Students need you to physically attend the special Senate meeting on Tuesday the 27th of August
Management's newly added requirements, in-person only, no proxy votes, set up to stop Senate from speaking out against course cuts
Please tell fellow Senate members they need to show up, in-person
Increased difficulty to participate in Senate meeting
Please contact everyone you possibly can to make sure they are aware of the upcoming special meeting of Senate on Tuesday 27th August. "The Senate's statutory authority derives from the Education Act, which empowers Council to establish an Academic Board (in the case of this University the Academic Board is called Senate) to Advise the Council on matters relating to courses of study or training, awards, and other academic matters." - The role of Senate
Management are requiring the senate meeting be in-person only and no proxy voting, this is not the usual senate process, this is a deliberate and blatant tactic to skirt usual accountability by taking advantage of changed habits post-covid and schedules during the mid-semester break. While during Covid alerts meetings could be online, there has been a reversion to in-person only. Vice Chancellor Dawn Freshwater frequently holds online meetings for Senate and Council.
While details continue to be negotiated with organisers for the special meeting, this is further evident of a fast-track mentality and with little warning. We understand this meeting is in person only and no proxy voting in spite of its timing and its urgency. Senate members need to be prepared to show in person.
Students
Share this page with other students, as well as teachers, friends, and media. Us students need to make sure that everyone knows what is happening. Particularly, members of senate need to know that their in-person attendance is crucial.
Members of Senate
Please, for the wellbeing of the university, attend the meeting, take notes, and leak info to staff, students, and press. Students and staff need you to be there, as do the staff who run these courses and the public who benefit from them. Please encourage your colleagues to attend as well. We have compiled a list of resources to support thoughtful discussion and decision-making. Please review the following resources before the meeting:
"I love small courses! They offer opportunities to build communities, engage with lecturers, and dive deeper into subject material through interactive class conversations and activities. I also feel more supported as a student when I'm in a small course, because the lecturers care about me. This motivates me to attend class, put effort in on assignments, and engage more deeply and critically with course material."
"They were far and away my favourite courses. I learnt the most, connected with my peers and the academic staff, and felt the most deeply connected to the university. I would not have stayed studying here for so long if I hadn't had that connection. These courses were the norm for me in my language classes and my Classics classes beyond stage I courses, and they are the reason I loved my degree"
"As both staff and a student, I haven't been made aware of such changes until it leaked by people who heard third-hand what was going on, and even then it wasn't what was going on, because the administration hasn't made that clear"
"I do not feel fully informed and the student emails we receive are almost a copy/paste of the staff emails with no real explanation of the decisions being made"
"Instead of coming clean and clarifying and setting the record straight about what's actually happening, faculty management has chosen to clarify things in meetings behind closed doors and not allay the (very real) concerns of rank and file students and staff. the students should NOT have to create a forum to demand answers"
"It's good that the uni (at this stage ...) is saying at least that they hope to protect Maori, Pacific and local content. However, little is known about WHO is making the final decision and on WHAT basis"
The Student Charter sets out the principles underpinning the relationship between students and the University of Auckland
The Student Charter promises management will: "make every endeavour to provide clear, timely and accurate information to you about:
"University policies and procedures;"
Management has not provided any information to students about how restructuring procedures are carried out, what courses will be cut, how many, on what basis.
All information students have found out has been either after faculty were given tight deadlines to make decisions, or after decisions have been made. This is hardly "timely."
"programmes of study, courses, and their assessment requirements;"
Any course changes, regardless of how strongly the Provost insists on us "still [being] able to complete [our] programmes," will affect our programmes of study. Management has not given us any information about how our programmes will be affected.
"academic, welfare and student experience support services;"
The combination of faculties will have profound impacts on previously-separated support services, the poor experience of centralisation of student support post-StudentHubs — where previously dedicated faculty Students Centres were much more supported by students’ testimonies — gives us insights into management's poor decision making reguarding centralisation.
All information has been pried from management, not provided to students proactively.
"educational options that meet your needs;"
See above section about pedagogical value of small courses, and programmes of study.
"provide opportunities for you to represent your views, and the views of other students, in a way that emphasises partnership in decision-making by:"
"consulting with students before major decisions affecting students are made;"
Again, management has not provided any details for the proposed cuts, what we know students have derived themselves with the support of concerned staff.
Management's justifications are consistenly changing, broad, and vague. "valuing and responding to student feedback;"
Students have been provided no means to communicate feedback to the management directly about the cuts. This again has had to be devloped by students in-spite of managment's disenfranchisement of students.
There is no lack of student feedback, but the management refuses formally recognise it. "recognise that it has a duty to support and provide, as best it can, for your health, safety and wellbeing."
The rapidity and uncertainty around management decisions have been anxiety-inducing to say the least. Given the vague and deeply unsatisfactory answers the Provost gave at the forum, the management is evidently uninterested in alleviating this anxiety.
"enable you to make complaints, without being disadvantaged, by ensuring that you:"
"are kept informed about the process, outcome, and reasons for any decision in a timely manner;" "have the right to be heard;" "are treated respectfully, fairly and impartially."
While these clauses refer to the complaints process, management has not provided any information about how students can make complaints about the cuts.
"ensure that all staff are aware of and follow the University’s policies and procedures"
It is questionable whether management is aware of the Student Charter