'You Are UC' Press Release - 24 April 2012

'You Are UC' Press Release

You Are UC, the student campaign against cuts to the College of Arts at the University of Canterbury, will be holding a bbq complete with theatric entertainment to protest against the cuts this Thursday at noon. Featuring a forum between students and the Big Heads of University management, You Are UC will also be collecting signatures for our petition against the cuts. All media are invited to speak to the Big Heads and members of the student campaign.

The protest will be noon Thursday, the 26th of April, on the arts lawn outside A Block on the University's Ilam campus.
You Are UC opposes the cuts recently announced to the College of Arts. In dealing with a short-term funding crisis, there is long-term damage being done to the educational opportunities in Christchurch.

Morgan Hodgson, a spokesperson for the group, said that You Are UC is concerned about the integrity of the process the University is following and what it will mean for future potential cuts; including those in other departments.

"Theatre and Film Studies, for example, usually makes the University a profit. In the long run cutting it is bad for the balance sheet and bad for education. One of the American studies lecturers losing his job receives a Marsden Fund grant, which brings the university hundreds of thousands of dollars - money the change proposal doesn't account for.

"We want the University to revisit their case for change, and start a new consultation with robust figures.

"An independent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers showed that UC's human resources department is twice as big as it should be. Cuts should come from this area first, rather than from teaching and research.

"By refusing to fund the University to deal with the aftermath of last year's quakes, the government ensures long-term damage to the education offered in Christchurch."
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You Are UC petition:

We, the undersigned, demand an immediate halt to the College of Arts Change Proposal. The consultation has been meaningless: the business case contains flaws that need to be challenged, and students have not been given the time or information needed to take part.

This sets a dangerous precedent for the university, whereby management can cut any course they deem unworthy, without taking seriously students’ right to be involved in the process.

Accordingly, we call on management to abandon this flawed process and initiate an academic review in line with the guidelines in their Blue Book that includes a valid business case, timely consultation with students and advance provision of consultation documents.

Contact You Are UC:

http://www.youareuc.org.nz/

ENDS

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