Staff and students got together to demand action over problems in the university’s School of

Management during a recent rally and march outside Fulton House.

The event, organised by the University and Colleges Union, attracted a sizeable turn out.

The students’ union and university have already received hundreds of complaints and a 1000

name petition calling for action over the abrasive management style of the school’s dean,

Prof Nigel Piercy, and his son pro-dean Niall Piercy.

A recent leaked document from the management team describes some dissenting staff as a

‘cancer that must now be removed’. While Nigel Piercy’s response the 1000 name petition

was to say: “Haters goin to hate, potatoes goin to potate, we’re doin great.”

Anne Paess, a 26 year old Economics PhD student who took part in the rally, said: “I am one

of the ‘toxic’ ones. The reply we got to our complaints was about potatoes. This shows how

our complaints are not being taken seriously. We are being washed down the drain and that

is why this is important. I am not a potato, I deserve respect.”

The UCU told us: “The march was organized due to significant issues that have arisen in the

School of Management over the last 16 months. Our members in the school have raised

concerns about how they have been treated. We are one university and Swansea University

policies and procedures apply to all the university’s colleges and activities without exception.”

A staff member who wished to remain anonymous said: “If the university would talk to us, we would not need to resort to things like this.”

Tom Lake, a 25-year-old PHD student in the College of Engineering also took part in the rally.

He said: “Although the bulk of events in the School of Management affect the students, it is starting to affect the university as a whole. It is being noticed by the outside community, what the university needs to realize is that people across the university want this matter resolved.”

Two first year international relations and modern history students also took part in the rally as representatives of the Marxists Society. One of them, Gareth Lynn, told us: “We are here to support the cause against the School of Management and we have a series of demands for the students’ union.”

A student who wished to remain anonymous told us: “I am disgusted that this has been left to go on for as long as it has. Students should be the number one priority in all universities.” During the protest security guards were positioned outside the School of Management building.

 

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