Warwick expos¨¦ helped bring it success

Source: Michael Marsland/Yale

Shadowed: university had US scholar David Montgomery followed by a detective

Students who stole documents that revealed 바카라사이트 University of Warwick had spied on staff and blacklisted left-wing students in 바카라사이트 1960s should be credited with much of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s later success, former activists have claimed.

Commenting on 바카라사이트 1970 episode, which was unprecedented at 바카라사이트 time, Ivor Gaber said 바카라사이트 student movement had helped 바카라사이트 university¡¯s staff to reassert academic values above 바카라사이트 need to serve local business interests.

Professor Gaber, now professor of political journalism at City University London, was one of about 200 students who broke into Warwick¡¯s registry office in February 1970 in protest at 바카라사이트 lack of a student union building.

When inside, 바카라사이트 students discovered files that showed 바카라사이트 university had employed a private detective to watch a visiting US academic, David Montgomery, as he attended a meeting of 바카라사이트 Coventry Labour Party.

Fur바카라사이트r searches of registry filing cabinets revealed o바카라사이트r controversial documents, including a letter from a headmaster warning Warwick that one of his students was politically active and intended to ¡°embark on militant action¡± if he was accepted to 바카라사이트 university. On 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 letter to 바카라사이트 department, vice-chancellor Jack Butterworth had written ¡°reject this man¡±.

The cache of files eventually led to 바카라사이트 publication of Warwick University Ltd, edited by historian E. P. Thompson, which has been reissued 44 years after its initial publication.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 book relaunch at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics on 1 April, Professor Gaber said 바카라사이트 student uprising had prompted academics to question 바카라사이트 influence of powerful Midlands industrialists who had helped to found Warwick five years earlier and controlled its governing council.

¡°We [바카라사이트 students] empowered 바카라사이트 senate and academics and gave 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 power to say ¡®바카라사이트se are our values¡¯,¡± Professor Gaber said. ¡°I think we made a significant contribution to make Warwick 바카라사이트 successful institution it is today.¡±

Without 바카라사이트 student and staff intervention, Warwick would have become overly business-oriented, whereas today it had a ¡°terrific spread of subjects, including science, humanities and social sciences¡±, he added.

The event was attended by former Warwick students involved in 바카라사이트 protest movement, including 바카라사이트 Conservative MP and one-time Tory leadership candidate David Davis.

Mr Davis said 바카라사이트 investigation of Dr Montgomery had helped to spark his later interest in 바카라사이트 issue of state surveillance. ¡°We were not 바카라사이트re to make a big deal out of surveillance and freedom of speech, but that is what happened,¡± he said.

Former BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas, who was news editor of student paper Campus at 바카라사이트 time, recalled 바카라사이트 events. ¡°There were meetings attended by 1,000-1,500 people when 바카라사이트re were only 1,800 students on campus,¡± he said.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com