Exhibition: 50 Years of the OU Students Association

Student-led Campaigns

The OU Students Association came into being following much campaigning and hard work by OU students for an independent body to represent them, so it was only natural that campaigning became a cornerstone of Association life following its foundation. 

From the named degrees and loans for part-time students mentioned later, there have been numerous opportunities for OU students to join campaigns for parity with their peers at traditional universities, but one that really stands out is the long fight for grants. 

In 1985 President Iris Keating and Vice President Campaigns Chris Roworth petitioned against government cuts, eventually delivering 160,000 signatures to number 10 Downing Street. The Association believed that education should not be just for those who could afford the fees, so they wanted a mandatory grant, which could be subject to academic progress being maintained, primarily for students who hadn’t previously had the opportunity of undergraduate study. 

Marion Horton, who later became Vice President Campaigns when Chris Roworth rose to the role of President, shared this about her experience on the campaign trail, “Collecting signatures was a wonderful way of talking to people and I ended up carrying a campaign leaflet everywhere I went. When President Iris, and Vice President Campaigns Chris and other regional campaigners gathered in London to present the amazing number of 160,000 signatures I could not resist being one of the students. It was so exciting to be in London that day. President Iris knocked on the door of No. 10 Downing Street and the petition was presented.  

Later, in the early evening, the MPs attended a meeting at Westminster which was chaired by President Iris Price. The support from decision-makers and prominent members of the government and opposition was exciting and so well organised that we really believed we could not fail, and we could continue to try to change the world for OU students.” 

The petition:

We the undersigned believe that The Open University is a university of national and international importance, making a major contribution to the education and training needs of the adult population. 

We call upon the Government to restore the funding of The Open University to a level which enables it to maintain its outstanding service to the United Kingdom. 

Simultaneously Early Day Motion 51 was launched:  

SUPPORT FOR THE OPEN UNIVERSITY 

’That this House confirms its belief in the Open University and regrets the repeated grant reductions imposed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, which involve cuts in real terms for seven years up to 1987 and which ignore the recommendations of the Visiting Committee; furthermore acknowledges the excellent and vital work of The Open University in providing educational opportunities, especially for the unemployed, disabled and those in remote areas; applauds its work in science, technology and professional updating; recognises the cost-effectiveness of their provision; and urges the Secretary of State to reconsider the grant allocation to recognise that investment in The Open University will enable it to realise its full potential and bring much needed economic benefits to the United Kingdom.’ 

In three weeks, this attracted over 150 signatures from Members of Parliament and the Association had firmly established itself as a vital source of information regarding adult higher education, and a partner in The Open University’s process of influencing the state and bringing the University to the attention of the general public.