Otago University funding cuts cause mass student protest across campus

A noisy and passionate group of about 400 protesters marched through the University of Otago campus yesterday to demonstrate against cuts at the financially troubled institution. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Students angry at not being consulted about impending staff cuts at the University of Otago were among those who gathered yesterday to make their feelings loud and clear.

About 400 protesters marched through the university chanting and waving signs, and held their own unofficial vote on a situation they said had not been democratic.

It was an attention-grabbing debut for the Protect Otago Action Group (POAG), a group of staff, students and community members concerned about the damage cuts would cause.

The university announced in April that it faced a $60 million budget deficit and potentially “several hundred staff” would lose their jobs.

Student Ronan Thompson, 20, said as an arts student, he was worried the cuts would affect the courses offered in history, his chosen major.

Even those unlikely to be directly affected were unhappy.

“Students are pretty angry,” he said.

“I think everyone’s got friends with small majors or minors that might be cut.”

His message was simple: “Stop the cuts”.

Eden Li, 19, said he was angry about the way university cuts would limit study options for students.

He had emailed senior management, but received no explanation.

“I am affected by these cuts—I want to study German for my minor.”

A proposal to slash the languages and cultures department threatened this.

The university confirmed the proposal was endorsed by the senate yesterday, but said no final decision had yet been made.

Li, a computer science student, hoped to do a PhD in Switzerland in future, and knowledge of the German language would have been useful.

Aby Sterling, 21, said job cuts would affect the European studies department — her minor subject area.

It was not fair to anyone, and she was “not going to stand for it”.

Community member Sue Maturin said she was protesting because what went on at the university was important to Dunedin.

The cuts also raised deep questions about the value placed on education.

Tertiary Education Union branch president Craig Marshall was among those who addressed the crowd during the protest.

One goal was to pressure the Government to boost university funding, which had lagged behind inflation for more than a decade so that its value had fallen 20 per cent, he said.

University management needed to value staff and students more.

“Staff and students do not get to make the decisions as to how the university ought to be organised — that needs to change.

“We have a dysfunctional university.”

POAG community representative Tyler West said he was “very happy” with the turnout, especially given the group had only formed a few weeks ago.

The cuts were sold as a cost-cutting measure, but it was important to focus on the people whose jobs, education and communities they would impact.

“The top brass, and successive governments as well, have been deadset on treating tertiary education as a service paid for by individual consumers.”

It was just the start for POAG, with more events to take place in semester two, he said.

Asked whether staff and students should have been consulted about whether cuts should be made, a university spokesman defended the opportunities for staff input.

“Staff have been asked for ideas on how to save money at several staff forums in the past couple of years when our financial situation was raised,” the spokesman said.

fiona.ellis@odt.co.nz