Every tyranny has to end eventually: why Vice-Chancellor April McMahon’s time has come

A petition signed by students and staff calling for the VC to resign leaves her in an untenable position, argues KATHARINA WEZEL


Last month, I added my signature to the petition calling for Vice-Chancellor April McMahon to resign immediately.

The petition is the second of its kind, following in the footsteps of an earlier petition set up by student Kieron O’Shea. Kieron closed his petition after meeting with senior figures at the university, and said to the press that all his concerns were ‘answered adequately with positive-forward looking responses’, and that there was no longer a need for the petition.

At the time of writing, the petition has nearly 800 signatories

However, the 770-plus students and staff to have signed the new petition don’t agree. Neither do I, for three key reasons:

April McMahon’s ridiculously high salary could be put to better use

According to figures released by the UCU, April McMahon was paid £228,000 for the 2012/2013 academic year, after being awarded a pay rise of 9.57 per cent.

To put that figure into perspective, her salary is 60 per cent higher than the salary of the Prime Minister, David Cameron. And that’s before pension contributions are considered.

While McMahon lines her pockets, our university is unable to provide the most basic provisions to its students.

Every student living in uni accommodation will know what I mean when I say that my mattress offers about as much comfort as a bed of nails. Is it really too much to ask that the university spends a bit more to make us comfortable?

This is an unacceptably crap bed

There are, of course, plenty of other areas the university could do with investing in besides comfier mattresses. The fact there are so many just makes April McMahon’s salary all the more ridiculous.

To make matters even worse, her large salary is at odds with a recent cost-cutting proposal that means non-academic staff at the university (e.g. cleaners) will lose up to 60 per cent of their pension pot.

Despite her large pay packet, the university is in decline

April McMahon has been Vice-Chancellor for three years. In that time, the number of students coming here has dropped from 3310 in 2011-12 to 2520 in this academic year. Student satisfaction scores and league table positions have also dropped.

Is this a performance that deserves an above-average pay rise? Clearly not, but don’t tell that to April McMahon!

You can’t really blame students for turning away from Aberystwyth, a university where those in charge are more interested in feathering their own nest than investing in the future of their students. With tuition fees now so high, students want to go somewhere that can offer them value for money. Aberystwyth currently offers nothing of the sort.

The voice of the students should be heard

The petition, backed by both students and staff, is a triumph of democracy. We will never know for sure the real reasons the initial petition was dropped, but the second petition has made clear that people will not be silenced on this issue.

There is no point April McMahon governing the university without support from students and staff. Given the university’s strong reputation for international politics, McMahon should embrace democracy and listen to what the people want.

Time is running out for McMahon to step down gracefully and on her own terms. Regardless of how long she drags it out, I remain confident that the people will ultimately get what they want, as long as they continue to stand up for their convictions.