Shoes of ANU website. Photo: Screenshot.
You can tell a lot about a person by what they put on their feet, according to students at the Australian National University (ANU).
The string of rallies and protests that has taken over the campus in recent weeks has also headed online – to a site called Shoes of ANU, which has as its symbol of rampant capitalism, the humble (or not-so-humble) sneaker.
“This site is a space for anyone affected by Renew ANU to share their story through a simple photo of their shoes and a few words,” the website reads.
“It will serve as a collective memory of this particular point in time.”
What follows are images of people’s shoes, or socks, combined with captions about how the owners feel about their footwear, as well as how the restructuring has affected them.
On campus, posters have also emerged emblazoned with the words, “Resist sneaker capitalism. ANU fights back.”
So, what’s going on, and why?
Since introducing cost-cutting measures under the name of Renew ANU last year to get its budget back in the black, the ANU has let go – or made redundant- more than 200 staff members across its various schools.
To save a total of $250 million by 2026, this week’s latest proposal involves cutting a further 27 positions.
The announcements have drawn the ire of students and staff alike who claim the quality of the university’s teaching will suffer.
The shoe connection started when vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell – considered by protesters the ‘face’ of the cuts – was snapped wearing a pair of Golden Goose Super Star sneakers at an ANU function earlier this year.
Made in Italy, these are designed to look a bit worn and mucky – or “distressed” – off the shelf, and cost between $700 and $1300 depending on the variety.
Ms Bell is on an annual salary package of about $1.1 million, so it’s not too surprising she has expensive footwear to match.
But students have taken it as a sign of a disconnect between ANU management and those on the ground affected by the cuts.
ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell. Photo: Andrew Mears, ANU.
In a Town Hall meeting in early July, the group says staff were discussing “different ways to try and bring media or public attention to their issues” and settled on shoes.
This also received the backing of the protest group ANU Resistance.
“Here’s a modest proposal: we photograph our empty shoes and post them on federal minister’s pages with a message of how we are being impacted,” the user posted to social media platform Reddit in early July.
“Not sure how to do this, but picturing 100s of pairs of shoes with captions like ‘I will not be able to pay rent’ or ‘I am losing my ability to support my two young children’.”
The university has defended the vice-chancellor, saying the Golden Goose sneakers were bought used, three years ago from eBay for a fraction of the retail price.
ANU Head of Public Affairs Amy Capuano shared a photo of her shoe collection in response to criticism from Shoes of ANU. Photo: Amy Capuano, LinkedIn.
ANU’s head of public affairs, Amy Capuano, went further, describing the movement as “petty” and “disrespectful”.
“Shoes? Really? ANU is in the middle of a difficult but necessary program of structural change, many in our community are hurting, we’re having substantial conversations about the best way to achieve the financial sustainability of Australia’s only national university, and some people want to focus on the VC’s second-hand shoes?
“This petty campaign is disrespectful to those people in our community who are grappling with change and uncertainty, and it reflects poorly on those people raising it.
“Are we now saying that, in the year 2025, we can all sit as judge and jury deciding if the VC’s personal sartorial purchases are appropriate?
“Should she have to produce her shopping receipts for us to stroke our chins and ponder over? And perhaps my memory is failing me, but I can’t seem to remember any commentary about the last VC’s choice of footwear.
“Full disclosure: I myself have a collection of awesome shoes. If the ANU shoe police wish to issue me an infringement notice, they are very welcome.”
Shoes of ANU was contacted for comment.
