On May 12th, students will stage a protest outside a meeting of Melbourne University Council, the governing board of the University.
This protest continues UMSU’s campaign to Save Arts- we will demand that the University Council make efforts to fully fund the Arts Faculty, through increased funding, cross-subsidisation and/or through lobbying the government for more funding for higher education.
The situation we face- where a profound and critical education is being swept away in favour of “breadth” subjects that cover less ground than a well-funded VCE subject- is unacceptable.
Your Student Union recognises the essential role that University-level Arts research and teaching plays in the fostering of critical thinking and social analysis. From all signs, the University does not. The University’s workloads committee- the body responsible for monitoring staff workloads- has not met this year. The Melbourne Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union is receiving staggering reports of academics and professional staff who are simply unable to meet the demands placed on them from above.
Staff departures, real decreases in overall University funding and pressures to “break even” in a traditionally unprofitable field have combined to create an untenable situation for the Arts Faculty we know and love. Many subjects have already disappeared and it looks like more are going to go- not just small ones, either. Even important foundational subjects in fields as popular as Political Science aren’t safe.
If this concerns you, get involved!
Come to the Education Action Collective at 1pm Wednesdays, Graham Cornish Room A, Level 2 Union House.
Discuss the issues and the campaign online at the Education Action Webgroup
