Gair Rhydd

Economics exam blunder

Second-year students left feeling anxious after being given wrong exam paper

Concerns have been raised after more than 150 students sitting an exam in Macroeconomic Theory were given the wrong exam paper.

The second-year Cardiff Business School (CARBS) students arrived at the Great Hall to sit the exam on May 26, but were given the paper that only one student, who was re-sitting the module from the previous year, was supposed to have been given. The course has fundamentally changed since last year, so students were unable to correctly answer the questions in Section B of the paper.

Six percent rise in overseas tuition fees

Cardiff University has proposed a 6% increase in international students’ tuition fees for the academic year 2011-2012.

The proposal to raise fees for overseas students to such a high rate is in line with other Russell Group university increases. However, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: “Cardiff University remains in the lower quartile of international tuition fees set by Russell Group universities.”

Cardiff University Astronomers on BBC

Two astronomers from Cardiff University will be appearing on the BBC’s The Sky at Night programme on Monday June 7.

Professor Derek Ward-Thompson and Dr. Chris North, from Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, will discuss the latest astronomical findings from the Herschel satellite on the programme.

Burglary-free week in Cardiff

Police have thanked the public for their help in preventing crime, after zero burglaries were reported last week.

Police in Cardiff said that, on average, at least four burglaries are reported each day, but not one was reported last Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in the capital.

SU installs anti-tramp fences

The Students’ Union has taken steps to prevent the homeless from sleeping on its grounds by installing metal fences.

Until recently, groups of homeless individuals were a common sight at the bottom of the Union steps that lead on to Park Place.

Tinchy Stryder pulls out of Ball

Chipmunk, Hadouken, and Aggro Santos will replace headliner on June 11

Tinchy Stryder has pulled out of this year’s Summer Ball less than two weeks before the event.

As one of the biggest stars on the bill this year, Tinchy Stryder’s exit was a blow for Union organisers, who had to negotiate replacements at the last minute.

Fat lady sings for Cardiff's opera academy

Cardiff International Academy of Voice (CIAV) is to close in January because of financial losses.

University Council took the decision on May 24 to shut the Academy, which was set up in 2006 by Cardiff University and headed by Welsh tenor Dennis O’Neill CBE.

Degree classifications should be dropped, says thinktank

Higher Education Policy Institute report recommends scrapping the current marking method

Degree classifications should be dropped in a bid to improve standards at universities, a thinktank has warned.

The report, carried out by the Higher Education Policy Institute, recommends scrapping the 200-year-old tradition of awarding firsts, 2:1s and 2:2s.

Student Loans Company recruits new chief executive

The former chief executive of the medical telephone helpline, NHS Direct, has taken over as chief executive of the Student Loans Company (SLC).

Ed Lester was appointed after the SLC’s chairman, John Goodfellow, and chief executive, Ralph Seymour-Jackson, resigned. The government forced the resignations after an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers, ordered by the previous government, predicted that tens of thousands of students could again face delays to their grants and payments this autumn.

Lecturers call for more support

Lecturers all over Britain are appealing for greater support, according to a teacher’s charity.

The charity, Recourse, formerly the College and University Support Network, offers 24/7 financial, practical and emotional support to staff working in post-16 education.