06Aug08

Protesting Victorian College of the Arts students have accused Melbourne University of forcing the closure of their student union.

VCA Student Union president Graham Smith claimed the university had cut the organisation’s funding to silence its stance against a major restructure of courses.

But a spokeswoman for Melbourne University denied the claims, saying that funding allocations to student associations within individual faculties were decided by the University of Melbourne Student Union.

Mr Smith said the university had also told the organisation that it would lose its headquarters at the Southbank campus when its lease expired in December.

“This is another attempt by the university to drive the student union off campus because we have been vocal opponents of the Vice Chancellor’s Melbourne Model agenda an agenda that has already resulted in the decimation of arts and humanities subjects at the Parkville campus,” Mr Smith said.

He said the Melbourne Model, a scheme to reduce the number of undergraduate courses on offer and force students wanting applied degrees to complete graduate studies, was about to take its toll at the VCA.

“At VCA a similar agenda is in place and the university has announced plans to abolish out undergraduate film and television courses,” Mr Smith said.

“Today we want to highlight just how far Melbourne University is prepared to go in order to silence VCA students and staff,” he told supporters last Wednesday afternoon before leading a small protest at the Southbank campus.

University corporate affairs manager Christina Buckridge said the university paid UMSU about $6 million a year, some funding various student organisations such as the VCASU.

“The university does not direct UMSU in matters of student representation or which student groups it funds,” Ms Buckridge said.

The VCASU’s current headquarters was required for faculty core business, and that the organisation had been offered an alternative space.

“At this time VCASU has neither acknowledged with VCA management the offer of the alternative space nor taken up the offer to view or lease the alternative space,” Ms Buckridge said.

The university also denied having made a decision to axe film and television courses at the VCA.

“No decisions or announcements have been made, and when they are they will be the decisions of the faculty,” she said.

Melbourne Leader

For students seeking dental services, we can recommend the Melbourne City Dental Group, which offers a 25% discount on presentation of a current student card. They are located at: Ground Floor ACTU House 393 Swanston St Melbourne 3000. Tel: 9662 2638.

Wed 30 July 2008

VCA students to rally against Melb Uni’s plan to close student union and silence Melbourne Model opposition
VCA students will rally today against Melbourne University’s plan to force the closure of the VCA Student Union in 2009. Student Union President Graham Smith said today that the rally had been “called to highlight Melbourne University’s campaign of attrition against the VCA Student Union.”
Graham Smith said, “The VCA Student Union, which represents the interests of 1000 visual and performing arts students is one of the smallest unions in Australia and unfortunately it could be the first student union to collapse after the election of the Rudd government. Last year, Melbourne University announced that it was cutting all funding to our student union in 2008, despite finding more than $5 million dollars to fund other student organisations at the Parkville campus. Last week we received notice that the University will refuse to renew our lease for the current student union space, which houses 18 elected student representatives and 2 staff members, a small computer lab, a meeting space, and a lounge and kitchen for union members to access.
“This is another attempt by the University to drive the student union off campus because we have been vocal opponents of the Vice Chancellor’s Melbourne Model agenda - and agenda that has already resulted in the decimation of creative arts and humanities subjects at the Parkville campus. At the VCA, a similar agenda is in place and the University has announced plans to abolish our undergraduate film and television course. Today we want to highlight just how far Melbourne University is prepared to go in order to silence VCA students and staff. We won’t be giving up our courses or our student union without a fight.”
The VCA Student Union is currently operating on its cash reserves, which will run out in 2009.
Students will rally on campus from 1pm today.

For further comment or more information please contact:
VCA Student Union President Graham Smith: 0432 984 334 prez@vcasu.org.au
VCA Student Union General Secretary Azlan McLennan: 0421 251 165 gensec@vcasu.org.au

Bridie Smith

Performed by students angered by the university’s controversial move to introduce a US-style model of teaching, the musical will be performed at the 380-seat Union House Theatre from next month.

Featuring potential campus hits such as Subject Cut Cancan and Gonna Sweep out This University, the musical may at first appear to be a bit of student fun. But it has a serious side, with students using satire to voice their concerns about the new teaching model, which began its first stages earlier this year. Students are also critical of what they describe as a multimillion-dollar “blanket advertising campaign” promoting the changes.

“A lot of students feel there are a number of flaws with the new model, including the cutting of a significant number of subjects for economic reasons,” the musical’s writer, Fregmonto Stokes, said.

Under the Melbourne model, the university’s 96 undergraduate programs will be replaced with six “new-generation” degrees and professional programs.

Mr Stokes said the musical would be the last production for the 15-year-old creative arts group Crunch which, under the Melbourne model, will fold next year. He said creative arts had effectively been cut, following the introduction of the new teaching model.

“(The university) said that they were replacing it with the VCA, because they’d bought the college,” Mr Stokes said. “But the creative arts courses are quite different from the courses at the VCA. They have effectively closed down one of the major creative arts institutions in Melbourne and drastically altered another in the VCA.”

Under changes earmarked for the VCA, the number of schools at the arts college will halve to three — fine arts, performing arts and music — from next April as it is absorbed into the US-style teaching model.

Mr Stokes, winner of the 2007 University of Melbourne Scriptwriters Award, was mentored by satirist Max Gillies while working on the script.

The hour-long performance, starring students from the creative arts, arts, music, engineering, science and commerce faculties, is told through the eyes of impressionable first-year student Wally.

Wally’s allegiances are torn between “a gang of leftie hippies” representing the Student Union and a charismatic rock star representing vice-chancellor Glyn Davis.

“He (the Davis character) goes to Canberra to spread his ideas and abandons Wally and the university,” Mr Stokes said.

Melbourne Model: The Musical will be on at the Union House Theatre from August 28-31. For bookings and information: melbournemodelbookings@gmail.com or 0435 249 350.

The Age, July 28 2008

09Jul08

VOLUNTARY student unionism has claimed another scalp with the scrapping of Melbourne University’s on-campus dental service.

Melbourne University Student Union chief Lowan Sist told the Leader the organisation had been forced to close the service for union members due to a funding shortfall.

He blamed the Howard Government’s abolition of compulsory student unionism two years ago for the demise of the popular service, which provides subsidised dental work to about 200 students a month.

“Under the old funding model, before VSU, providing a subsidised dental service for students right across the campus was perfectly achievable but things have changed,” Mr Sist said.

He said that, since the introduction of voluntary student union membership, numbers shrunk from about 40,000 to 4500, leaving a $3.5 million hole in the union’s finances.

“Closing the service is not a decision we’ve made lightly but we’ve managed to keep it running for two years in the VSU environment and now we just have to face facts,” Mr Sist said.

Mr Sist said it was possible that students’ dental health could suffer after the service closed its doors for the last time next month.

“It’s a terrible shame that any service that supports student amenity, and particularly university students that as a cohort are doing it tough, has to close,” he said.

However, during second semester the union will provide $20 rebates for members seeking dental care outside the university.

“It’s not our intention to just give up on this service altogether and we’re looking at a range of options to continue giving students dental assistance,” he said.

Mr Sist said VSU had failed to achieve its goal of ensuring students were not forced to subsidise political campaigns.

“What is being affected is student services and student amenity.”

Mr Sist said he expected an announcement by federal Education Minister Julia Gillard about a scheme to raise money for non-academic student services later this month.

A spokesman for Ms Gillard refused to comment on any pending announcements. However, he said a Government review into VSU had proved the system was robbing students of services.

Melbourne Leader, July 9, 2008

Presented by CRUNCH! 08.

Written by Fregmonto Stokes.
Composed by Ben Kiley, Angus Leslie and Phillip Garbe.
Directed by Richard Pettifer.

We’re developing a musical…

A spectacular satire of the Melbourne Model, featuring Vice Chancellor Glyn Davis as a nymphomaniac rock star.

27-30 August 8pm. Matinee August 31 3pm.
Union Theatre, ground floor, Union House
Tickets: Full $18/Conc $15
Bookings: www.union.unimelb.edu.au/tickets or 0435 249 350

view the trailer/teaser

Melbourne University’s administration has been accused of stifling freedom of speech by censoring artworks being exhibited from today.

Creative Arts student Rosalie Delaney said two students were explicitly told this week that university politics could not be depicted in their work.

“The ground staff were told by administration to veto out any work which could be perceived as anti-university,” she said.

A teacher told the students they were not allowed to continue working on exhibits that touched on the politics of the university.

The teachers were told that if politics was depicted, their subject would be cancelled next year, Ms Delaney said.

In response, she said: “I’ve produced an artwork that says this is not an anti-Melbourne University model.”

Her tongue-in-cheek work is a reference to the university’s new degrees studies model, which has reduced staff and led to the closure of schools including the former creative arts department, which has now been reduced to a creative arts program.

Another installation, Memorial Learning Hub, by Fregmonto Stokes, which went up at the university yesterday, depicts the university’s vice-chancellor Glyn Davis in caricature.

Ms Delaney described it as like a temple with a hollow structure.

The artworks are part of an exhibition of installations, titled The Constellation, which are being placed across the university, opening today until June 22.

Ground staff are supervising it because of health and safety considerations.

“A university needs to be a bastion of free speech and critical thought and questioning of structures and authority,” Ms Delaney said. She said the university’s stance on the artwork was “appalling”.

A university spokesperson said they were not aware of the exhibition or any instructions over what it might convey and could not comment further.

The Age, June 7th, 2008.

• Womans Officer - Rebecca Scully
• International Officer - Chanapon Bunprasery
• Production School Rep - Gabriel Townsend
• CFI Rep - Akhil Gardner
• Art School Rep - Catriona Hutchinson
• Drama School Rep - Mai Thompson
• FTV School Rep - Ana Tiquia

Azlan McLennan
VCASU General Secretary
gensec@vcasu.org.au

As declared by:

Stephen Luntz
Returning Officer
Above Quota Elections

‘I am not a Pornographer nor a Pedophile but an Artist’

‘I am not a Pornographer nor a Pedophile but an Artist’ is a photographic exhibition by Melbourne artist, Victoria Larielle, in response to the recent censorship of Bill Henson’s art work.

The work is a stunning collection of photographs created but never before exhibited, five years ago without even imagining that this style of work could be contentious or viewed as any other form but art. This belief still firmly in place. Those who come to view the exhibit will not be offended, disgusted or revolted rather shall be treated to beautifully captured moments of the ever growing ever changing human form.

Following the recent government censorship and pending criminal charges against the artist Bill Henson Victoria has chosen to exhibit this art to show support to the future of art and great Australian artists, such as Bill Henson.

This exhibition shows the vulnerability, fragility and innocence that underlines every human being, which is of a hidden nature, not always on display but still present. Victoria explores these themes in her images of young adolescents.

‘I am not a pornographer nor a pedophile but an artist’ is showing on Tuesday the 3rd of June at 7pm at the Loop Bar 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne.

For further information contact Jared Larielle (0416 971 202) educate@vcasu.org.au

Further reading: Artist to exhibit nude photos in protest, AAP, June 2, 2008

Jared Larielle is the VCA Student Union Education Officer 2008