We Are The University (ChCh)

We Are The University (ChCh) We stand for:•Free, accessible, and quality education•Political freedom, and democratic governance of the university•No privatisation of education

This group exists to promote discussion and action around issues related to the corporatization of higher education in New Zealand and its impacts for students and staff at University of Canterbury (UC). For years, government funding of tertiary education in New Zealand has stagnated or been actively reduced, forcing university administrators to raise fees and make significant cutbacks. Our fees c

ontinue to rise each year, while the quality and diversity of our education is routinely attacked. The funding that UC does receive is through the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) model of funding, introduced in 2004. This funding model prioritizes individuals and departments who are producing research that serves commercial interests, at the expense of teaching and research that might be considered socially important. The trend is towards higher education that serves corporate and government interests, and away from education that exists to enrich and serve as critic and conscience of society. Students at UC are currently being faced with the closure of departments and resources. This represents one of the harshest attacks to tertiary education in the country. This group exists to give students at UC a voice. Students have no real say in governance and decision-making. The 'Consultation Process' used to justify cutbacks is a farce, student submissions are mostly ignored and there is no meaningful student representation on executive boards. The recent 'Change Proposal' that attempts to justify and explain the recent round of cuts to the Arts here was not even officially released to students. We Are the University (chch) works with the Tertiary Education Union and students' associations, and coordinates closely with its Auckland and Wellington counterparts.

"My own knowledge comes from universities, both in the United States and Britain. In both countries, the last thirty yea...
27/05/2016

"My own knowledge comes from universities, both in the United States and Britain. In both countries, the last thirty years have seen a veritable explosion of the proportion of working hours spent on administrative tasks at the expense of pretty much everything else. In my own university, for instance, we have more administrators than faculty members, and the faculty members, too, are expected to spend at least as much time on administration as on teaching and research combined. The same is true, more or less, at universities worldwide."

24/11/2012

Calling all concerned students. Leave this coming Wednesday free and come along to the Student Colloquium, taking place at UC. Lots of interesting discussion and a live link with the student movement in Quebec. A day to learn and be inspired and then act. Hope to see many of you there.

04/10/2012

Next meeting: Friday (tomorrow) 10-11am, Te Whare Akonga o Te Akatoki - 129 Ilam Road. See you there!

27/09/2012

Auckland University students were appalled as the University of Auckland Council adopted a 4.0% increase for domestic students in 2012, as well as a 5% hike for international students in 2013.

25/09/2012

Meeting this Friday 10-11am Te Whare Akonga o Te Akatoki - 129 Ilam Road, to discuss Management's latest announcement to merge the College of Business and Law and abolish the Law Library. Once again students have not been consulted. This is a problem that affects all UC students. (And since when is turning the Central Library into a cafeteria something we wanted anyway?) What can be done?

23/09/2012

Students protesting the rise in tuition fees demonstrate in Montreal Saturday, April 14, 2012. (Graham Hughes/THE CANADIAN PRESS)After a year of revolt which became known as the "Maple Spring"—including massive street protests that received global attention—university students across Quebec were cel...

21/09/2012

Another twist in the National-ACT charter school experiment comes with the revelation that a private foundation is apparently to sponsor a visit to New Zealand by the head of a controversial charter school management organisation – the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP).

19/09/2012

It’s a beautiful day to celebrate 119 years of the right to vote! Come out tonight and reclaim the vote won by Canterbury women and men who led the world. Show we value our vote for our schools boards, our city council, our regional council and our central government - we won't have that right brushed aside!

Finally! Now they need to actually get the ratio down to 1:100, as recommended by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
30/08/2012

Finally! Now they need to actually get the ratio down to 1:100, as recommended by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Canterbury University's human resources department is still overstaffed and plans are underway to cut numbers further.

26/08/2012

Hey guys, when is the next meeting?

The management at La Trobe Uni Melbourne have announced a culling of their Humanities and Social Science programmes. Stu...
14/08/2012

The management at La Trobe Uni Melbourne have announced a culling of their Humanities and Social Science programmes. Students are protesting the cuts, here are their demands:
*No cuts
*The vice chancellor and the dean to take a pay cut
*The dean to be sacked [assumedly after he takes the pay cut]
*A referendum of staff and students on the cuts

Students at La Trobe University have dramatically upped the ante in their campaign against cuts to the Humanities and Social Science faculty. A rally...

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