Dan...

...playing instead of being rowdy at the back with Vicky and I, who decided to not play.

Today I went to something that I am still unsure as to why I was invited. A dinner with the Vice-Chancellor of the University and his aides, complete with a few bottles of free wine thrown in. As myself and a few others diligently applied ourselves to the wine, we realised we all had the same gripes that we wanted to bring up.

So, I found myself asking our Vice-Chancellor about his recent £16,000 payrise (as his pay before this was £316,000 per year) as Warwick's performance, although improved does not merit that amount of money spent. We should also take into account that out "well paid" pHd students, who teach as well as research, earn around £14,000 a year...£2,000 less than his payrise. And those are the well paid ones in the better funded departments. Of course, my question was ignored, and then was taken up by another one of the "rowdy corner" who in turn was ignored. By the time the third student asked it, on of the aides lost their temper slightly and said it was because if you wanted the "best people" you had to pay them to have them. Of course, we then asked about our low paid pHd students and lecturers.

A frustrating dinner, as the really important things were ignored, but at least we got free wine so all was good.

I ended up bringing the final bottle of wine to rehearsal and sharing it out amongst those that wanted it, naming it "Thrift wine". And kudos to whoever bought it, it was actually rather nice.