News and Investigations
The Cheese Grater’s investigations team works hard to provide you with the latest stories about UCL and the Union. We shine a light on the realities of the UCL experience, covering everything from the inanities of student politics to how the machiavellian manoeuvres of UCL management impacts daily life on campus.
65 posts
Keeping it casual: UCL outsource temporary staff to Unitemps
From September 2018, UCL will outsource employment of temporary workers to an external agency, Unitemps in a move which UCU representatives have described as ‘undermining … staff rights’ and propagating…
Inside the Panopticon: UCL Surveillance Creates a Hostile Environment for Tier 4 Students
Recent changes to the attendance monitoring policy for Tier 4 students in several UCL faculties are generating opposition from staff and students. It is alleged that the new policies not…
Exams at the ExCel: Where were all the examiners this year?
This year, instead of being dotted around London in weird conference rooms and dingy church basements, UCL’s summer exams were all held in one easily accessible location. Okay, it was…
Inheriting Galton: the people working to make UCL less racist
“If we had Muslims or people of colour holding the same conference … we would have seen counter-terrorism police on our doorstep the next day.” SU UCL BME Officer Ayo…
Seven Things We Learned from UCL Spin Doctor’s Crazy Rant That Got Him Fired
In a bitter twist to the short reign of Charles Hymas (he was hired last April), UCL’s now former Head of Media Relations leaves the university in a blaze of…
Here’s How Many Societies Opted-Out of The Union’s Shambolic Online Elections
The controversial plan to move AGMs online appears to have been much ado about nothing, with the majority of UCL’s 268 societies opting out of online elections. Last month, a…
We Talked To Striking Lecturers Standing In The Cold
It’s hardly the weather for the picket line. All around campus, small pockets of UCL academics are picketing as part of the national UCU strike. Larger groups, such as that…
How UCL Risked The Immigration Status of Vice Wardens For Years
Earlier this year, an international student and former Vice Warden of UCL accommodation shared her story with The Cheese Grater. Her tale exposes a system that cares little for international students…
Voting shambles
In the first successful SU UCL General Assembly for four years, the Union was saddened to discover that their electronic voting machines were broken. Students were asked whether paper would…
The Fight For The Heart of UCL
A battle is raging at UCL, one that will define the very nature of the university for decades to come. It all came to a head this week at a…