LSE Directorate hosts first fully in-person student town hall since the pre-pandemic era

By Alan Nemirovski

On 28 November, the LSE Directorate, including various Pro-Directors and Director Minouche Shafik, met with students at the Shaw library for their termly student town hall. This is the first student town hall hosted in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The town hall raised issues ranging from current strikes to inclusion of Black and African students at LSE and teaching quality at the School. Some questions were pre-submitted online; however, most were asked at the event by students attending the town hall.

After a welcome from Director Minouche Shafik, two new members of the LSE Directorate were introduced: Professor Emma McCoy, appointed as Pro-Director (Education) in October 2022, and Dr Mark E Allinson, who was appointed as the first Director of Student Experience at LSE.

The town hall began with presentations from Professor McCoy and Dr Allinson, outlining their priorities during their tenure at LSE.

McCoy highlighted assessment and feedback enhancement as a priority, including expanding into digital assessments as a standard form of assessment at LSE. Allinson emphasised the promotion of student community and centralising campus resources into a ‘one-stop shop’ as part of a long-term goal to improve the flow and ease of students’ journeys at LSE.

The first topic raised by students in the town hall was current teacher strikes. The LSE Directorate continued to stress that the strikes are a national issue and that while LSE participates actively, they remain a small actor in national negotiations. When asked about compensation for students due to strikes, Director Shafik commented the School has yet to determine if compensation will be distributed this year as they have yet to learn the full impact of the strikes.

The following topic discussed in the town hall was inclusion on campus. The Directorate highlighted the diversity of LSE’s campus and the School’s investment in scholarships to recruit diverse candidates. However, they notably used the term ‘BAME’ (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) to describe LSE’s diversity, despite Shafik herself acknowledging the term is problematic.

When asked about awarding gaps between Black and White students, Shafik did not clarify what the School is doing to address these gaps. She only stated that the gap is closing, but it still varies between departments. McCoy added she is keen to work with other groups and students, to further address this issue, including supporting students from minority ethnic and disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Questions varied in theme, including LSE’s presence in Africa, academic freedom of expression without repercussions, teaching quality of class teachers, and streamlining student platforms for easier access. LSE’s Directorate clarified current achievements and reiterated their commitment to improving students’ campus experiences.

A student town hall was last hosted in the Lent Term of the 2021/22 academic year. Still, it retained a significant online component due to lingering uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant School regulations.

Subsequent student town halls are expected to continue in-person, on a termly basis.