Students at the Milperra campus of Western Sydney University are angry that they are being left in the dark about the university administration鈥檚 plans to close their campus and move it to the Bankstown CBD by 2021.
Students were only informed in late July that, from next year, many courses would be moved to a new high-rise building in Liverpool. This decision angered many students at Milperra as there will be no on campus car-parking available at high-rise Liverpool campus, there has been no confirmed student accommodation for the new campus and students from the university with a disability have voiced concerns about evacuation plans.
Daniele Fulvi, the postgraduate representative of the Bankstown Student Council and member of Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance told 91自拍论坛 Weekly that as students and staff are the lifeblood of university 鈥渋t is not acceptable that the management decided to shut down Bankstown campus without consulting us鈥.
鈥淲e were only informed a few months ago, when the move was already on and could not be stopped.
鈥淭his lack of democracy is intolerable,鈥 he said, adding that the students wanted an apology from the Vice-Chancellor.
The students are also demanding that the university administration actively involve students and staff in such critical decisions regarding their learning environment.
鈥淪tudents and staff must have input because without it the university is making the wrong decisions,鈥 Fulvi said.
The cavalier attitude displayed by the administration could also mean that the move to Liverpool becomes a Trojan horse for course, staff and departmental cuts.
鈥淲estern Sydney University prides itself on, and indeed prolifically advertises, its 鈥榮tudent centeredness鈥,鈥 said Oliver Pocock, chair of the Bansktown SCC.
鈥淏ut the university鈥檚 lack of response to genuine student concerns, show the 鈥楤oard centeredness鈥 of the university business. 鈥淎s the students who pay tuition fees to attend this university, these changes, and the lack of ongoing consultation with students, needs to be addressed.鈥
Students have sent a letter to Vice-Chancellor Barney Glover calling on him to respond to their concerns, in particular his failure to consult on Western Growth, the plan for new campuses in Liverpool and Bankstown CBD.
鈥淲e also need the Vice-Chancellor to commit the university to refrain from any staff cuts, course cuts or course amalgamations in the move from Bankstown to Liverpool鈥, Fulvi concluded.
[Phil Craig is a member of Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance and studies at the University of Western Sydney.]
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