How you can comment on proposed cuts to the ANU School of Music

Posted 17 May 2012 by Jane Maze (ACT Division)

Many members of the NTEU, ANU staff and students and the Canberra community have written to Vice-Chancellor Ian Young via his consultation email line, which is open until 25th May 2012. You can add your voice using the form email below, which you can change in any way you like.

Alternatively you can send your own email to somconsult@anu.edu.au. We suggest copying your email to act@nteu.org.au to ensure accountability of the consultation process.

Stop the cuts at the School of Music

The management of the Australian National University has announced that all staff of the University's School of Music will be made redundant and required to reapply, if they choose, for a position in the School, with a net loss of ten jobs and no guarantee of re-employment. This is associated with curriculum changes that many students, staff and community members have protested against. The Unviersity has announced no intention to reduce the number of students but rather to increase it, raising questions of what combination of casualisation, increased workloads and offshoring of jobs will be used to handle a student load that has increased while staff numbers are decreased.

ANU's Vice-Chancellor has opened a consultation email line and has invited community members as well as ANU staff and students to use it to comment on this proposal.

The NTEU encourages you to let the Vice-Chancellor know your views, and to copy your email to the Union at act@nteu.org.au to ensure accountability of the process. (The Vice-Chancellor refused to share publicly or with the NTEU the comments made on his previous consultation exercise about planned job cuts across ANU.)

If you wish, you can use the email text here. This email comments primarily on the issue of job cuts. You are welcome to add your comments on any other aspect of the proposed School of Music changes.

Your email will be automatically copied to act@nteu.org.au. If you prefer to comment privately you can simply send an email to the Vice-Chancellor's comment address, somconsult@anu.edu.au.

Get started »

Your Name*

Your Email Address*

Email [Vice-Chancellor Ian Young]?

Subject*

Dear [appropriate name will be inserted],

<div>I believe it is completely unacceptable to sack all academic and general staff in the School of Music using the pretense of a new curriculum. To expect those academics - whose deep musical expertise, teaching experience, and scholarship are what constitutes the School of Music - to be forced to apply for 'new' jobs in the institution which derives its status from their work, expertise, and professional reputations is an insult.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>It is equally unacceptable that experienced administrative and support staff are all to be sacked and required to reapply for their positions. How can the work of administering the School have changed so radically as to require this?</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>I support the NTEU&nbsp;in disputing that this redundancy announcement is even legal, and I endorse the call for the process to be suspended until staff&nbsp;&nbsp;have been properly and genuinely consulted, as they are required to be when significant workplace change is proposed.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The announced curriculum changes appear to involve outsourcing and further casualisation of teaching. I condemn the replacement of ongoing academics by the employment of staff under poorer conditions and pay, merely as it represents a cost saving to the ANU.&nbsp;</div>

Yours Sincerely,

[Your details]

Tags: ANU, School of Music, cuts, Email • Related Blogs: Australian National University, University of Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australian Catholic University

Comments

There are no comments. Be the first to have your say!

Statewide

Universities

Other Sector

Key Groups

How you can comment on proposed cuts to the ANU School of Music

Comments

Post a comment