A better university system for students and staff
Many students have inadequate food and/or housing, which is made worse by
increasingly strict eligibility criteria for student support.
In addition to campaigning itself, NTEU supports the campaigns of the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations
(CAPA) for better student income support.Providing adequate educational and financial support for students is crucial to ensuring students, particularly those traditionally excluded from entry, are able to participate and succeed at university.Improved student servicesThe impact of the 2005 Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) legislation on student support services, social interaction and the broader community life of universities has been profound.The €˜student experience' of attending university is not just about formal teaching and learning.
It includes the extra-curricular activities organised and controlled by students themselves.
Student organisations have traditionally filled these roles, providing various academic, social justice, welfare, sporting
and recreational services. These activities also benefit the wider community, particularly in regional areas.Some universities have directly supported their student bodies and/or maintained some of their services, but these arrangements cannot be maintained indefinitely without further financial support.The Rudd Government must act now to save organised extra-curricular life on campuses.Environmental SustainabilityAustralia's universities are high energy users and waste producers, but also important centres for environmental research and leaders in developing solutions to climate change.NTEU believes that universities should play key leadership roles in finding solutions for climate change and modelling best practice in environmentally sustainable operations.FundingOver the last decade universities have experienced real cuts in public funding. The most obvious visible effect of this on students is that tutorial classes, which typically had 8-12 students in the 1980s, now often have 20 or 25 students.Declining government funding has also led to course cuts and closures, and inadequate resources for libraries and other vital university infrastructure.
Without increased government funding, students will continue to pay more for less.Securing Quality StaffStudent-to-staff ratios have increased dramatically over the last decade. This has led to constantly increasing workloads for academic staff.
For students, it means over crowded lecture theatres and tutorials, and less access to staff and assistance.Staff are also increasingly being employed on fixed term contracts or on a casual basis. This undermines employment security, working conditions, career progression and promotion opportunities.In order to attract the best staff, it is essential that pay and conditions for university staff maintain pace with comparable professions.
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Branch Contacts
Branch Office
Room 214 Transient Bdg Camperdown/DarlingtonCampus
University of Sydney
Phone: 02 9351 2827
Fax: 02 9351 7573
nteu@nteu.usyd.edu.au
http://www.nteu.org.au/sydney
Michael Thomson
Branch President
mthomson@mail.usyd.edu.au
Katherine Barnsley
Branch Organiser
kbarnsley@nteu.org.au
Shane Reside
Branch Organiser
sreside@nteu.org.au
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