Disruptions and protests are expected to ramp up in semester two as students vent their anger about proposed changes at the Australian National University. Photo: No Cuts at ANU.
ANU students have described the proposed College of Arts and Social Sciences changes as a “bloodbath” that will pit educators against each other for jobs and see more than 60 per cent of relevant students consider leaving the institution.
The CASS document proposes to merge the School of Music, School of Art and Design and the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies.
“[Teaching areas of] performance, composition, theory and musicology – their overall academic profiles do not align with the future shape of the School’s offerings,” the change proposal noted.
“These roles are not positioned to contribute to the research areas identified as strategic priorities.
“The revised Bachelor of Music will feature program-wide integration of creative practice, collaboration and music technology, replacing the traditional one-to-one instrumental model.”
It’s been proposed major degrees such as political science, international relations and public policies would be merged into one degree.
Staff would be expected to re-apply for their jobs and essentially compete for remaining positions.
ANU Museum Studies student and No Cuts at ANU co-convenor Lucy Chapman-Kelly said the proposal had left students further enraged.
“It’s so clear what a bloodbath it is and it’s added fuel to the fire of students’ anger,” she said.
“Students have less choice in their degrees, while classes are only getting bigger and the quality of our education getting worse.
“The ANU is becoming a dumpster fire, there needs to be a massive change in who runs this university.”
Bachelor of Engineering (honours) and Bachelor of Music (jazz and contemporary performance) student Mert Boyali has been collecting student responses based on a survey he created.
More than 200 students have already responded, with preliminary data showing more than 98 per cent of respondents strongly oppose the proposed changes.
More than 60 per cent said they would consider leaving the ANU if the changes went ahead and 10.5 per cent would consider switching degrees.
He felt students deserved to have their say, given only staff were able to give feedback on the change proposals.
“We’re the largest stakeholders of the university … and there’s nowhere for us to voice our opinions,” he said.
“For the university to follow through [with the proposed changes] would be a complete violation of students’ trust.”
Mr Boyali felt a university should be there to educate and worried what the School of Music’s disestablishment in particular would mean for Canberra.
“This is a very prestigious Music School and we all have our own careers in mind, we are all going to contribute to Canberran society, to Australian society,” he said.
“Canberra’s arts scene will diminish.”
Bachelor of PPE (politics, philosophy and economics) and Bachelor of Music (classical performance) honours student Jacob Wu agreed.
He stated previous attempts to cut funding and restructure the ANU in 2004, 2008 and 2012 still described the School of Music as “absolutely essential … and important to the community”.
Mr Wu expressed concerns that there didn’t appear to be information about whether current students could finish their degrees and if they could, if there would be the staff capable of teaching them.
“Because of the overwhelming number of staff and budget cuts [both already and proposed], those students can’t finish and would have to switch to a less specialised area,” he said.
Mr Boyali added: “We have a right to a music education in Canberra. We are paying for our education and for them to take that away … is absolutely shocking.”
No Cuts at ANU is planning major disruptions during the first week of second semester, particularly during the O Week market day on 23 July.
Ms Chapman-Kelly said various bands were slated to loudly disrupt the day.
“There will also be rallies to make it clear we won’t be silent,” she said.
The group also aims to “garner student anger to cause chaos and disruption during the first week of classes”.
A mass protest with the National Tertiary Education Union, National Union of Students and ANU Student Association has been planned for 15 July, from noon to 1 pm, at Kambri.
Meanwhile, the university is searching for people who allegedly leaked ANU Council information.
In an all-staff newsletter sent late on Tuesday (8 July), it stated the ANU was addressing a “potential breach of Council confidentiality, which may be interfering with the proper operations of Council”.
“Good governance, which is imperative to uphold, requires us to ensure that Council confidentiality is maintained and that Council members meet their lawful obligations,” the newsletter said.
Consultation on the change proposal for the Research and Innovation Portfolio closes 23 July and for the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) and College of Science and Medicine (CoSM) on 24 July.
Consultation has closed on the proposals for the ANU’s Information Technology Services, Information Security Office, and Planning and Service Performance Division, with their implementation plans scheduled to begin the week of 21 July.
