UWI Guild Treasurer: Ital Spencer Removed

Submitted by Guild Watchdog

Mr. Italcla “Ital” Spencer

Some students described it as deja-vu. Others exclaimed their disapproval, that Ital Spencer was allowed to become Treasurer a second time after being removed by students from tenure on the 2012-13 Guild Council in November 2012.

History was created on his initial removal and it repeated itself on Thursday, 28th November, 2013 when Mr. Italcla “Ital” Spencer was twice removed via ‘Vote of Recall’ by the students of the Cave Hill Campus as the Guild’s Treasurer.

Spencer, who was recently suspended from the University for misconduct regarding the assault of another student, and was barred from representing the University in any official capacity after his suspension concluded, was subject to recall on the grounds of:

Donville Inniss Says UWI Tuition Fees Must Stay

Submitted by Anthony Davis

Donville Inniss – Minister of Commerce, and International Business

“The Freundel Stuart administration says it is sticking to its guns to make Barbadian students at the University of the West Indies start pulling their pockets for tuition fees from next year even though welcoming a new private sector fund to bail out those who cannot afford to pay…The firm position was taken today by Minister of Commerce, and International Business, Donville Inniss, while launching a new charity known as Global Education Scholastic Trust…Inniss said the Government had done the right thing in the circumstances of the economic climate, and would carry through with it…It is not easy for me as a politician that would have taken in recent debates to reduce fees at UWI with effect from 2014, but it is one of those things we felt we had to do, and we stand by that decision.”

What else can one expect from an uncaring Government, whose scions – and probably their scions’ scions – have had a free education at the UWI Cave Hill Campus? The motto of this Government is now “after me the deluge”! Is this the same Government that Minister Blackett called people-centred? I guess he means centred around the 16 DLP Government MPs, but night runs till day catches it!

Minister Inniss can spare us his crocodile tears!

You do not have money for our students at UWI Cave Hill, nor for the QEH, but you have millions of dollars in waivers – including one for food and beverage which no hotel has had before – to throw at a multi-millionaire named “Butch” Stewart, although he took over a hotel here and promised to develop and refurbish it so that Barbadians could get work, but absconded leaving it to moulder and the iron in it to rust! This left those who had hopes of getting a job there up the creek without a paddle! “Is that “the right thing in the circumstances of the economic climate”, Minister Inniss?

UWI GUILD Meeting Ends in TURMOIL

Submitted by Guild Watchdog

(L-R) Guild President; Damani Parris, Law Rep; Daniel Davies, Guild Treasurer; Ital Spencer reviewing a student petition against paying tuition fees

While some University Students are worrying about the Governments new policy forcing them to pay tuition fees at The University of the West Indies. It was chaos and turmoil at The Roy Marshall Teaching Complex at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus on Thursday night; for the convening of a Guild Council Meeting when once-removed Treasurer of the Guild, Ital Spencer was the centre of contention and disruptive behaviour forcing University Security to end the meeting prematurely.

Mr. Spencer, who was also the Guild Treasurer on the previous Guild Council was accused of manipulating his authority to obtain absolute power and threatening other council officers. These accusations, which offend the Constitution of the Guild and the University’s Code of Ethics warranted him a trial of ‘No Confidence for Recall’ at the hands of the student population resulting in his removal last November.

Sources close to the Cave Hill Guild Council have stated Mr. Spencer dod not submit financial reports, has been accused and proven of using the students’ Guild funds for personal benefit, for example, a first class flight to Jamaica last UWI Games among other aggravated offenses. To this end, the President of the Guild, Mr. Damani Parris, has suspended Mr. Spencer pending another Special  Meeting of the Student Body to affect the removal of Mr. Spencer.

On Wednesday, 25^th September, 2013 the majority membership of the student executive voted ‘No Confidence’ in Mr. Ital Spencer and have therefore recommended to the student population that he be removed.

UWI Fees Standing On Current Enrolled Barbadians Students

Submitted by Politically Correct (to alert the President of the Guild of this vital information)

President of the Student’s Guild, Damani Parris – photo credit:Nation newspaper

This letter is not to slander persons in the Ministry but merely to assist the Guild in fighting the sudden increase in fees for Barbadian students. I will explain how to address this legally below from paragraph 2. The Ministry of Education, Science Technology and Innovation is a puppet Ministry which is suffering at the hands of the International community because of Globalisation. This is a typical encroachment on our sovereignty as a Nation. Changing a name does not mean that you are in alignment with countries that truly have science, technology and innovation based research saving the country money, creating new jobs etc. Minister Ronald Jones is quoted in the advocate as saying “The State does not have money and that citizens must stop being selfish and depending on Government for the State has no money (ADVOCATE 13/9/2013)

Every country listed here in Canada, South Africa, Denmark, Finland and more. I draw to your attention the UWI HANDBOOK and REGULATIONS for each FACULTY, as the first set of evidence and the quality assurance agency in Barbados which promotes quality assurance in higher education for you to use in your arguments. We will now see the power of politics and the role it plays.

UWI, Tertiary Education Cost and the Budget

Submitted by Fair Play

Sir Frank Alleyne

Sir Frank Alleyne’s interview on the People’s Business last night was spot-on. As usual, he was cogent, rational, reasonable and, of course, very ‘frank’, no pun intended. All the while, trying not to be overly critical of the administration at Cave Hill, but tacitly showing up its unreasonableness and excessive spending, nonetheless. He walked the proverbial tightrope (having taught there for decades, so he was somewhat circumspect), but he did it well.

It was very interesting television! Lots of good points were made; but  a couple salient ones stand out:

• current physical development at the Cave Hill campus is not sustainable;
• maintenance and personnel to staff the new structures will be difficult to maintain;
• salary levels are very high;
• UWI’s operating cost (to central government) has risen exponentially from about $53 million in 2005 to over $126 million in 2012-2013;

Financing Tertiary Education in the Caribbean: The Case of the University of the West Indies

Andrew Downes is Professor of Economics and Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. He has degrees in economics from the Universities of the West Indies and Manchester. He is the author of several monographs and articles covering such area as labour economics, macroeconomics, development economics and applied econometrics. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies. He is the author of a report for the UNDP on the Millennium Development Goals in the Caribbean.

Majority Supporting Government’s Tertiary Education Plan

Submitted by Fair Play

Minister of Education appeared on CBC’s The People’s Business to explain government’s decision to make UWI students pay part of the cost of their degree.

I believe our plan to ask students to contribute a small part of the cost of their tertiary education at UWI has more public support than we think. Talking to people from all walks of life, and ironically, particularly among low income earners, there is much support.  Their comments run the gamut from: it makes sense; the country cannot afford 100% funding at this time; other countries that are better off than us don’t do it; and, it should have been implemented long ago; to, they have an attitude after graduation – forgetting who paid for their education; and they do not give back to society, especially the doctors and lawyers who charge the same benefactors (the taxpayers) very exorbitant fees.

Barbadians aren’t stupid.

However, over and above those sentiments, generally, most persons I spoke to agree with the percentage the students will have to pay. Even some, like Dr. Leonard Shorey, (a perennial BLP apologist) believe it should have been higher and was long in coming. And, the Sunday Sun poll surprisingly gave majority support to the Gov’t.

A Prime Minister’s Word

What value should we place in the word of a Prime Minister. Should we dismiss Prime Minister Stuart’s promise as election campaign rhetoric? Should we dismiss the promise the late Prime Minister David Thompson made to CLICO policyholders? Are we finally willing to say to politicians, ENOUGH!

Read Nation article PM’s Word

Are The Storm Clouds Gathering?

Submitted by Ping Pong (as a comment)

Hon Ronald Jones, Minister of Education

Two recent news items have caused me to ponder on the future of young Barbadians. The first is the Minister of Education’s musing that future scholarship winners may not be bonded to return and work in Barbados on completion of their studies. Is this tacit acknowledgement that Barbados may not be reasonably able to employ these graduates? The second item of news is the reported level of indebtedness of Barbados to UWI. Apparently, jobs as well as student admissions are threatened.

While we enjoy the charade that is the Alexandra inquiry and pontificate on the definition of education etc, is it unreasonable to worry that the future development and employment prospects of our young people is growing dim? It appears that as the CSME experiment has been shelved (or was still born) I must ask what other plans are there to expand the opportunities of our many well certified graduates?

WEEKLY CARICOM STOCK REPORT 13 August to 17 August 2012

Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados

Solid gains on Conglomerate and Financial stocks saw the CSX 30 end the week of August 17 higher, while the misery on the Junior Market continued. For the week 7,276,872 valued at $2,164,000 crossed the floors of the six stock exchanges across Caricom, with 23 stocks advancing, 43 declining and 58 remaining unchanged. Jamaica Teas was the volume leader with 2,006,000 shares being traded, Demerara Tobacco Company posted the largest gain for the week (15.07%), while on the losing end, Caribbean Cement fell (12.65%).

Read full report

WEEKLY CARICOM STOCK REPORT 6 August to 10 August 2012

Click to read report – Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, UWI Cave Hill

WEEKLY CARICOM STOCK REPORT 23 July to 27 July 2012

Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, Cave Hill, UWI

WEEKLY CARICOM STOCK REPORT 4 June to 8 June 2012

Compiled by the Department of Management Studies, UWI Cave Hill – Click image to read in PDF