Dear Prof. Ezingeard,

We write to you as students, alumni and friends of the University of Roehampton to raise our voice in protest against the measures announced by the University on 17th May. The declared plan of action places 226 academics at risk of redundancy by mid-June, attacking the Schools of Arts, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life and Health Sciences, and Psychology. We are particularly dismayed with the timing of the proposals, which follows excellent REF results across the affected departments and will dismantle the research environments that enabled them. In writing to you of our opposition, we also express our full support of and solidarity with the faculty and staff across the University who are currently facing the uncertainty of potential redundancy or short-term employment in light of these cuts.

These proposals are alarming and unacceptable, and we are strongly opposed to them on the basis that they will have an adverse effect on staff and students in the following ways:

1.  Academic staff will be overworked. The proposal to "fire and rehire" will leave remaining staff further overworked (1) with a higher and unsustainable student-staff ratio. This will have an impact on staff morale, which can have a negative effect on the quality of teaching and research, resulting in a poorer learning and teaching experience for students and staff alike. Incoming students will face a very different University than the one advertised, as will those returning.

2.  The proposal to rehire staff on fixed-term contracts contributes to the casualisation of labour, resulting in increased uncertainty and risk to academics as precarious workers. The reduced numbers of permanent staff may lead to further casualisation and potential exploitation of PhD students to bridge the labour gap. In particular, the decision to pit staff against each other for a smaller number of jobs and rehire many on fixed-term contracts is not only a shameful dividing tactic, but will also place them under further strain following two previous rounds of voluntary redundancies and the extra labour of two years of blended learning following COVID.

3. We see the timing of the proposals as very unfortunate: REF results have illustrated the excellence of academic staff (2), while the proposed cuts seek to suggest that their roles are unnecessary at worst, disposable at best. Staff have worked tirelessly during the pandemic and over two years of burnout and precarity to foster excellence and to guide and support students through a difficult period. The proposals will destroy research cultures across the affected departments, including newly-formed Research Centres such as that for History and Classics.

4. The expertise of academics who are rehired will be severely narrowed, having a deleterious effect on the completion of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees currently in progress. In particular, many PhD students have come to Roehampton to work with specific supervisors, and losing them mid-way through a doctoral project would be extremely disruptive. Remaining supervisors will be left with unfeasibly large workloads as they support more students, meaning students will be negatively affected whether their own supervisors are rehired or not (3).

5. These proposals disproportionately affect working-class students and ethnic-minority students, especially those from the local area who form the majority of the student body at Roehampton. The proposals to close or cut staff from departments across Arts and Humanities will further entrench class divisions in access to subjects that teach critical thinking.

As students, alumni, and friends of University of Roehampton, we stand in solidarity with faculty across the University who are affected by these proposed cuts. We urge the senior management of University of Roehampton to immediately reconsider the proposals to close departments and cut jobs across the Schools of Arts, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life and Health Sciences, and Psychology. We urge you to engage meaningfully with these concerns and prove your commitment to the themes of your current engagement strategy: student education, research and knowledge exchange, and sustainability. The proposed cuts run counter to these themes, and we ask you to listen to student concerns about the quality of their education, preserve the diversity and excellence of the University's research profile, and seek strategies for sustainability that do not prioritise buildings over staff (4).

(1) https://roehampton.web.ucu.org.uk/news-and-events/stress-survey-report/
(2) https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/news/2022/may/the-university-of-roehampton-is-jointly-ranked-as-the-best-modern-university-in-the-country-for-research-quality/
(3) Roehampton's Research Degree Regulations state that the Director of Studies and each Co-Supervisor must have appropriate expertise. Co-supervisors may be from outside the University, which suggests that the University intends to depend on the labour of academics from other universities, thus increasing workloads in a wider capacity across its partners. See 11a and b: https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/globalassets/documents/quality-and-standards/august-2019/research_degree_regulations_2019-20.pdf
(4) https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/globalassets/documents/corporate-information/enabling-strategies-2019-2025.pdf

Yours sincerely,

1. Aimee Hinds Scott, PhD Classics, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
2. Kariima Ali, PhD in History - Humanities Department
3. Helena Botto, PhD student, School of Arts
4. Christopher Roman, PhD Drama, Theater and Performance
5. Odhran O’Donogue, PhD student, English & Creative Writing
6. Antony Keen, Former staff in Humanities
7. Linda Stevens, None
8. Alison Naker, University of East London
9. Effrosyni Kostara, Hellenic Open University
10. Paul March-Russell, Cardiff Metropolitan University
11. Grace Page, Classics PhD
12. Melissa Beattie, PhD, Asst Prof English & Comms, American University of Armenia
13. Giulia Casalini, PhD candidate, School of Arts (Drama depertment) TECHNE-funded
14. Constantine Christoforou, Classics PhD student- Humanities
15. Greta Rilletti-Zaltieri, Alumni, Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies
16. Gideon Nisbet, Former external examiner
17. Pat Mahony, Professor Emerita Education
18. Linda Lapini, PhD candidate, School of Arts (Translation Studies)
19. Brielle Hetherington, MA Popular Literature and Culture
20. Mark Carter, PhD Student ECW
21. Damian Owen-Board, Goldsmiths, University of London
22. Evelyn Reidy, PhD Student, English & Creative Writing
23. Migena Gashi, MA Popular Literature and Culture
24. Najwa, BA (COMBINED HONOURS) Creative Writing and English Literature
25. Ash Stokoe, Teaching Fellow, POLSIS, University of Birmingham
26. Michaela Scott, Former staff, Lancaster University
27. Paul Paschal, PhD student, School of Arts, Roehampton University
28. Sharon L. James, Professor of Classics, UNC Chapel Hill
29. Emily Baragwanath, Associate Professor of Classics, UNC-Chapel Hill
30. Cristina fernandes rosa, Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton
31. Graham S McDonald, Reader in Physics, University of Salford
32. Ariane Desoisa, MA Translation Studies
33. Zoe Moores, School of Arts
34. Summer Davidson, MA Creative writing
35. Vittoria Butti, Alumni, Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies
36. Katie Byrne, University of Roehampton, English Literature (BA and MA)
37. Eszter Ivan, Ph.d at School of Arts and Psychology
38. Amy Perry, MA Popular Literature and Culture
39. Elaine Thomas, Senior Lecturer School of Arts Roehampton
40. Nicole Denton, MA Arts Psychotherapy
41. Marco Gay, PhD Candidate University of St Andrews
42. Melissa Pasut, Full time MRes Choreography and Performance, Dance Department. Also a Lecturer in dance at Liverpool Hope University
43. Andrew Leslie Hooker, PhD researcher in music composition at University of Leiden, The Hague
44. Maxine Flasher-Duzgunes, MA Dance Philosophy & History
45. Kristin Jones, MA Dance Philosophy & History
46. Janet Collard, MA Dance Philosophy and History
47. Sarah Hardstaff, PhD, University of Cambridge
48. Qiao Lin Tan, BA Dance
49. Dr. Liz Gloyn, PhD in Classics; Reader in Latin Language & Literature, Royal Holloway
50. Sam Agbamu, Leverhulme ECF, Classics, RHUL
51. Lene Rubinstein, Professor of Ancient History, Dept. of Classics, Royal Holloway, University of London
52. Christos Kremmydas,  Reader in Ancient Greek History, Classics Department, Royal Holloway, University of London
53. Efi Spentzou, Reader in Latin Literature and Classical Reception, Royal Holloway University of London
54. Chris Stocking, PhD, Philosophy and Education
55. Christopher Roman, Phd by Published Works, Dance + DTP
56. Hannah Levene, PhD Creative Writing
57. Orla O'Flynn, BA Classics, Roehampton School of Humanities and Social Sciences
58. Elisabeth Motley, PhD student, School of Arts
59. Harriet O’Toole, BA Classical Civilisation
60. Yoana Stoeva, Dance and Embodied practice
61. Valeria, Dance BA
62. Amy Jarvis, Creative Writing and English literature
63. Sabahat, English literature BA
64. Shan Cao, PhD in Dance
65. Katie Brown,  PhD, School of Education
66. Leoni Lombaard, MA Play Therapy
67. Paula, MA Dance Philosophy and History
68. Georg Doecker, PhD, Arts/Drama, Theatre and Performance
69. Orion Hall-Turner, School of Arts, Journalism (alumni)
70. Isis de Carvalho Stelmo, MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy - Psychology Department
71. Fanny Marie Vandewiele, MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy
72. Gemma Button, MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy 1st year PT Roehampton University
73. Victoria Stuebner, BSc Anthropology, University of Roehampton
74. Silvia Battista, Liverpool Hope University
75. Angelo Madonna, Liverpool College
76. Gayathri Santhosh, MA Art psychotherapy, Roehampton University
77. Imogen Louise Griffiths, Ba Dance, School of Arts
78. Paula Terzinov Kina, Friend
79. Ailish McCarthy
80. Agata Jedrychowska, MA Audiovisual Translation, School of Arts
81. Harriet Pilcher, MA, Dance Movement Psychotherapy
82. Sean Ferrick, MA, Creative Writing
83. Shane Anslow, Classics
84. David McDonagh, MSc Finance
85. Mehreen Begg, Graduate Student
86. Devorah Grant, MA Play Therapy
87. Hannah Boast, School of English, University College Dublin
88. Tara Fatehi Irani, PhD, Drama, Theatre and Performance (alumni)
89. Maaike Bleeker, Professor in Theatre Studies, Utrecht University
90. Eilidh Innes, PhD, Independent
91. Astrid Breel, Bath Spa University
92. Carol Brown, VCA Dance, University of Melbourne
93. Donald Wetherick, Deputy Head of Music Therapy, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
94. Ashika Chembila Valappil, PhD Sport Science, School of health and life sciences
95. Cecilia Abbriano, Acting student, London School of Dramatic Art
96. Juliana Ruiz Torres, MFA Dance and Embodied Practice
97. David Coates, Assistant Professor, University of Warwick
98. Hasse Hämäläinen, PhD, Jagiellonian University
99. Cannach MacBride, Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam
100. Zena Kamash, Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, Dept of Classics, Royal Holloway University of London
101. Bethan Davies, Phd Candidate, University of Roehampton
102. Bettina Knaup, PhD, Drama, Theatre and Performance (alumni)
103. Zara Abbas, PhD Sport Studies, School of Life and Health Sciences
104. Judith Suissa, Professor of Philosophy of Education, UCL Institute of Education
105. Lorenza Peragine, PhD candidate, Schools of Arts, Techne-funded
106. Dr Dawn Llewellyn, Associate Professor Religion and Gender, Theology and Religious Studies, University of Chester
107. Nigel Stewart, Senior Lecturer in Dance and Theatre, Lancaster University
108. Sahar Alshobaki, media, culture and language department, Roehampton
109. Sara Ruddock, PhD student, School of Arts, University of Roehampton
110. Charlie Dearnley, Dance Movement Psychotherapy MA
111. Tamya Bustamante, Dance Movement Psychotherapy MA
112. Lauren Ryall-Stockton, PhD candidate, History - humanities department
113. Maria Elena Ricci, MA Dance Practice and Performance
114. Casey Annalise Webster, MA Play Therapy
115. Dr Katerina Paramana, Brunel University London (Roehampton Alumni)
116. Sanjini kedia, PhD School of Arts- Dance Movement Psychotherapy
117. Beau Coleman, MFA, Theatre & Performance Studies, University of Alberta
118. Dr Martin O’Brien, Senior Lecturer in Live Art, Queen Mary University of London
119. Luca Federici, Central Saint Martins PhD
120. Emelia Junia Trop, PhD Candidate of Classical Civilisation, University of Roehampton
121. Irene Artegiani, PhD Alumni, School of Arts
122. Dr Martin Welton, Queen Mary University of London
123. Dr Julie Escurignan, PhD in Film & TV Studies (alumni)
124. Professor Dee Heddon, James Arnott Chair in Drama, University of Glasgow
125. Serena Braida, Associate Lecturer in Voice, University of Northampton
126. Leane Meiring, PhD Dramatherapy, University of Roehampton
127. Tim Cowbury, Royal Holloway University of London, PhD
128. Charles Miller, PhD student, History, University of Roehampton
129. Lynn Engler, PhD Student, Dramatherapy & Social Sciences, School of Humanities & Social Sciences
130. Kisiaya Saruni Mwasuni, PhD Candidate Social Anthropology
131. Ada Aznar García, MA Audiovisual Translation
132. Peter Darby-Knight, MA Dramatherapy, Roehampton University
133. Heather williams, MA Dramatherapy ex student and tutor
134. Mark Wilson, VL and PhD candidate, University of Roehampton, Humanities Department
135. Toyosi Adeniyi, MA Dramatherapy
136. Monicah Sairo, PhD social anthropology, life’s sciences department
137. Rebecca Tadman, PhD Drama and Theatre
138. Fasco Chengula, PhD, Social Anthropology, University of Roehampton
139. Marta Di Manno, Audiovisual Translation MA, School of Arts
140. Andrea Torres Viedma, PhD candidate, Dance - School of Arts
141. Professor Heike Roms, University of Exeter; former external advisor to Theatre at Roehampton
142. Lorena Russo, Second Year Bsc Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences
143. Josh Branson, PhD, School of Arts
144. Rani Myers, BA (Hons) Dance
145. Diana Jeater, Professor of African History, University of Liverpool
146. Maria M. Delgado, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
147. Jamie Walker, PhD Student, Creative Writing - School of Humanities and Social Sciences
148. Beck Alcock, Current BA Film and Creative Writing student
149. Dr. Stefanie Sachsenmaier, Middlesex University
150. Sergio Maiorca, Professor of Law, University of Turin (retired)
151. Ruth Llewellyn, Full Time PhD student within The School of Arts
152. Murray Robertson, PhD Philosophy, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
153. Yusuf Daniju, PhD Psychology, University of Roehampton
154. Mona-Lisa De Greve, International Business student
155. Dr Robert Vesty, Performing Arts, Middlesex University
156. Laura Salisbury, Prof of English, University of Exeter
157. Harry Brooks-Kent, PhD, English and Creative Writing
158. Lorraine Smith, Engaged with the dance department in the past
159. Caroline Ribbers, Lecturer at Fontys Dance Academy, Tilburg, The Netherlands
160. Ariadne Mikou, PhD in Dance
161. Dasan Mitchell, Dance (mfa)
162. Mina Shahid, BA Media, Culture & Identity  / MA Popular Literature & Culture
163. Laura Setford, Creative Writing & English Literature BA
164. Cerys Savinkina, BSc Anthropology, School of Life Sciences
165. Evren Savcı, Assistant Professor of WGSS, Yale University
166. Graham Shipley, School of Archaeology & Ancient History, U. of Leicester; former chair, Council of University Classical Departments
167. Dr Dan Stewart, University of Leicester
168. Jodie Hughes, PhD student in Health Sciences
169. Sara Ramos Pinto, University of Leeds
170. Rocio Perez-Tattam, School of Culture and Communication, Swansea University
171. Dr Lorena Salud Gadella Kamstra, Lecturer, Department of Language and Linguistics. University of Essex
172. Dr Lucas Nunes Vieira, University of Bristol
173. Pablo Romero Fresco, School of Languages, Universidade de Vigo (Spain)
174. Mavis Ho, Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting Studies, University of Edinburgh
175. Professor Regenia Gagnier, Established Chair in English Language and Literature, U Exeter
176. Kirsty Fraser, MA Translation Studies
177. Marianna Napoli, MSc in Scientific, Technical and Medical Translation, UCL (alumna)
178. Rachel Shaw, MA Translation Studies student at UCL
179. Sui He, UCL
180. Ignazia Posadinu, Language and Linguistics University of Essex
181. Jorge Díaz-Cintas, University College London
182. Stavroula Sokoli, Hellenic Open University
183. Agnieszka Bendel, MA English Studies (Goethe University Frankfurt)
184. Mikolaj Kopczak, MA in Specialised Translation
185. Maite Clausell Menero, MA Audiovisual Translation (Roehampton alumna)
186. Hannah Boast, Assistant Professor, School of English, University College Dublin
187. Elizabeth Cook-Elsom, MA Children's Literature, English and Creative Writing/Humanities
188. David Buchanan, MA Audiovisual Translation, Roehampton University
189. Ariane Jannet Blondet Tovar, Licentiate Degree in Translation and Interpretation
190. Dr Dimitris Asimakoulas, Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies, University of Surrey
191. Christina Delistathi, Principal lecturer, CETI, University of Westminster
192. Elena Sanz, University of Edinburgh
193. Ugo Ellefsen, MA, University of Roehampton, PhD, Concordia University
194. Dr. Severine Hubscher-Davidson, The Open University
195. Niina Mahosenaho, MA Specialised Translation, University of Roehampton
196. Teresa Torres, University of Essex
197. Carol Timlin, MA Children's Literature
198. Dr Richard Huddleson, Scoil na Gaeilge, an Léinn Cheiltigh & an Bhéaloidis, University College Dublin
199. Jan Pedersen, Director, Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies, Stockholm University
200. Dr A Palomo Lopez, Roehampton University, Translation Dpt.
201. Giada Ramundo, MA Audiovisual Translation
202. Morgane Allard-Le Berre, Alumni of Master’s in Accessibility and Filmmaking (2013-2014)
203. Amber Hughes, MA Screen Translation, Sheffield
204. Mika Lillit Lior, PhD, Lecturer at University of Malta
205. Dr Kathryn Stamp, Centre for Dance Research, Coventry University and Roehampton Dance alumna
206. Siena Ramsey, MA Audiovisual Translation, School of Arts
207. Valentina Fabris, MA in Translation (Open University)
208. Dr Piero Toto, London Metropolitan University
209. Dr Karl McLaughlin, Senior Lecture in Spanish Interpreting and Translation, Manchester Metropolitan University
210. Nicolas Froeliger, Full-tenured professor at Université Paris Cité and translator trainer
211. Treya Lufu, Therapeutic Psychololgy
212. Kirsty Simpkins, MA Translation Studies
213. Susan Sentler, RAD, Head of Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Education
214. Amelia Estrada, PhD Student, Theater and Perfromance Studies, Tufts University
215. Bryan Levina Viray, MA Choreomundus Alumnus (Cohort 2), Dept. of Dance, Roehampton University
216. Subhashini Goda Venkataramani,  PhD (School of Music), University College Dublin
217. Julia Bardsley, Lecturer in Drama, Theatre & Performance, QMUL
218. Mária Koscelníková, doctor, Constantine the Philosopher University
219. Cristina Marinetti, Cardiff university
220. Pamela Santana Oliveros, Choreomundus Master, Dance Department
221. Chiara Intini, Audiovisual Translation MA
222. Fabio Rossini, MA Specialised Translation
223. Sara Adelfio, Studied at University of Roehampton (Audiovisual Translation/Localisation) & now Localisation Project Manager
224. Monica Belvedere, MA Audiovisual Translation, University of Roehampton
225. Estefania Solorzano, MA in Dance Anthropology (joint master Choreomundus)
226. Valentina Polcovnicova, MA in Dance Knowledge, Practice and Heritage
227. Selby Larner
228. Dr Miguel Bernal-Merino, University of Roehampton
229. Charlotte Coombe, Literary Translator
230. Eloisa Enfield, PsychD final year trainee, School of Psychology
231. Dr Sharon Black, Lecturer in Interpreting and Translation, University of East Anglia
232. María Güimil Miguélez, Master in Audiovisual Translation
233. Malena Saralegui, Instituto Educativo Superior en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramón Fernández
234. Ceilidh Leisure, MA Children's Literature
235. Aurelia Robert, Aston university
236. Alejandro Palomares Ortiz, Research student, School of Arts
237. Miguel Bernal-Merino, Alumni University of Roehampton
238. Alexandra Wood, PhD, Drama and Theatre
239. Dr Rocío Baños-Piñero, Associate Professor, University College London
240. Veronika Bowker, UEA
241. Joanna Connell, MA Audiovisual Translation, School of Arts
242. Kaia Koehler, BA Therapeutic Psychology
243. Danielle Bradley, MA Audiovisual Translation
244. Dominique Rivoal, Middlesex University
245. Professor Ray Laurence, Department of History & Archaeology, Macquarie University
246. Rachele Agnusdei, Audiovisual Translation professional
247. Kate Gilliver, Reader in Ancient History, Cardiff University
248. Lucy McCoy, Film BA
249. Delicia Sefiha, MRes Choreography and Performance
250. Hebe Barlow, PhD student in Ancient History, University of Birmingham
251. Chi-Hé Elder, Lecturer in Linguistics, University of East Anglia
252. Elsa Huerta Barros, University of Westminster
253. Dr. Jonathan Ervine, Head of Modern Languages and Cultures, Bangor University
254. Julián Lorenzo, MA in AVT
255. Danielle House, BA Photography
256. Katie Burton, Lecturer in Dance at Unitec Institute of Technology and student of BDanceSt(Hons) at University of Auckland
257. Nora Corneliussen, Film BA
258. Chloe Yeoman, BA Classical Civilisation
259. Imogen Easton, MA in Children's Literature
260. Lorna Heap, Masters, Audiovisual Translation, School of Arts
261. Alejandra Menéndez-Valdés Pérez, Alumni, MA Audiovisual Translation
262. Vanda Savkina, Translation for special purposes At the University L’Orientale of Naples
263. Alice Stephens, PhD candidate Epidemiology, ICH GOS UCL
264. Owen Harrington Fernández, Heriot-Watt University
265. Nina Livesey Serratacó, MA Audiovisual Translation
266. Olena Moseychuk, Audiovisual Translation
267. Julian Preece, Professor of German, Swansea University
268. Stefanie Bartlog, Roehampton Alumni, Audiovisual Translation
269. Olga Castro, Translation and Transcultural Studies, University of Warwick
270. Hannah Jones, MA Art Psychotherapy
271. Arianna Avruscio, MA Accessibility and Filmmaking
272. Carla Zito, MA Audiovisual Translation - School of Arts
273. Julien Martinez, MA in Translation, Galway
274. Ben Keightley, PhD candidate Film and Television
275. Suci Angen Kinanti, BA in Translation, Bunda Mulia University
276. Lindsay Bywood, University of Westminster - Roehampton External Examiner
277. Jeremy Munday, Professor of Translation Studies, University of Leeds
278. Zoé Brill Diderich, MA translation & interpreting University of Westminster
279. Rafaella Athanasiadi, Translation and interpreting UAB
280. Dr Begoña Rodríguez de Céspedes, University of Portsmouth
281. Félix do Carmo, University of Surrey
282. Sonia Falzone, MA Audiovisual Translation
283. Pat Devine, Honorary Reasearch Fellow, University of Manchester
284. Phoebe Lambdon, PhD Candidate, ECW, Roehampton
285. Maria Moreira, Mental Health Nursing
286. Laura Pastondi, MA translation & interpreting University of Westminster
287. Romy Martel, MA Translation - University of Montreal
288. Shak Yousaf, Audio Description Lecturer, UCL
289. Elena Davitti, University of Surrey
290. Claire Cuminatto, Associate Professor in French Language, University of East Anglia
291. Gail Varle, MA Dramatherapy, Roehampton Alumni

Last updated: 15/07/2022