I remember how it was -- JR
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
UK universities took £89m from oil firms in last four years
Some of Britain’s most prestigious universities are among those to have shared in funds totalling at least £89m from major oil companies in the last four years, an investigation has found.
Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London are among the universities to have been given funding from some of the world’s biggest companies, according to new research by openDemocracy.
In recent months there has been increasing pressure on institutions to break links with fossil fuel companies. Last month, more than 40 senior academics and scientists signed an open letter vowing not to work with the Science Museum over its financial ties to major oil corporations. The museum faced several resignations over ties with Shell and a newly announced deal with the renewables company Adani Green Energy, part of the Adani Group, which has major holdings in coal.
The new research found that Imperial College London had accepted £54m since 2017 – by far the most of any institution surveyed. It included £39m from Shell, with which the college has said it has a “longstanding and fruitful partnership”. Imperial said the confidentiality of private contracts meant it could not reveal exactly what the money was used for, stating that it funded research into “energy transition, lowering carbon emissions in extraction and in carbon mitigation measures”.
Cambridge University received more than £14m from oil giants, while Oxford got almost £8m. These include large donations to Oxford’s Said Business School Centre for Corporate Reputation.
OpenDemocracy used the Freedom of Information Act to ask universities for details of any funding they had accepted since 2017 from eight of the biggest oil firms: BP, Shell, Total, Equinor, Eni, Chevron, Exxon or ConocoPhillip. The figures include donations, gifts, grants and research funding.
In total, 36 universities said they had received funding from eight oil giants, with others refusing to disclose whether they had received similar funding. Southampton, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Bath universities also took more than £1m each from the oil firms. In total, universities said they had received £89m – but the true figure could be far higher, because many failed to provide details.
“By accepting millions of pounds in grants and sponsorship from the fossil fuel industry, UK universities are complicit in propping up and legitimising the existence and operations of some of the most harmful companies on the planet,” said Rianna Gargiulo, divestment campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “The revelation of these sponsorship deals tarnishes the reputations of the UK’s leading academic institutions, including those like the University of Cambridge that have committed to divesting from fossil fuels.”
Caroline Lucas, the MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “Let’s be clear – there is no justification for taking money from oil and gas firms and no justification for being complicit in greenwashing of these big corporations.”
Some universities refused to reveal details of any links. The London School of Economics said it could not reveal any information because it would “prejudice the commercial interests of the school, by making it more difficult to raise funds from private donors in the future”.
The University of Surrey also refused to disclose details of its research funding from BP, on the advice of BP itself. “After contacting BP, they confirmed that they consider the specific amount of the funding as being commercially sensitive,” the university said.
Imperial College defended its funding, saying it helped to “develop meaningful solutions to climate change”. It added: “We are using our influence and expertise to accelerate this transition, and we actively engage with energy companies to push them toward the Paris agreement targets.”
Cambridge University said that since October 2020, it had accepted funding from oil companies only if the collaboration would help the UK “transition to decarbonised energy”. It said: “Over the past five years funding from traditional energy sector partnerships represented about 0.5% of the University of Cambridge’s combined annual research and philanthropic income.”
Oxford University said: “Those donating money or sponsoring programmes at the university have no influence over how academics carry out their research or what conclusions they reach. Our partnerships with industry allow the university to apply its knowledge to real challenges of pressing global concern, with funding often going directly into research into climate-related issues and renewables.”
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Plea to give primary school children lessons in money
Judges of an award given to the country's best personal finance teachers are urging the Government to extend mandatory financial education from secondary schools into primary schools and sixth-forms in England.
In an open letter to be sent to the Department for Education and the consumer panel of the City regulator (the Financial Conduct Authority), judges of the Interactive Investor Personal Finance Teacher of the Year Awards 2021 are calling on the Government to 'take the financial education of our children and young people seriously'.
They also want compulsory teaching of money matters at secondary school level in academies, private schools and faith schools, where it is currently optional.
The seven judges, who are all personal finance experts, have drafted the letter after witnessing the impact that good money lessons can have on young people. They include MyBnk chief executive Guy Rigden and Russell Winnard, a director of charity Young Enterprise. Both MyBnk and Young Enterprise have led the way in providing personal finance teaching resources to secondary schools.
The judges received scores of nominations from both primary and secondary school teachers, who are finding creative ways to teach young people about money.
However, many teachers are doing so against the odds – squeezing lessons around other subjects and with few resources.
Nominations from primary school teachers in particular brought home to the judges the value of giving young children money lessons such as budgeting, saving and making payments.
Financial education has much improved in recent years. For example, when charity MyBnk was founded 14 years ago, just one in ten UK adults had received any form of financial education. Today, more than half leave school having been taught about money matters.
A breakthrough moment came in 2014 when money lessons were incorporated into the national curriculum for secondary schools in England. Since then, personal finance education has been extended, with some regions of the UK being bolder than others.
For example, in Wales, basic money issues such as doing calculations in pounds and pence are taught at primary school with more complex matters such as compound interest and household budgeting tackled at secondary school.
A new national school curriculum next year will extend personal finance teaching into subjects such as numeracy, health and well-being. By way of contrast, in England, financial education is only included in the national curriculum for secondary schools as part of citizenship and maths lessons.
A survey of 2,000 adults by Interactive Investor showed financial education is seen by parents as the most important factor affecting a child's long-term financial security.
Richard Wilson is chief executive of Interactive Investor. He says it is unacceptable that too many children are leaving school without being taught rudimentary personal finance. He says: 'Let's make 2022 the year that the Government starts taking financial education seriously. It needs more time on school timetables and better resources and guidance made available.'
The Department for Education said: 'We have made financial literacy compulsory for 11 to 16-yearolds in the national curriculum, so young people are taught about the importance of budgeting, savings, money management and the need to understand financial risk.
'The primary maths curriculum also includes specific content on calculations with money to develop young children's financial literacy.'
Finance and economics teacher Danny Topping is fanatical about the need for greater personal finance education. He believes the earlier children are taught about money issues, the better prepared they are to fend for themselves financially when they leave school.
Danny, 45, is a teacher at Blackpool Sixth Form College and goes the extra mile when it comes to preparing students to get a certificate or diploma in financial studies. He has produced 'attractive and interactive' coursework that has proved so popular with students that other schools have asked to use it.
'I'm passionate about money education,' says Danny, who is married, has twin boys aged 11, and lives in Fleetwood, Lancashire. 'Given the economic challenges that a town like Blackpool faces, the focus of my work is ensuring young adults are made aware of the perils of racking up debt.'
He adds: 'I repeatedly bang the drum for budgeting and do this by trying to relate it to my students' personal experiences. For example, I get them to plan and budget for their 18th birthday party.'
Danny was one of three winners in Interactive Investors' personal finance teacher of the year awards, spanning both primary and secondary schools.
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Saint Louis University Student Threatened with Expulsion for Hanging Matt Walsh Flyers Off Campus
Saint Louis University is threatening to expel or suspend a conservative student for hanging flyers off school grounds promoting the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh's off-campus lecture on the Supreme Court abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The student, James Dowling, was told by school administrators during a Zoom call on Dec. 9 that he could be expelled over his "failure to comply" and "inappropriate conduct." He was notified that he had been "allegedly confrontational, disrespectful, and failed to comply with reasonable requests made by the staff in accordance with their duties."
"If you were to be found responsible for a policy violation, suspension or expulsion from the institution are included within the range of possible outcomes that could be applied," Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards Assistant Director William Bowey told Dowling during the call, according to the Young America's Foundation.
Dowling, a member of the SLU College Republicans chapter, was off campus posting flyers advertising Walsh’s event on Dec. 1 when school administrators present took issue with SLU’s name being printed on the same flyer as the SLU College Republicans. They instructed him to take all of the flyers down, prompting Dowling to offer to use a marker to cross out the names included on the flyers, a proposal the administrators rejected.
Even after it was brought to their attention the fact that the flyers were posted on public city property, not campus grounds, the administrators still demanded they be removed, claiming that the College Republicans chapter was barred from posting promotional materials because of their disciplinary status, regardless of whether they were hung on or off-campus. The club had previously been issued a punishment for posting an Instagram video asking, "What is a woman?"
In a letter dated Dec. 9, the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards informed Dowling of his alleged violations of SLU’s "Community Standards."
"The Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards has been notified that on or about December 1, 2021, you were involved in an incident near Grand Ave. and West Pine, on or around the Saint Louis University campus, that may involve violations of the Community Standards as found in the Saint Louis University Student Handbook," the letter read.
"Specifically, it is alleged that you were posting unapproved signs for an off-campus event, and that when contacted by University staff, you were allegedly confrontational, disrespectful, and failed to comply with reasonable requests made by the staff in accordance with their duties," it continued.
The letter also notified Dowling that he would be required to attend a hearing for his "Suspendable Violations" and, should he miss the meeting, his fate would be determined in his absence.
The university's College Republicans chapter slammed the actions from SLU's administrators, saying in a statement that this is "yet another case of politically motivated prosecution by the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards."
"After dealing with them when they went after the club for asking another organization, the ‘SLU Sluts,’ to define the word ‘woman,’ and learning that the office’s director distributed copies of the ‘Genderbread Person’ to students a few years ago, I have no confidence in their ability to be fair and objective in their decisions," SLU College Republicans President Nicholas Baker said.
Walsh’s lecture, hosted by the SLU College Republicans and YAF at a local hotel, addressed the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that was brought to the bench after Mississippi signed into law legislation banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
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My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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