Proposed structural reform within the University of Western Australia (UWA) could see more than 20 job losses, and the scrapping of programs designed to protect student wellbeing and health.
The tertiary institution’s management has proposed a restructure of Student Life, a department responsible for a range of student support services that include counselling, psychological support, and scholarships.
The proposal includes closing UWA’s Health Promotion Unit, which plays a critical part in tackling critical issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse and sexual assault on campus.
Student support staff replaced with automated kiosks
Management describe the proposed cuts as financially necessary, with claims that potential savings invested into digital enhancements and student spaces will mean there is no adverse impact on learning or teaching.
But Student Guild President, Geemal Jayawickrama, is not convinced and believes that automated kiosk machines capable of answering basic questions and printing student ID cards can not effectively replace human staff members.
Dr Sanna Peden, UWA Branch President of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is also skeptical and said some staff had avoided speaking out for fear of professional repercussions.
“The management line is that the proposed changes will not impact on learning or teaching,” she said. “It’s hard to see how that could possibly be true: UWA staff don’t work in silos, and ‘teaching and learning’ don’t exist only within the four walls of a lecture theatre.”
Union supports staff
Dr Peden described the work Student Life employees do as “essential” and expressed her shock “at the scale of the cuts in already overworked areas. … Unsurprisingly people in those positions feel devalued and disrespected by the proposal.”
With the Proposal For Change (the document outlining the proposed restructure) predicting the student population at UWA will grow by 15 per cent by 2026, she said there are “serious concerns that the cuts will lead to ballooning workloads for staff and longer waiting periods for students”.
“Staff in Student Life are feeling vulnerable and angry—but we are also moved by the support and solidarity students have given us,” she said. “Staff working conditions are student learning conditions, and we’re all in this together.”
The Pelican magazine, UWA’s student newspaper which first reported the proposed changes, quoted anonymous staff members who expressed a variety of concerns related to taking on additional workloads while being faced with potential pay cuts of up to $10,000.
“We aren’t just faces or numbers,” one staff member told the publication. “We are counsellors, translators, career advisors, parent wranglers, IT support, Google Maps, fire safety officers, the volunteers at open day and graduations… We aren’t just chat bots who spend all day emailing, and to ask us to do more than we already have done over the last three years without a clear plan is insulting.”
In their Guild Council meeting June this year, student-elected representatives of the Student Guild passed a motion condemning the proposed restructure of Student Life.
Almost 500 people have already signed a petition to support staff.
