On 15th May, the University of Tasmania (UTAS) released a change proposal, wherein they would cut 13 full-time staff positions and restructure the College of Arts, Laws, and Education (CALE).
Some of the proposed changes include merging the School of Humanities and School of Social Sciences into a single school, restructuring the Philosophy discipline, merging Media with Fine Arts and Humanities, and removing German and Indonesian as majors. Social work and psychology courses will be integrated into the School of Health, and dedicated tourism courses will be axed.
These changes follow a $10.8 million deficit, according to UTAS’ 2023-24 annual financial report. Previously, UTAS had reported a $43.1 million surplus in 2022-23.
Tasmania University Student Association (TUSA) President, Jack Oates Pryor, commented that “change needs to happen, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of student experience on the ground”.
Professor Lisa Fletcher, the interim lead of CALE, said to Honi that “The proposed changes would affect a very small number of students… There is no plan to discontinue any degree under this proposal. A small number of majors with consistently low student numbers may be affected.
“Since 2023, we have implemented a range of measures to manage costs, including vacancy controls, which have achieved considerable savings. We propose to make a small further reduction in positions to ensure our resources are focused on delivering the best possible experience for our students.”
UTAS has set a four-week consultation period with staff which will end on 12th June.
Evelyn Unwin Tew, the editor-in-chief of UTAS’ fortnightly newspaper Togatus, said to Honi that the changes have “been mismanaged, communication has been egregious, and the consultation process has presented as tokenistic and precontemplated.”
Togatus released a special edition on 28th May to inform students of the cuts, arguing that as UTAS is the biggest tertiary institution in Tasmania, some of the changes would see courses removed altogether in the state, such as the German and Indonesian majors.
Tew said “The University reaps the benefits of the monopoly it holds within this community, but it must also accept the additional responsibility it simultaneously must carry.”
