#TempRadioStudio May update

I am still working on a "Temp Radio Studio" as imagined in Exeter. There is no actual equipmet anywhere. I started thinking about this last year as a form of art. There was a proposal for "Art and Exchange" projects. I missed the bit which explained they had to be visual and suitable for a window. With friends from Phonic FM we discussed using empty space in the city for a studio. Sound could be a form of art even though some shows are just chat and records.

I now do a sort of "drama show" continuing from the Storyteller / StandUp Philosopher / Widsith and Deor . This is just before the Wild Show so I gradually found out more about it. I find bits on YouTube , some my own recording of Widsith and Deor, some from them directly. Also Creative Commons from the Internet Archive. the Stories of JG Ballard followed on from a visual event based on News From The Sun. Some plays of my own, mostly behind the scenes / the not making of. #CDWalk is walk in Exeter between cafes and where the music retail used to be. Conversation is about how long it will take for something similar to happen with learning. How much space will be needed for student accommodation? 

Some video spins off from the sound. I am contributing to a conference on Architecture and Media / Data. There will be another Exeter Fringe in October. Assuming the same offer is available I will ask Down Stage Write to do a short version of #CDWalk, about 7 minutes. I missed the deadline for another offer and was well short of the hour target. I will try to connect with the support available during Exeter Fringe and maybe work on #SiegeK2 ( see previous post ). "Outside The Box" is another project for July and August. I probably will apply for the #TempRadioStudio idea but I am not an established artist. It is one way to find out about things and others may join in. Sound is one option for the empty retail space etc. the budget is enough to buy a school level studio ( @RussellPrue https://andertontiger.com/portfolio/hubcaster-lite/  Just one example from BETT . Other radio suppliers are available ) also to rent streaming kit from @TechExeter. They have a conference in September.

The Phonic FM studio is now slightly open but limited to one person at a time. During the pandemic so far there have been some shows pre recorded at home. This may continue and there are mobile versions of similar kit. Sound quality from Zoom is thought to be inadequate for FM broadcast. DAB is probable some time soon so a solution must be found. The scope for a #tempmobilestudio is within whatever time for recording then broadcast. There is an area around the Phoenix, say 10 minutes to carry an SD card. This could be seen as a large studio. Meanwhile a large part of the audience listens to forms of streaming anyway. Radio as part of a social media mix. 

#SiegeK 1 and 2

 From Exeter I can see the ruins phase of the Fortress University is still the main focus. Timing is vague and things that might well be happening are not in evidence. But the main dramatic events are in the ending of the current campus model. Also the summer seems to have started, sunny if still cold. So I am continuing to think the first siege set in Kendal Castle is now over, there will be a summer break when the space is even more open than usual, and the second siege - #SiegeK2 - will start in November with another book from Donald Clark.

For new readers, there was a lecture by Peter Horrocks in Durham about the Fortress University. He argued that investment online such as Futurelearn would open up the campus with positive results. The Guardian and many academics on Twitter were not convinced and he had to resign. Later Seek Group from Australia invested in Futurelearn. Later Coursera turned out to be worth billions, also an issue for academics on Twitter. Meanwhile the "Platform University" was seen as a negative topic for a conference, intended for Lancaster near the castle but cancelled. I thought of the Fortress University in ruins as a scifi counterpoint to the Platform University as a sort of balance or structure for discussion. And because the Storey Institute is round the corner from the castle, still in good condition.

Recently there has been comment on Twitter about the negative take on social media in video such as "HE in Medialand" . I think the Fortress University lecture is one example. Newspaper journalists cannot write about the end of print so there is a limit on what they can imagine about digital.

In Exeter I have noticed some bits of wall for the castle could be used for the Fortress phase. i will research similar castles to Kendal that have survived. Future video need not be too accurate from a continuity point of view. The script is intended as creative commons so can be changed for exact location. The Standup Philosopher is sort of booked to look back from the ruins on a future scifi occasion but there is no clarity when that will be.

In Exeter there is a "Big Conversation" at the university but this is limited to staff and students. There are three phases but the video stays the same. #BigWideConversation tag tries to include wider public and issues around buildings / student accommodation. 

Peter Armstrong news may open stories for Universities in Media

 The print Guardian has a story today about Peter Armstrong who may lose his title as professor emeritus at Leicester. This marks a move from tweets to proper news. His remarks online have been gathering energy.

I think this relates to the video on Universities in Medialand. To sum up they were roughly saying that HE management is reluctant to speak on the record for reasons that are well understood. Students may "feel" that they were misled about the experience to expect but this is not a major story. If I am unfair in this summary there can be further tweets.

Peter Armstrong has put out much info about Leicester and replied to comments. I have today retweeted one about the accounts.

Previously

This is getting to the context of a possible story. My guess this academic year will not include a major return to the campus. Students will be concerned about paying for accommodation they cannot use. there will be some rebates. there is a short term cashflow problem. But the online learning has worked ok after emergency design has been modified. Longer term there will be a move online such that the building investment is open to question.

 ( See previous posts on Peter Horrocks and the Fortress University lecture at Durham )

Leicester may not be the only case where these issues appear. Will there be more reporting?

In Exeter there is a "Big Conversation" but the scope only includes students and staff. So the blocks for student accommodation all over the city are not included as far as I know. #BigWideConversation tag is intended to find a wider context.

Quote News Update on Universities in Medialand

 Today the Guardian has news ( print page 12 ) based on a quote from Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of the University Alliance. She objects to the lack of guidance on when or if students can return to campus. Richard Adams and Rachel Hall report that at least half of students in England are still studying "entirely online".

So this is a development since recent tweets that HE had just been forgotten ( liked by Samantha Roberts and Caitlin Taylor) and my blog post last week about the "Universities in Medialand" video from the Centre for Global HE . About 7 minutes into this Anna Fazackerley talks about the media lanscape as a worry for HE. Miserable students who say give us our money back, students who feel they have been cheated...brought back onto campus so they can be charged rent.

This is what students "feel" . How policy was made in this last year is unknown. Interviews with management are rare. Just my take, links welcome.

In Guardian story today there is also reference to NUS  who said that Johnson's failure to mention students in his statement on Monday was evidence they were being ignored.

While checking the weblink for the story today I found two others that I missed in print or were online only. One about police enforcement of lockdown rules, the other about empty accommodation. A survey found that on average students paid £1,621 for empty rooms. That was 17th Feb.

There is another term to come. Where will students be? If they are not on campus will they have to pay for accommodation? When will anyone know what the plan is?

I think there is a much bigger story here than is reported. As learning moves online there are still blended / hybrid options. But the space required will be much less. In UK there has been a massive investment in spectacular buildings. I may be out of balance on this but I do know that in Exeter local opinion includes a concern about student accommodation. Why is there reporting about offices and retail but it is just assumed that student accommodation and the campus will continue as normal?

So links please , any news about what is happening. If the campus was recognised as part of the hospitality industry there could be government support but maybe it is too late. Certainly something to check out. Is there any campus site with an online strategy on the record?

In Exeter still a Big Conversation with #BigWideConversation tag to connect to other places and locality.