The School of Music students are prepared for legal action should the ANU not respond to their letter. Photo: Supplied.
ANU executives have been issued an ultimatum from students in the School of Music: pause all Renew ANU initiatives that affect the School of Music or face legal action.
The students outlined several concerns, including a potential breach of Federal legislation, “misleading and deceptive conduct” under Australian Consumer Law, and questions about how grant and trust money has been treated.
“We feel compelled to speak out – not only in defence of our own education but in defence of the integrity and future of ANU music education, and the structural and cultural institutions that support it,” they wrote.
“While our individual stories differ, we are united in our sense of betrayal and our determination to speak out.
“We are not just disappointed – we are devastated.”
The students believe the Renew ANU proposal for the School of Music – which includes downgrading the school of a program, abolishing one-on-one instrumental lessons, job cuts and a move away from the conservatory model – breaches the ANU Act.
They pointed to section 5(1)(d), which mandates the university must “provide facilities and courses at a higher education level and other levels in the visual and performing arts, and, in doing so, promote the highest standards of practice in those fields.”.
“The Renew ANU changes undermine this obligation,” the students argued.
The university has also been accused of breaching Australian Consumer Law through “misleading or deceptive representations” in promotional materials and public communications.
The students argued when they chose the School of Music as it promised to provide an education that would best enable “students to take a leading role in shaping Australia’s musical future”, and that promotional materials promised the ability to specialise in one of five majors, “the most flexible double degree in Australia”, and access to “internationally acclaimed staff”.
“We relied on representations made by ANU when deciding to apply, enrol and invest in our education at the School of Music,” they wrote.
“[Now] we have been left uncertain about the future of our studies and career pathways, and face the prospect of graduating from a ghost school, which has had its reputation and future cut down.
“It is plain to us that ANU failed to correct or disclose fundamental Renew ANU changes in a timely and transparent manner.”
The students also expressed concerns about how the changes would impact National Institutes Grant Funding, and that using the funds without maintaining the school’s teaching methodologies could “constitute a misapplication of dedicated federal funding”.
They also want clarity on all Arts Institute property or funds (from the school’s 1991 merger with the ANU) being held on trust by the university, confirmation that such assets would be held and used in accordance to the trust’s terms, and an independent review to ensure the ANU is complying with section 58 of the ANU Act, which imposes a continuing obligation on the ANU to administer the funds to support music education.
The letter closed with a succinct summary of the students’ demands.
“We demand that the ANU take immediate and concrete steps to pause all Renew ANU initiatives that affect the School, and provide a written undertaking that will comply with its statutory obligation, deliver on the promises made to us, meet the trust requirements, [and] satisfy the funding review requirement.”
They have called for the undertaking to be delivered by 4 pm, 3 September.
If this doesn’t occur, the students are considering taking further legal action in the Federal Court and/or making regulatory referrals.
An ANU spokesperson confirmed the university had received the letter and was “currently considering it”.
