting of UCL Union has returned a vote of no confidence in the Provost. The result will now be carried forward into a UCL-wide referendum in which all members of UCLU will be able to cast a vote. The meeting, which was held


last Thursday, was orchestrated by a group within the Union opposed to Professor Malcolm Grant’s appointment as head of the NHS commissioning board, reported in the second-to-last issue of Pi Newspaper. In response to the Health


Michael Baron Plans ahead for Newham campus


whole.” A new campus would provide


a significant boost to Newham’s local economy and a lasting legacy for the community. It is likely that the development would create an influx of new housing for staff and students in the area, which would be considerably more affordable than central London. Prof Grant said in an e-mail sent


last week to all staff and students at UCL: “The reason [for the development] is that we are running out of space. Our Bloomsbury campus lies within one of the most expensive real estate locations in the world. “True, we can use the estate


more efficiently, and we’ve adopted a Bloomsbury Masterplan to achieve this. But there are some needs we


simply cannot meet. Amongst these are student accommodation.” The site currently being


considered for development by UCL is of 20 acres size, adjacent to Stratford Regional railway station, alongside the Olympic Park and the new Westfield Shopping Centre, which links in turn to the new Stratford International railway station. If plans are confirmed, the


Newham campus would house new staff and student accommodation, as well as other facilities such as a conference centre and space for start-up companies. Prof Grant said that it was


necessary for UCL to expand beyond its Bloomsbury home. Despite plans to expand existing accommoation in Camden and Islington, and add a


new floor to John Dodgson House in King’s Cross, UCL is currently able to house no more than 20 per cent of its student population. “We want also to be able to


provide staff housing, especially for young staff with families for whom there is a severe shortage of attractive accommodation within easy reach of central London,” said Prof Grant. “This has long been a headache when we have been recruiting.” Whether first-year students


would welcome the chance to live in Stratford and commute daily into Bloomsbury is less clear. Transport links from St Pancras to Stratford International currently take just seven minutes, and frequency of


Continued on page 3


Secretary’s appointment of Prof Grant, Layth Hanbali, a second- year medic, and Luke Durigan, the Union’s education and campaigns officer, submitted a motion to the Union Council on Oct 25, calling for a vote of confidence to be held in Prof Grant. The motion denounced the


coalition Government’s proposed NHS reforms as “a fundamental threat to the welfare state”, and criticised Prof Grant’s support for both the reforms and the Government’s Higher Education White Paper. The motion was passed by


the Union Council that same day. In consequence, an emergency members’ meeting was held last week in a crowded Darwin lecture theatre. Attendees were asked to vote on the question, “Does UCLU have confidence in Malcolm Grant as President and Provost of UCL?” In total 274 students voted,


with 160 voting no, 86 voting yes and another 28 abstaining. The main advocates of a vote of no confidence were the former education and campaigns officer, Michael Chessum, now in his final year of a history degree, and the current


Continued on page 7


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