Students start petition to renew University lecturer's contract

A petition has been set up to push for the renewal of Dr Matthew Hayler’s contract with the College of Humanities.

The renewal of the popular academic’s contract is currently under question by the College. The petition, currently running on the Students’ Guild Have Your Say webpage, voices concerns that the modules Dr Hayler convenes may be unavailable to future students if his contract is not renewed.

Heather Tarplee, English Society Co-President, told Exeposé: “Every English student that I’ve spoken to is dismayed at the prospect of Matt leaving. He’s a favourite with everyone and I’ve regarded him as a crucial member of staff since the beginning of my studies”. Francesca Platt, English Society Academic Secretary, noted: “Matt’s modules and his teaching interests are some of the most forward-thinking areas of study for English students at Exeter”, adding, “it would be a shame for us to lose one of the department’s most innovative lecturers”.

When contacted, Dr Hayler told Exeposé: “I’m really humbled by the whole thing, and if it contributes to my being able to stay at Exeter then I’m beyond grateful”, expressing his “huge thank you to anyone who has signed the petition”. Dr Hayler emphasised that the support “means a lot, whatever the final outcome”, voicing hopes that his research and teaching “have a place at Exeter”, and promising that if his contract is renewed he will continue to teach in “as accessible and interesting a way as I can”.

Alex Louch, VP Academic Affairs, said: “Matt is a fantastic teacher, and the incredible number of nominations which he has received in the teaching awards clearly illustrates how important he is to Exeter. The petition actions me to lobby the department to renew Matt’s contract, and that is what I will do in the current weeks, to make sure that when decisions on the contracts are made Matt is fully considered, so that one of Exeter’s best teachers doesn’t go elsewhere”. 

Hannah Butler, News Team

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Help Retain Our Lecturer

With Dr. Matt Hayler of the English department’s contract with the College of Humanities ending, Amy Young implores us to join the fight to keep a passionate and talented lecturer and tutor at the University.

If you are in the English department, then you know about Dr. Matt Hayler. If you’re not in the English department, but you have a friend who is, then you have also more than likely heard about Dr. Matt Hayler. Specialising in hyper-contemporary literature and theory, Matt is a lecturer and tutor who is held in wide regard by every English student you talk to. Matt’s contract with the College of Humanities is ending, and a petition has been created in order to show support for the renewal of his contract. [Ed. note: please see below for clarification]

“A barrage of support came pouring out from everyone I knew on my course, and when I saw it, I just could not believe Matt’s contract had ever come into question in the first place.”
Photo Credit: Matt Hayler via Exeter Express & Echo

During my first term as an English student, I had Matt as a tutor for bi-weekly workshops in a module called Approaches to Criticism. For those of you blessed many who did not have to endure this module, it essentially involves anything from economics to philosophy, psychology and sociology, and had the potential to be incredibly interesting, but also simultaneously makes you want to rip your own hair out.

As a new undergraduate who was not particularly well versed in Aristotle, and who hated the theories of Derrida with a passion, Matt’s workshops made everything seem more comprehensible. Of course I was still quite confused on a regular basis, but his explanations of different theories meant that I could at least start my degree knowing what “metaphysical” meant.

This petition came to my attention on Facebook, and once it became common knowledge what was happening, English undergraduates started posting links to it left, right and centre. People are signing the petition because they know how brilliant Matt is as a lecturer. It is a testament to his teaching ability that I have never met anyone who has a bad word to say about him as a tutor. [Ed. note: paragraph edited, please see below for clarification]

There are, without a doubt, many teachers throughout the University who inspire you as much as Matt does his students. When you’re trying to balance all of your essays and weekly reading materials, you can sometimes feel that you are just losing the enthusiasm that was so strong at the start of the term. At moments like these, it is teachers like Matt that make you fall in love with your subject again.

But it does not end there. As students, we are constantly being introduced to many new ideas, some of which are so new, they are literally on the cutting edge of research. Matt’s focus on new ideas of digital cyber-cultures is not only an incredibly interesting and exciting topic for many of us English undergraduates, but it is genuinely a joy to see Matt talking about something he is obviously very passionate about.

In a lecture at the start of my first year, Matt told us that in our Approaches to Criticism module, we could not look at things that happen in the world and say, “That’s just the way it is”. That is what is happening here. At the thought of Matt leaving the university, students are not accepting that the decision rests solely with the College of Humanities. That is not “just the way it is”.

Amy Young

[Ed. note: The above article has been edited in order to provide clarification. Matt Hayler’s three-year contract is not ‘under question’ as asserted in the aforementioned petition but instead is ending. Staff on temporary contracts do not have their contracts renewed but rather must sign up for a new contract. The number of staff posts depends upon admissions.]

To sign up to the petition to keep Matt Hayler at the University, visit the Guild’s Have Your Say page. Is Matt worth saving? Leave a comment below or write to the Comment team at the Exeposé Comment Facebook Group or on Twitter@CommentExepose.

Students start petition to keep Biology lecturer

A petition has been set up by students within the Biosciences department to protest against the department’s decision to dispense with the services of Dr. Ronny van Aerle, a Lecturer in Environmental Biology.

Dr. van Aerle (Photo: University of Exeter)

The petition, which has gained over 300 signatures since being set up last week, says that ‘Dr. Van Aerle is such a great lecturer and it would be a great loss to the students and to the department if he was to leave this summer. This petition is to show that the students believe he is a great teacher and we strongly encourage him to stay with the help of the University.’ The 300-plus signatures include messages of support from current students, alumni, and members of staff.

Dr. van Aerle told Exeposé that he has received ‘no indication’ that his contract was going to be extended, and also that he ‘never expected such a demonstration of support by the students’, before adding that he was ‘extremely thankful’ for said support. He also said that ‘from the start my contract has always been on a fixed-term basis, so it was likely that at some point it wouldn’t be extended’.

When contacted by Exeposé, Amy Chadwick, the student who set up the petition, said that she was ‘amazed’ by the response that the petition had provoked. She added that ‘the students love him’ and that ‘he is one of the best lecturers in the Department’. Comments left on the petition also pay tribute to Dr. van Aerle; Dr. Mark van der Giezen, a Senior Lecturer in Evolutionary Biochemistry, posted that Dr. van Aerle is ‘a great colleague and even greater bioinformatician and fish biologist’, while other signatories described van Aerle as ‘by far the best lecturer in a department full of good lecturers’, and ‘an incredible asset to the university and its students’.

The Biosciences department have given Exeposé a statement on the matter, saying that while the department understand the situation and can appreciate the views of the petitioning students, Dr. van Aerle is leaving because his post is a short-term one which expires in the summer.

Owen Keating, News Editor